A patient presented to the authors with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss after falling asleep with his ear tightly pressed against a window of a moving train. This study set out to determine whether a train could generate sound levels of sufficient intensity to cause such a hearing loss. A sound level meter was used to measure the sound levels produced at the window of a moving train. Further measurements were made with a rubber attachment on the microphone, that simulated the effect of the ear stuck to the window. The sound levels were found to be amplified by the attachment but not to levels that could cause a hearing loss over a short period. In a second experiment eight healthy volunteers all perceived an increase in sound levels when their ears were pressed against a train window.

It seems unlikely that sleeping with an ear against a train window can cause hearing loss, but it cannot be ruled out.

Spontaneous dehiscence of the superior semicircular canal (SSC) in the middle cranial fossa is rare and may cause clinical problems. This dehiscence was investigated in cadaveric and dried temporal bone specimens. One cadaveric specimen showed a spontaneous defect: the dehiscence was a symmetrical, elongated ellipse with smooth margins. Four of 244 dry bone specimens showed bony defects in the roof of the SSC, however, only one specimen was thought to have a spontaneous defect. Based on computer-simulation models, we hypothesized that spontaneous defects of the SSC may arise during the fetal period. Although rare, this defect may cause problems in middle cranial fossa surgery and may relate to certain vertiginous disorders.

A series of squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the hypopharynx treated with combined surgery and radiotherapy is presented to highlight the results of treatment at an early stage of disease. A retrospective mono-institutional analysis was performed on 153 previously untreated patients with SCC of the hypopharynx, seen between 1980 and 1995 at our institution. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazard model. The overall five-year specific, and non-specific, disease survival rates were 68 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval, CI: 60–77) and 47 per cent (95 per cent CI: 39–56), respectively. Compared with other series, this study is characterized by treatment at an earlier stage, better prognosis, and a higher number of multiple malignancies. Twenty-two per cent of hypopharyngeal SCCs were diagnosed during the staging procedures for a different head and neck SCC and 14 per cent during the follow-up for a previous tumour. Multivariate survival analysis of clinical and pathological factors confirmed the clinical class of tumour (T) and node (N) and the nodal capsular rupture as prognosticators of disease.

This study is based on a retrospective analysis of 150 cases of tympanoplasty and ossicular chain reconstruction as a one-stage procedure. It was conducted at the Federal Government Services Hospital, Islamabad from 1983 to 1999. Temporalis fascia was used for myringoplasty and a sculptured autologous incus to bridge the malleus to stapes head and malleus to footplate gap. These interpositions have produced stable ossicular assemblies and provided satisfactory post-operative hearing gains. One hundred and twenty-six (84 per cent) patients achieved a healed tympanic membrane three months post-operatively. One year post-operatively, 121 (81 per cent) patients had an intact tympanic membrane and at five years 119 (79 per cent) had an intact tympanic membrane. The success rate was based on an intact tympanic membrane and an air-bone gapof less than 30 dB one-year post-operation. Accordingly, the overall success rate was 80 per cent (120 cases). Hearing gains in cases with an absent stapes arch were poorer than in cases with an intact arch. Early (one to three months) post-operative complications included tympanic membrane perforation, lateralization of the graft and persistence of infection. Late (one to five years) complications included the appearance of an anterior perforation and retraction and thinning of the tympanic membrane.

The detection of cervical lymph nodal metastasis and carotid artery invasion by metastatic lymph nodes is an important issue in the management of head and neck malignancies. This study compared the evaluation of metastasis by palpation, ultrasonography (USG) and computed tomography (CT) in patients with known head and neck malignancies.

Twenty-five consecutive patients with head and neck malignancy were prospectively evaluated for the presence of cervical lymphadenopathy and carotid artery invasion. All patients underwent clinical examination (palpation), USG and CT examination. A modified CT criteria was employed which yielded acceptable results for the detection of metastatic nodes. Radical neck dissection was performed for 26 neck sides, and the results of pre-operative evaluation were confirmed by the surgical and histopathological findings.

Palpation, ultrasound and CT have comparable sensitivity in the determination of metastasis involving cervical lymph nodes. Thus palpation should be employed as the primary method of assessment of secondaries in the neck.

However, palpation is less sensitive than CT and USG in the detection of carotid artery involvement, hence the clinical suspicion of arterial invasion should be confirmed by either CT or USG which have similar accuracy in the detection of carotid artery invasion.

The Birmingham bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) programme has fitted more than 300 patients with unilateral bone-anchored hearing aids since 1988. Some of the patients who benefited well with unilateral aids and who had used bilateral conventional aids previously applied for bilateral amplification. To date, 15 patients have been fitted with bilateral BAHAs. The benefits of bilateral amplification have been compared to unilateral amplification in 11 of these patients. Subjective analysis in the form of validated comprehensive questionnaires was undertaken.

The Glasgow benefit inventory (GBI), which is a subjective patient orientated post-interventional questionnaire developed to evaluate any otorhinolaryngological surgery and therapy was administered. The results revealed that the use of bilateral bone-anchored hearing aids significantly enhanced general well being (patient benefit) and improved the patient’s state of health (quality of life). The Chung and Stephens questionnaire which addresses specific issues related to binaural hearing was used. Our preliminary results are encouraging and are comparable to the experience of the Nijmegen BAHA group.

Referrals for epistaxis management constitute a significant proportion of paediatric ENT consultations. A prospective audit of all new referrals to our paediatric ENT department for epistaxis management yielded 88 patients over four months. Parents completed a questionnaire with particular reference to the duration of history and frequency of epistaxis. After assessment some patients were given topical chlorhexidine and neomycin cream (Naseptin), in addition some children also underwent chemical cautery (silver nitrate). Of the 64 children in whom out-patient nasal cautery was attempted it was tolerated by 63 (98 per cent). In response to a follow-up postal questionnaire returned by 65 per cent, most parents (74 per cent) felt that Naseptin was useful. A telephone survey of the patients’ general practitioners found that 91 per cent of the children did not consult their general practitioner regarding epistaxis again. We conclude that paediatric epistaxis can be effectively managed with a single out-patient consultation.

This study aims to investigate the facilities available in Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments and the education of casualty officers in the treatment of epistaxis in the UK. Fifty departments were chosen at random and a telephone survey undertaken. The results show a paucity of facilities and inadequate training of A&E officers in a majority of departments. Recommendations for treatment standards are made.

Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) has undergone exponential growth worldwide in the last decade. It is now accepted as a safe and effective means of treating sinonasal disease. The purpose of this study was to determine whether post-operative debridement is necessary after ESS. Seventeen patients undergoing bilateral primary ESS were randomized to receive debridement of either the left or right ethmoid cavity. All patients included in the study had symmetrical disease. Saline douches and all other concomitant treatments were delivered bilaterally. Outcome measures were based on regular symptom scores and surgeons’ semi-quantitative assessment of the debrided and non-debrided cavities, over a three-month period. Analysis of adhesion rates, healing and symptom scores showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. In conclusion, this study did not demonstrate significant benefit from post-operative ESS cavity debridement, at least with regard to cavity healing. This should be considered a pilot study and therefore limited conclusions can be drawn. Further work is needed to determine the optimum post-operative care for ESS.

Iatrogenic injury to the spinal accessory nerve following surgical procedures in the neck is well recognized in causing significant morbidity to patients, with shoulder pain and loss of function being particularly problematic. We have used a Magstim Neurosign 100 peripheral nerve monitor, that is most often used in our practice to monitor the facial nerve during middle ear and parotid surgery, to monitor the accessory nerve during neck surgery. Ten patients undergoing accessory nerve-sparing neck dissection, or excision biopsy of neck mass had their accessory nerve monitored during the procedure. No patient suffered injury of the nerve. In several cases the nerve closely adhered to the tissue being resected, and in two cases, the nerve bifurcated or gave off branches. We found that the monitor aided identification and preservation of the nerve.

Proper selection of an osteotome for nasal osteotomy is important for minimizing soft tissue trauma. Radiographic analysis of the facial bony lateral wall thickness was performed to suggest a guideline for an appropriate osteotome size for Asians. Facial bone computed tomography (CT) of 100 patients (50 male, 50 female) were studied. The thickness of the facial bony lateral wall at three points along the track of a lateral osteotomy, and two points along the track of a medial osteotomy and intermediate osteotomy were measured. The average bony thickness along the track of a lateral osteotomy was 2.61 ± 0.66 mm at the low level, 2.75 ± 0.76 mm at the middle level, and 2.72 ± 0.53 mm at the high level in subjects. The average bony thickness along the track of an intermediate osteotomy were 1.26 ± 0.34 mm at the low level, and 1.31 ± 0.32 mm at the high level in the subjects. The average bony thickness along the track of the medial osteotomy were 2.54 ± 0.31 mm at the lowlevel, and 2.77 ± 0.30 mm at the high level in subjects. These results may provide a guideline for choosing an osteotome of appropriate size for the Asian population.

Acute mastoiditis was a common condition in the pre-antibiotic era, but has become rare now with the widespread use of antibiotics.

A retrospective study was carried out of patients with acute mastoiditis who were seen at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool over a five-year period. Their case records were identified and details of gender, age at presentation, symptoms, signs and clinical management were noted and analysed.

Twenty-one patients who presented with acute mastoiditis were identified. The patients’ age at presentation ranged from three months to 14 years. Five cases out of 21 (23.8 per cent) were under one year of age.Eighteen cases (85.7 per cent) presented with post-aural swelling while 12 (57.1 per cent) had aural discharge.

All patients were treated with intravenous antibiotics and only five patients (23.8 per cent) required surgical intervention in the form of a cortical mastoidectomy with, or without, myringotomy.

A significant number of cases can be treated conservatively with intravenous antibiotics. Surgery in the form of cortical mastoidectomy can be reserved for complicated cases and in those in whom conservative treatment has failed.

Alterations of the p53 gene are the most frequently documented genetic abnormalities in human cancer. The aim of the present study was to analyse if this alteration is an early event in oral tumorigenesis and if the suprabasal expression of p53 is a marker of the presence and severity of epithelial dysplasia. Immunohistochemical p53 expression in 78 specimens of oral squamous cell carcinoma and non-tumoral adjacent epithelium was analysed. Non-tumoral epithelium was observed in 53 cases (67.9 per cent), being normal in six cases (7.6 per cent), hyperplastic in 24 cases (30.7 per cent) and dysplastic in 48 cases (61.5 per cent). Epithelial dysplasia was mild (23 cases, 47.9 per cent); moderate (23 cases, 47.9 per cent) and severe (two cases, 4.1 per cent). Twenty-one cases of the dysplasias (43.8 per cent) expressed p53. No p53 expression appeared in any normal epithelium. Basal p53 expression always appeared in mild dysplasias (two cases). Suprabasal p53 expression appeared in mild and moderate dysplasias in nine cases and in one severe dysplasia. No statistical correlation was observed between suprabasal expression of p53 and the presence or severity of the dysplasia. The expression of p53 is an early event in oral tumorigenesis but it does not behave as an objective marker of the presence or severity of epithelial dysplasia.

The aim of this prospective study was to examine skin reactivity to four vasomotor agents and to determine whether non-eosinophilic rhinitis patients differ from patients with eosinophilic rhinitis. Nasal cytology enabled us to classify 74 rhinitis patients into a non-eosinophilic (n = 63) and an eosinophilic group (n = 11). Skin reactivity to intradermal tests with papaverine, metacholine, histamine and compound 48/80 was measured. No significant difference for papaverine, metacholine, histamine and compound 48/80, singly, was found between the non-eosinophilic and eosinophilic group. The frequency of the total pathological skin reactivity to vasomotor agents, singly and in combinations, was greater in the eosinophilic (91 per cent) then in the non-eosinophilic group (78 per cent) but intergroup difference was not significant. These findings suggest that pathologic skin reactivity to vasomotor agents is a feature of non-eosinophilic as well as eosinophilic non-allergic rhinitis patients and indicate that no difference is noticed in the skin reactivity between these groups.

The term comorbidity stands for disease processes that co-exist and are not related to the index disease being studied. Comorbidity in cancer has been shown to be a major determinant in treatment selection and survival. Patients with head and neck cancer can have significant comorbidity owing to the high incidence of tobacco and alcohol abuse. No studies to date have addressed this problem in head and neck cancer patients in the United Kingdom. The applicability of the adult comorbidity evaluation – 27 index (ACE-27) and the Charlson index (CI) to assess the comorbidity burden by retrospective notes review is studied here. Retrospective data collection and completion of a comorbidity index in a United Kingdom setting is feasible. We conclude that the pre-assessment visit is a useful time to record comorbidity and as a significant amount of information required for grading relates to historical items, this is best done using a self-administered patient questionnaire.

Because otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are transmitted from the cochlea to the ear canal via the middle ear, the transmission properties of the middle ear directly influence OAEs’ characteristics. In general, middle-ear effusion (MEE) reduces measured emission amplitudes and sometimes eliminates the response entirely. The purpose of this study was to establish the relationship between the conduction of the middle ear and OAEs’ properties and to elucidate the effect of middle-ear effusion on detecting OAEs’. Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs), transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were recorded from 44 normal ears and 32 ears with middle-ear effusion. DPOAEs were collected in two basic forms consisting of distortion product audiograms (DP grams) and input-output (I-O) functions, elicited by two primary tones F1 and F2 and varying geometric mean frequencies between 1–6 kHz. The results of air and bone conduction hearing levels in pure tone audiogram were also analysed. In 21 ears out of 32 otitis media with effusion (OME) ears, SOAEs were absent. In the 28 ears with middle-ear effusion, the response and wave reproducibility were diminished, and in the 17 ears with middle-ear effusion, the DP gram was diminished or eliminated. In particular, I-O function curves at 3 kH and 4 kHz were diminished by the primary tones of 45 and 55 dB under the condition of MEE. The SOAEs, TEOAEs and DPOAEs (DP gram and I-O function curve) are highly reliable and useful tests for monitoring changes in middle-ear condition in children with OME and in predicting the course of OME.

The goal of the present work was to investigate possible risk factors for the poor response of some cases of chronic sinusitis to endoscopic sinus surgery in spite of the precision of the surgical technique. Eleven adult patients who were scheduled for revision endoscopic sinus surgery underwent a complete allergy workup. At the time of surgery, a tiny biopsy was taken from the maxillary sinus mucosa close to the middle turbinate. The specimens were processed for histochemical and transmission electron microscopic examination.

Six patients (55 per cent) proved to be allergic. Their sinus mucosa showed eosinophilic infiltration (6.1 cells/mm2), and mast cell degranulation. This proves that allergens can reach the sinus mucosa and have a direct impact on it. Another three patients (27 per cent) were non-allergic but exhibited mucosal eosinophilia (5.0 cells/mm2), and two of them showed mast cell degranulation. These patients were diagnosed as having nonallergic rhinosinusitis with eosinophilia (NARSE). The nasal mucosa of the remaining two patients did not reveal any characteristic pathological findings, and no pathologic diagnosis could be established for them. None of the patients showed electron microscopic evidence of purulent inflammatory changes, and the bacterial cultures recovered normal respiratory flora in nine patients (82 per cent).

The present research spotlights the importance of allergy and nonallergic eosinophilic infiltration of the mucosa as possible risk factors that may degrade the results of endoscopic sinus procedures and discusses some pertinent pathological and clinical aspects.

The measurement and achievement of improved patient benefit following a particular medical or surgical intervention has become an increasingly relevant part of the provision of effective healthcare.

We have retrospectively analysed patient satisfaction in 56 patients following rhinoplasty via the Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI), 25 of whom underwent pre-operative computer imaging planning. We have also audited patient reaction to this technique via a concurrent questionnaire in those subjects who underwent imaging, and correlated this with overall patient outcome.

Patient satisfaction with cosmetic rhinoplasty following computer imaging was significantly improved compared to those patients who did not receive imaging.

The Birmingham bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) programme, since its inception in 1988, has fitted more than 300 patients with unilateral bone-anchored hearing aids. Recently, some of the patients who benefited extremely well with unilateral aids applied for bilateral amplification. To date, 15 patients have been fitted with bilateral BAHAs. The benefits of bilateral amplification have been compared to unilateral amplification in 11 of these patients who have used their second BAHA for 12 months or longer. Following a subjective analysis in the form of comprehensive questionnaires, objective testing was undertaken to assess specific issues such as ‘speech recognition in quiet’, ‘speech recognition in noise’ and a modified ‘speech-in-simulated-party-noise’ (Plomp) test.

‘Speech in quiet’ testing revealed a 100 per cent score with both unilateral and bilateral BAHAs. With ‘speech in noise’ all 11 patients scored marginally better with bilateral aids compared to best unilateral responses. The modified Plomp test demonstrated that bilateral BAHAs provided maximum flexibility when the origin of noise cannot be controlled as in day-to-day situations. In this small case series the results are positive and are comparable to the experience of the Nijmegen BAHA group.

The waiting times incurred during the management of 75 consecutive head and neck oncology patients attending for post-treatment follow-up were reviewed. Data were gleaned from general practitioner (GP) referral letters, patient case-notes as well as radiology and histology reports. The mean time for GP referral to ENT was 5.1 weeks. From ENT to endoscopy was 3.1 weeks, to histology 3.5 weeks, to computed tomography (CT) scan 5.6 weeks, to magnetic resonance scan (MR) 4.1 weeks, to primary radiotherapy 10.3 weeks and to surgery 5.5 weeks. The mean symptom duration prior to referral was 4.9 months.

Our results compare unfavourably with the standards recommended by the BAO-HNS. Local modifiations may improve matters, but significant increases in funding, manpower and equipment are required to achieve the stipulated standards. Moreover, criteria for referral have to be re-emphasized and patient education has to be addressed as these appear to contribute the longest delay in the diagnosis of head and neck tumours.