NITROUS OXIDE anaesthesia invades the middle-ear cavity, resulting in a positive pressure within this cavity. It has been suggested that the pressure may be sufficient to force open the Eustachian tube and evacuate fluid from the middle ear. This study examined the possible influence of nitrous oxide on middle-ear fluid. Pre- and intra-operative tympanograms were obtained on 39 children scheduled for myringotomy surgery. Fluid was found in 83-1 per cent of the operated ears while the absence of fluid was noted in 16-9 per cent. It is possible that the nitrous oxide anaesthetic did cause an evacuation of fluid from this latter group of ears prior to actual surgery.

A CASE of congenital arterio-venous fistula involving the external ear in a 33-year-old female patient is described in this paper. She presented to the hospital with severe haemorrhage from the swelling over the ear necessitating immediate admission into hospital and transfusion of whole blood. The treatment of the case is described in detail. She is alive and well 3 years after her definitive treatment.