Search

Introduction Tinnitus is one of the most common otological complaints encountered. Patients often use the internet, especially YouTube videos, as a source of information regarding their health condition. There is a need to analyze the standard and quality of information in these videos so that the patients receive correct information.

Introduction: Noise pollution is an important health hazard in modern times and traffic policemen and automobile drivers are exposed to unregulated vehicular noise. This study aims to estimate the exposure levels from traffic noise for traffic policemen and automobile drivers and assess their awareness regarding noise pollution and the use of noise prevention measures. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out comprising the exposed and the control group with 121 people in each group. Sound level estimation was carried out across 20 traffic intersections in the city at various times to assess the noise levels. All the participants were administered a pretested questionnaire to assess their awareness regarding noise pollution and as well as the use of noise prevention strategies. The chi-square test was used to estimate the difference between the two groups. P

Objectives: The aim of present study was to investigate oral manifestations associated with COVID-19 disease. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study comprised 367 suspects with mild/moderate COVID-19 symptoms who reported to a tertiary care hospital's screening OPD. An in-depth case history was taken, and an oral cavity examination was performed to detect any oral findings. All participants were tested for SARS-CoV-2 using a naso-pharyngeal swab and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.Oral manifestations and the results of RT-PCR testing were correlated. Statistical analyses were performed using Epi Info and R software. To estimate the prevalence of oral symptoms, the Pearson chi-square test was used. Results: Oral manifestations were found in 58% of the study population. The difference in the prevalence of oral manifestations between RT-PCR positive COVID-19 patients versus RT-PCR negative suspects was statistically significant (p = 0.007) with xerostomia and dysgeusia being significantly higher in positive patients (p = 0.036 and p = 0.044 respectively) while the prevalence of stomatopyrosis and other intraoral signs was insignificant. Conclusion: Xerostomia and dysgeusia are the common oral manifestations of COVID-19.

Telemedicine services in India are underutilized. Otolaryngology provides a unique opportunity to adopt telemedicine services. Otolaryngology has seen a drastic surge in teleconsultation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the challenge lies in sustaining the services and making them affordable and acceptable in the remote corners of the country. The concept of “Mohalla clinics” offers a scope to integrate and adopt telemedicine in otolaryngology and expand its outreach effectively and with minimal resources. It is high time we start training ourselves and investing in telemedicine and develop the modality across our specialties.

Newborn hearing screening is an effective strategy for early identification of hearing loss in the newborn which result in early intervention and best outcome. However implementing universal screening strategy is a challenge in many resource constrained settings. There are various limitations towards successful implementation of hearing screening program in the developing countries. The cost effectiveness of the screening program also needs to be considered in a resource constrained settings. We attempt to provide a viewpoint that can be potentially helpful for the successful implementation of hearing screening in a resource constrained settings of the developing countries.

Introduction Nasal septal surgery is one of the most common surgeries performed by otolaryngology surgeons; however, anxiety before surgery and postoperative pain remain a significant cause of morbidity. The search for a complimentary modality to reduce the symptoms and side effects has gained momentum in recent years. Objective Music therapy is an exciting and inexpensive modality in this regard, but scientific evidence in terms of randomized clinical trials is still lacking for common otolaryngology surgeries. Hence, we performed the present study. Method The sample of our study was composed of 59 patients, 30 of which were submitted to conventional medicine, while the remaining 29 were submitted to both conventional medicine and music therapy with music of their own choice, with 2 sessions per day, each lasting 30 minutes. This was performed using the generalized anxiety disorder-7 scale and the pain visual analogue scale until postoperative day 2, when the patients were discharged from the hospital. Result On comparing the anxiety and pain scores between the two groups, the group who underwent music therapy showed a statistically significant reduction in anxiety both preoperatively (p

Rhinosporidiosis is a rare granulomatous disease of mucous membranes caused by Rhinosporidium seeberi. Although the taxonomy is still debatable, it has recently been concluded that it belongs to a novel group of fish parasite referred to as the “DRIP” clade (Dermocystidium, rosette agent, Ichthyophonus, and Psorospermium). It usually involves the nasal mucosa, but the incidence of extranasal (atypical) sites such as lip, palate, uvula, larynx, trachea, buccal cavity, lacrimal sac, scalp, skin, penis, urethra, vulva, and bone has been reported. Simultaneous involvement of both nasal and extranasal sites, particularly larynx and trachea, is rare. Only a few such cases have been reported, mostly from South India and Chhattisgarh. We report such a case of a 46-year-old male with extensive laryngotracheal rhinosporidiosis, which was managed successfully with surgery.

We report here the first case of retro-orbital fungal granuloma caused by Aspergillus versicolor. A 52-year-old male presented with protrusion of left eye associated with pain in the left eye and watering of the left eye for 6 months duration. Left eye examination showed axial proptosis, and fundus examination revealed blurring of the nasal disc margin. Diagnostic nasal endoscopy revealed an irregular pinkish proliferative mass medial to the middle turbinate. Plain computed tomography of the orbits showed a retrobulbar intraconal lesion in the left orbit. The patient was taken up for endoscopic orbital and optic nerve decompression with debulking or retro-orbital mass under general anesthesia. Culture on Sabouraud's dextrose agar grew Aspergillus species. The patient was started on oral itraconazole 100 mg twice daily, and over the course of 2 months, the left eye proptosis reduced significantly. Review at 2 years postoperatively did not reveal any recurrence of symptoms. Endoscopic clearance of the disease combined with oral antifungals is the appropriate modality of therapy for aspergillosis.

Ortner's syndrome or the cardiovocal syndrome is characterized by hoarseness of voice which is caused by the paralysis of the left recurrent laryngeal nerve as a result of cardiovascular causes. We report two cases; the first one was a 40-year-old male, who presented with hoarseness of voice, dyspnea on exertion, and central chest pain of 6-month duration. Videolaryngoscopy revealed left vocal cord palsy and an echocardiograph showed severe calcific mitral stenosis. The patient underwent mitral valve (MV) replacement and recovered left vocal cord function within 3 months. The second patient was a 52-year-old female, who presented with dyspnea on exertion, intermittent palpitations, and hoarseness of voice. Videolaryngoscopy revealed left vocal cord palsy. Echocardiography revealed features of rheumatic heart disease with severe mitral stenosis, moderate mitral regurgitation, severe tricuspid regurgitation, dilated left atrium, right atrium and right ventricle, and a left atrial appendage thrombus. The patient was subsequently taken up for MV replacement and left atrial thrombectomy, but the left vocal cord palsy persisted after surgery. Cardiovocal syndrome is rare in the general population but associated with causes such as aneurysms and MV stenosis. A high index of suspicion is needed to make an early diagnosis which can lead to surgical correction of the underlying cardiovascular disease, and the pals may resolve spontaneously following treatment.

Branchial cleft cysts are common in the neck, but those occurring within the thyroid gland are very rare; we report the occurrence of intrathyroidal branchial cleft cyst. A 42-year-old female presented with a slowly progressive enlargement of her left lobe of the thyroid gland, she subsequently underwent a hemithyroidectomy. The postoperative biopsy was reported as intrathyroidal branchial cleft cyst.

Salivary glands containing coexisting lipomatous lesions are rare and have only been identified recently as a distinct entity; one of these lesions is a sialolipoma. The characteristic feature of these tumors is benign proliferation of mature adipose tissue along with normal salivary gland features. We describe a case of a slowly enlarging mass in the submandibular region of a 45-year-old male which on excision was reported as sialolipoma.

Nasal dermoid is a rare developmental anomaly arising from a cluster of epithelium trapped during the embryological development or failure of obliteration of the ectodermal extension. Progressive enlargement can lead to soft tissue or skeletal deformity or intracranial complications such as meningitis or abscess. Timely diagnosis and complete surgical excision are essential to avoid complications. We describe a 23 year old male presenting with nasal dermoid.

BackgroundPlummer-Vinson syndrome is characterized by a triad of dysphagia, iron deficiency anemia and esophageal web. Most of the patients are middle aged women in the fourth to seventh decade of life.ObjectiveVery few cases of Plummer-Vinson syndrome affecting males have been reported. Here we report a series of male patients found to be suffering from Plummer-Vinson syndrome.MethodsFive males presented to us with dysphagia and fatigue of various durations, from April to August, 2012.ResultsThese patients were found to have iron deficiency anemia and esophageal web on subsequent investigations and were treated successfully with oral iron therapy.ConclusionPlummer-Vinson syndrome is common in both males and females and can be successfully treated with oral iron therapy. The patients have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal malignancies and should be thoroughly evaluated for the same.