A review of 3,488 tonsil and adenoid procedures performed between March 1987 and April 1990 is presented.

A reactionary haemorrhage rate of 0.49 per cent was found. No deaths were recorded. All cases of reactionary haemorrhage occurred within the first eight hours post-operatively.

Based on this study, out-patient tonsil and adenoid surgery should be followed by at least an eight hour post-operative observation period before discharge. If day case adenoid and tonsil surgery is adopted, close medical audit would be necessary to detect and then prevent any possible increase in morbidity or mortality.

The value of otoacoustic emissions as an objective screening test for normal peripheral auditory function in infants is currently the subject of extensive and promising research. Additionally the measurement of cochlear emissions is potentially useful when children cannot be tested reliably by traditional subjective methods but confirmation of normal hearing is diagnostically important. Three groups of children are described who present such audiological dilemmas: children with non-organic hearing loss, children with severe learning difficulties and more rarely children with an abnormal auditory brainstem response who also have damage to the central nervous system. In all three groups otoacoustic emission testing was found to be diagnostically useful in determining normal peripheral auditory function thereby resolving some of the dilemmas facing paediatric audiology and ENT clinics.

Otoscopy is a subjective clinical method. Its subjectivity has led physicians to verify its accuracy through correlations with findings of otomicroscopy, pneumatic otoscopy, tympanometry, and myringotomy. In the very young population, however, the interpretation of otoscopic findings becomes more difficult. To improve the interpretation of normal otoscopy in young children, an otoscopic-histological correlation was attempted in children up to nine years of age. Twenty-one temporal bones from 15 children aged from two days to nine years who had no evidence of otological disease or congenital anomalies were examined under light microscopy; the thickness of the pars flaecida, posterior superior quadrant, and umbo were measured. Twenty-five eardrums of 15 healthy children without past or present history of otological disease were examined using otoscopy; a photograph of each eardrum was obtained. Our study demonstrates that structural changes in the tympanic membrane during these years of childhood have a good correlation with otoscopic findings. Understanding normal histological changes in the paediatric eardrum may improve our interpretation of otoscopic findings.

This prospective study assesses the role of intensive outpatient based conservative treatment in the management of aural polyp.

All cases of aural polyp that presented to the department during 1990 were included. Patients with obvious cholesteatoma or in whom inner ear or intracranial pathology was suspected were excluded as were children and patients who had undergone previous ear surgery.

We found that treatment with topical steroid/antibiotic decreases disease activity and renders subsequent surgery less extensive.

Thalassaemia intermedia should be considered in any chronically anaemic patient presenting fromthe Middle East with hearing impairment. We report here three Saudi siblings with thalassaemia intermedia and features of severe bone marrow expansion, particularly invading the temporal bone. They were seen first for their otological problems before they had access to proper haematological evaluation. One member was admitted for surgical exploration of a cholesteatoma, which was then found to be marrow expansion of the temporal bone. Screening of the family revealed twomore anaemic siblings with thalassaemia intermedia. Audiological examination of all the family members showed that only the two affected members had a high frequency sen-sori-neural hearing loss.

Bone marrow expansion into the temporal bone is a rare feature of thalassaemia intermedia. Cholesteatoma-like lesion has not been previously described. It has to be considered in all cases of symptomatic thalassaemia intermedia manifesting with cavitation and lytic lesions in the mastoid system. The likelihood that sensorineu-ral hearing loss may complicate the thalassaemias israised and the possible mechanism for such involvement discussed. The proper management for different otological manifestations of the thalassaemias is suggested. These cases would suggest amore extensive involvement of the temporal bone in the thalassaemias than has been previously recognized. Further large scale studies are required to illuminate the subject.

The relationship between sudden hearing loss and an ipsilateral patulous tube was tested in ourEustachian tube laboratory. Fifty patients suffering from sudden hearing loss were examined by the pressure chamber impedance method, giving objective data on Eustachian tube function. Results were compared to those obtained from 56 healthy volunteers in a preceding investigation. Ourinvestigation did not show any associations between patulous tube syndrome and sudden hearing loss, as had been claimed by several authors previously. There was even indication of a decreased patency of Eustachian tube in our patients in active and passive tubal tests. We could demonstrate a high reproducibility of values obtained by our method, indicating that results are representative in healthy persons as well as in patients.

In a case report the importance of objective diagnostic methods in differential diagnostics of Eustachian tube pathology is emphasized.

A study of 50 consecutive patients undergoing myringoplasty using a Merocel Sponge Pope Ear wick as an ear canal dressing showed the wick to be complication free with potential advantages over the time honoured Bismuth Iodoform Paraffin Paste dressing.

A series of 129 patients who had undergone translabyrinthine removal of a unilateral acoustic schwannoma completed a postal questionnaire about pre- and post-operative tinnitus. A simple grading system was devised from which it was possible to determine the likely outcome of translabyrinthine acoustic schwannoma surgery upon tinnitus. The results have been analyzed in detail, and as a result it is possible to advise a patient undergoing this form of surgery that if they have no tinnitus pre-operatively they are unlikely to develop it, and if they do it will not besevere enough to significantly affect their quality of life. If they have mild or moderate tinnitus it is most likely to stay the same, or become less intense. If a patient has severe tinnitus it is very likely to improve and not affect their future quality of life.

We reviewed 30 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal vestibule to present our experience of their management and to evaluate the prognostic factors that may influence their outcome. For T1 lesions radiotherapy remains the treatment of choice, because of the superior cosmetic result. Fifteen (68 per cent) out of 22 patients with T2 lesions were treated with primary radiotherapy. Surgery however, was eventually required in 16 (72 per cent) out of 22 patients, either as a primary treatment (seven patients) or as salvage surgery (nine patients). For the larger T3 lesions the treatment of choice is surgery followed by post-operative radiotherapy where appropriate. Regional nodal metastases at the time of presentation were a significant indicator of local and regional recurrence and of prognosis. The cause specific five-year survival for patients with an uninvolved neck (22 patients) was 100 per cent compared with 38 per cent forpatients with nodal metastases at presentation (eight patients). Elective treatment for uninvolved regional nodes is not considered necessary.

Between 1976–1985,127 cases of malignant tumours of the nose and maxillary sinus were seen at the Department of Human Pathology, Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya. Cancer of the nose and maxillary sinus was a common diagnosis accounting for 0.8 per cent of all malignancies. Despite this, the incidence was low probably because the rural Kenyans have difficulty in gaining access to the oncology facilities in Nairobi. Incidence rates standardized to world population per 100,000 persons–years were 0.16 for males and 0.12 for females.

Clinical information showed that malignancy should be expected in patients with swelling of thecheek and involvement of the orbit. Compared with Denmark the proportion of undifferentiated carcinomas was significantly higher in Kenya. The well known fact that anaplastic carcinoma of the postnasal space is causally associated with the Epstein Barr virus makes it tempting to suggest that anaplastic carcinoma of the nose and maxillary sinus may also be of viral aetiology.

Methods of evaluating adenoidal size pre-operatively are controversial. Symptoms and clinical evaluation have been both advocated and condemned. Depending on the methodology, measurement of the radiological adenoidal shadow has been difficult to correlate with the clinical patency of the nasopharyngeal airway and to the actual size of the removed adenoid.

Four different methods were used to measure the adenoidal size on 74 radiographs. The methods were evaluated against the degree to which the adenoids obstructed the nasopharynx on flexible endoscopy of the postnasal space. Obstructive symptomatology was also evaluated against the degree of obstruction.

The radiological method that best correlated to the endoscopic findings was that of Cohen and Konak (1985). However, obstructive symptomatology had the overall highest correlation to endoscopic findings.

Detection of nasopharyngeal carcinoma primaries in patients presenting with neck node metastases may sometimes demand considerable efforts. By using the ‘ in situ hybridization’ technique, wemanage to identify the Epstein-Barr virus in neck metastases secondary to nasopharyngeal carcinomas. We propose that such identification in neck node metastases where the primary lesion is unknown indicates a nasopharyngeal primary.

From 1976 to 1989,81 patients with T2 and T3 laryngeal carcinomas were treated with vertical patrial laryngectomy at the University ENT Department of Thessaloniki, Greece. All patients were male with a median age of 56 years (33–71 years). Four patients had N, lymph nodes. Ten patients received post-operative radiotherapy. Seventeen patients developed local recurrences or distant metastases. Mean follow-up was more than seven years. Absolute three-year survival was 94.6 per cent for 74 patients and absolute five-year survival was 89.6 per cent for 58 patients. Actuarial five-year survival of the whole group of 81 patients was 91 per cent calculated with the Kaplan-Meier method. Recurrence rate and survival of stage II and III patients are also discussed and compared using the log-rank test. We conclude that vertical partial laryngectomy is avery successful treatment selection for T2 glottic and false vocal cord carcinomas and for someselected T3 glottic lesions.

Abnormal tone in the pharyngo-oesophageal (PO) segment may lead to failure in developing oesophageal speech. Videofluoroscopy may give a qualitative assessment of the PO segment but is expensive, time consuming and lacks quantification. A custom built PO segment manometer was therefore assessed as a means of predicting eventual oesophageal speech outcome. Two groups of patientswere studied. In group 1(18 patients) the PO segment pressures were compared to their videofluoroscopy findings. Videofluoroscopy categorized the patients into four groups. The PO pressurescorresponded to this grouping, pressures above 20 mmHg being associated with voice failure. Ingroup 2 (12 patients) the PO pressures in the early post-operative period were compared to their eventual speech outcome. In all cases the pressures predicted the eventual speech outcome. The pressure manometer is a simple, cheap and portable device which is a reliable screening testto predict the potential for oesophageal speech.

Cerebrospinal fluid leakage is a serious and well recognized complication of craniofacial resection for ethmoidal tumours in which the integrity of the dura has been breached. Autologous fibrin glue is a safe, inexpensive and simple method of improving the seal of dural repair and hence minizing CSF leakage. The principles and method of autologous fibrin glue preparation are described. The technique has proven satisfactory in 20 consecutive craniofacial resections with dural defects and is recommended as an adjunct to current techniques of dural repair.

Silicone septal buttons have been available to obturate septal perforations since the 1970s. Various methods of insertion have been suggested but the procedure is not always easy. We have devised an alternative method which has proved quick and simple to perform.

Both temporal bones of a newborn (35 gestational weeks old) with campomelic syndrome were studied histopathologically. This is to our knowledge the second temporal bone report (third case) of this syndrome. The findings included: abnormal cartilagenous and osseous tissues and abnormality in the globuli interossei in the otic capsule; deformities of the vestibule and semicircular canals, probably due to compression by the abnormal cartilaginous tissue; hypoplastic cochleaand semicircular canals; aberrant course of the facial nerve; wide dehiscence of the facial canal in the tympanic portion; slight hypoplasia of the malleus and anomalies in the incus and stapes; and large epitympanic space. These findings closely resembled those of the first report, and suggest that: 1) campomelic dysplasia is a definite disease entity with consistent pathogenesis, and 2) similar otologic manifestations may be expected in the majority of patients with this syndrome.

Ectopic and supernumerary teeth occur in a wide variety of sites. Those that have been reportedinclude the mandibular condyle, coronoid process, orbit, palate, nasal cavity and the maxillaryantrum. Eruption of teeth into these sites is rare, and easily overlooked. We present two casesin which eruption of teeth into the nose and paranasal sinuses was associated with significant morbidity and show how this was relieved by appropriate surgery.

Angiosarcoma of the nasal cavity is extremely rare. We present a case of angiosarcoma of the nasal cavity in an eight-yearold boy. He was treated with medial maxiUectomy via lateral rhinotomy. The histological diagnosis was confirmed by immunohistological stain with Factor Vlll-like antigen. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was useful in determining the extent of the tumour.

Basaloid-squamous carcinoma is a recently characterized, aggressive tumour occurring in the hypopharynx, larynx and base of tongue. We report a unique case involving the nasal cavity of a patient with a history of radiation therapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, raising the possibilit that basaloid-squamous carcinoma can be radiation-associated.