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Various tonsillar diseases caused by Actinomyces are described, including acute and chronic tonsillitis and neoplasm-like forms. These forms are illustrated by a clinical case because of the importance of considering this cause in the differential diagnosis.

After a study of a family with 9 members who had one or more episodes of idiopathic facial palsy at some point in life, we reviewed the literature for the role of heredity as an etiopathogenetic factor in peripheral facial palsy. Differential criteria for the most controversial aspects were considered, such as incidence and the type or mechanism of transmission which conditions the appearance of peripheral facial palsy in patients with possible genetic factors.

Mucormycosis is a fungal infection that often is fatal. It usually affects diabetic or immunocompromised patients. The site of onset generally is the nasal mucosa and the disease extends rapidly to the palate, orbit and brain. Early diagnosis is important and is based on the clinical features (diabetes, black eschar in nose, palate or face) and demonstration of the characteristic hyphae in the biopsy of the nasal mucosa or oral lesions. Treatment is based on systemic antifungal therapy, radical surgery, and medical management of the underlying disease. A case of rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis is presented and the world literature is reviewed.

Secondary angioneurotic oedema due to antihypertensive drugs of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors type, is an uncommon entity which must be remembered when dealing with differential diagnosis of this type of oedema. We have reviewed the subject following 2 of our own cases.

Objective tinnitus usually has a vascular origin, but dural arteriovenous fistulas are rarely the cause of this sign. We report a case of arteriovenous meningeal fistula (AVMF) of the lateral sinus, origin of pulsatile objective tinnitus. Etiology, pathophysiology, symptoms, diagnosis, differential diagnosis and treatment of these fistulas are reviewed.