No abstract

The canalith repositioning maneuver (CRM), as defined by Epley, can be an effective treatment for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). The staff at Başkent University's Ear Nose and Throat Clinic performed CRM on 68 cases of canalithiasis in 64 BPPV patients from June 1996 to August 1997. Symptoms resolved after the first session in 49 patients (72%) and after the second session in 11 cases (16.2%). It was necessary to repeat the maneuver three times in two cases (2.9%) and four times in one patient (1.5%). Discounting three patients who were lost to follow-up, only two patients in our study did not respond to CRM treatment. There was no co-existing pathology found in all but two of the patients studied. Our experience indicates that unless there is no response to CRM or there is suspicion of an incorrect diagnosis, it is not necessary to perform diagnostic studies routinely for differentiating other neuro-otologic disorders prior to using CRM in BPPV patients diagnosed by the Dix-Hallpike test.

No abstract

Ostium patency and sinus ventilation play a key role in the normal function of the sinuses and the pathogenesis of sinusitis. Experience with endoscopic treatment modalities has indicated that even severe mucosal disease in the maxillary and frontal sinuses will heal after eradication of an infectious focus in the ethmoid and maintaining ventilation and drainage of sinuses. The aim of this study was to use scintigraphic methods to evaluate possible differences in mucociliary function of chronically diseased maxillary sinuses after establishment of ventilation. Fourteen patients (22 maxillary sinuses) and 3 controls (6 maxillary sinuses) were evaluated after functional endoscopic sinus surgery. The drainage ratios of sinuses at 20 min were calculated at the 3rd postoperative day and again at 3 weeks. When the early and late postoperative drainage ratios were compared it was found that mucociliary function returned to normal after 3 weeks in sinuses with cysts but without hyperplastic mucosal degeneration. While the mucociliary function and drainage improved significantly in sinuses with hyperplastic mucosa, depending on the severity and extension of the pathology present, it was still less than levels found in normal sinuses at 3 weeks.

LCH has clinical manifestations depending on the site of infiltration. In adults, isolated bilateral mastoid infiltration, as an initial symptom, is a very rare condition. With corticosteroid uptake, the period of initial symptom was 10 years in our patient, which is, as per our knowledge, the longest reported in literature. This infiltration may mimic acute or chronic infections of the ear. Therefore, LCH should be considered in the differential diagnose of patients who present with bilateral mastoid cavity disease.