B-ENT
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Although adenotonsillectomy is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the pediatric population, its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQL) has not been well established. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of adenotonsillectomy on children's HRQL. ⋯ Surgical treatment of chronic adenotonsillar disease has a positive impact on children's HRQL. Although surgery is highly effective in all age groups, in terms of children's quality of life, better results can be obtained if the operation is done in the earliest years of life.
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A 32-year-old woman developed altered consciousness two days after initial symptoms of acute otitis media, with purulent discharge from the right ear. She was quadriplegic, with spontaneous eye opening, mild neck stiffness, and lacking vestibular-ocular reflexes. ⋯ The final diagnosis was locked-in syndrome consecutive to inflammatory changes compressing the basilar artery.
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Comparative Study
Tinnitus and quality of life following vestibular schwannoma surgery.
This study on patients undergoing surgery for vestibular schwannoma investigated tumour (i) the effect of pre-operative factors on tinnitus, (ii) the effect of translabyrinthine or hearing preservation surgical approaches on tinnitus, and (iii) the effect of postoperative tinnitus status on the patient's quality of life (QOL). ⋯ Most patients do not report significant changes in their tinnitus status after surgery. Tinnitus evolution is unpredictable and not related to the type of surgical approach. Thus, tinnitus should not be used as a criterion for selecting the surgical approach. Tinnitus worsening appears to influence QOL following surgery for VS.
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Carotid blowout syndrome (CBS) is an emergency complication in patients undergoing treatment for head and neck cancers. The classical management of CBS is the ligation of the common carotid artery, because suturing is not be possible due to infection and necrosis of the field. ⋯ Endovascular stent is a life-saving technique with minimum morbidity that preserves blood flow to the brain. We believe that this method is preferable to ligation of the artery in CBS.
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Leksel Gamma Knife (LGK) radiosurgery is a safe and efficient therapeutic approach for vestibular schwannoma (VS) with low side effects. The goal of radiosurgery is not necessarily to cause significant tumour necrosis or to obtain a complete radiographic response, but to halt the tumour's growth permanently through its biological elimination. The 2 major aims of radiosurgery for VS are long-term tumour control and functional hearing preservation. The purpose of this study is to report our experience with LGK radiosurgery in the management of VS and to evaluate the hearing preservation rate after a minimum one-year follow-up. ⋯ LGK radiosurgery provides excellent tumour control in vestibular schwannomas and has low toxicity even after long-term follow-up.