Two patients with a history of epistaxis who were both found to have a nasolacrimal duct melanoma are presented. A literature review revealed that no previous cases of primary nasolacrimal duct melanoma have been reported. Current therapeutic modalities are discussed.

External ear manifestations of sarcoidosis are rare. We review six cases in the literature and also report a case. The otolaryngologist plays an important role in making the diagnosis because of the ease of biopsy in all cases of sarcoidosis of the external ear.

Traditionally, debulking of obstructing laryngeal tumours has been performed with cold steel instruments or CO2 lasers. With recent technological advances and increased availability of microdebriders, powered instrumentation for debulking laryngeal tumours has become a viable option. We describe the use of the Xomed laryngeal Tricut blade in re-establishing the airways in four patients with obstructing laryngeal tumours. In all cases a tracheostomy was avoided, thus allowing adequate time to stage each patient and tailor surgery to the individual.

Arnold-Chiari malformations are a group of congenital hindbrain and spinal cord abnormalities characterized by herniation of the contents of the posterior cranial fossa caudally through the foramen magnum into the upper cervical spine. It is important to recognize Arnold-Chiari type I malformation in the differential diagnosis of adult vertigo cases. We present a 51-year-old patient with Arnold-Chiari type I malformation that was initially diagnosed as posterior semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.