A study to determine factors influencing outcomes of paediatric cochlear implants

Background

Cochlear implantation is a powerful tool for helping children with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss to gain the ability to hear, achieve age appropriate communication skills. However patient selection is of utmost importance to achieve optimum results.

Method

A cross sectional study was done on 75 children who had undergone unilateral cochlear implantation. Hearing was assessed by, The Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (MAIS) and speech perception was assessed by the Meaningful Use of Speech Scale (MUSS) as a parent reported scale in an interview format.

Results

The cochlear implantation improved auditory skills and speech perception of the children who underwent cochlear implantation. Children who had less than 40 months auditory deprivation and those who had higher educated parents had better auditory skills and speech perception.

Conclusion

Early cochlear implantation and good auditory verbal therapy have better outcomes of hearing and speech.     

Use of Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) to detect sub-clinical inner ear damage in divers of the Indian Navy

Background

Professional Divers are at a high risk of Sensorineural Hearing Impairment. Divers may sustain sub-clinical hearing loss that is not identified on pure tone audiometry (PTA). Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) reflect the functional status of the Outer Hair Cells. OAE testing constitutes the only non-invasive means of objective cochlear investigation and may be a more sensitive measure than PTA in identifying sub-clinical hearing loss.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was performed to determine utility of Otoacoustic Emissions testing in detecting sub-clinical Inner Ear damage in divers of Indian Navy. Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions (TEOAE) levels were measured in 50 audiologically asymptomatic ship divers of Indian Navy and compared with control group comprising of 50 normal hearing individuals.

Results

No statistically significant differences were observed between the study and control group. Also no correlation was observed between diving years and TEOAE levels. There was no correlation greater than −0.49 between diving years and TEOAE SNR.

Conclusions

We concluded that TEOAE levels are not a sensitive tool in identifying ships divers without any history of noise exposure at risk for developing hearing loss.     

Auditory functionality and early use of speech in a group of pediatric cochlear implant users

This study examined auditory functionality and early use of speech in a group of paediatric cochlear implant users. Parents of 33 implanted children from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Cochlear Implant Program were interviewed using the Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (MAIS) and the Meaningful Use of Speech Scale (MUSS). In general, higher MAIS scores post-implantation were significantly associated with higher MUSS scores suggesting that those with better functional hearing with the implant were also better in using spontaneous speech to communicate. Multiple regression analyses showed that several time factors significantly correlated with the MAIS scores post-implantation but not with the MUSS.     

Effects of ageing on speed and temporal resolution of speech stimuli in older adults

Background

According to previous studies, most of the speech recognition disorders in older adults are theresults of deficits in audibility and auditory temporal resolution. In this paper, the effect of ageing on timecompressedspeech and auditory temporal resolution by word recognition in continuous and interrupted noisewas studied.

Methods

A time-compressed speech test (TCST) was conducted on 30 young and 32 older adults with normalhearing thresholds. Lists of monosyllabic words were used at three time compression ratios. Auditory temporalresolution was determined by measuring the monosyllabic word recognition score (WRS), in the presence ofcontinuous and interrupted noise, at three signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns).

Results

There was a significant difference in TCST scores at the three compression ratios within and betweenyoung and older adult none (p< 0.001). Similar results were obtained in WRSs at the three S/Ns in the presenceof interrupted and continuous noise (p< 0.001), and in the degree of auditory temporal resolution(p=0.007). A significant correlation was found between the level of test difficulty of TCST with WRSs in bothyoung (r = 0.549, P=0.002) and older adults (r= 0.531, P=0.003).

Conclusion

Our results showed that ageing remarkably affects the processing of fast speech stimuli and temporalresolving ability. These results are more supportive of the effect of ageing on speech perception than onloss of hearing.     

大前庭水管综合征人工耳蜗植入者的听力特点与效果分析

目的分析接受人工耳蜗植入的大前庭水管综合征(large vestibular aqueduct syndrome,LVAS)患者听力特点以及确诊时间与人工耳蜗植入后听觉言语发育的关系,探讨LVAS早期确诊的临床价值。方法选择2000-2008年间在首都医科大学附属北京同仁医院接受人工耳蜗植入的112例LVAS患者资料并进行分析,依据年龄分别进行婴幼儿日常听觉综合能力量表(the Infant-Toddle Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale,IT-MAIS)或有意义听觉整合量表(Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale,MAIS)以及Nijmegen人工耳蜗植入量表(Nijmegen Cochlear Implantation Questionnaire,NCIQ)效果评估。结果①112例患者发现耳聋的平均年龄为(2.1±1.76)岁,确诊LVAS平均年龄为(7.0±7.34)岁,耳聋发现年龄与LVAS确诊年龄间有较大差距;②术前检查时确诊组50例(44.6%)患者,耳聋发现中位年龄2岁,确诊中位年龄9岁,手术中位年龄9岁;非术前确诊组62例(55.4%)患者,耳聋发现中位年龄为1.5岁,确诊中位年龄为2.3岁,手术中位年龄为4岁;③112例患者均为极重度感音神经性耳聋,术前助听言语交流能力2组间差异无统计学意义(P=0.859);④对18例成人患者术后NCIQ数据分析,术前诊断组和非术前诊断组的术后言语恢复能力差异具有统计学意义(P=0.029)。对16例7岁以下植入者术后听觉能力评估发现术前诊断组和非术前诊断组在开机后2个月内对声音的察觉能力和理解能力有差异但无统计学意义。结论大前庭水管综合征的确诊时间明显滞后于耳聋发现时间;LVAS的早期诊断有助于儿童残余听力的保护并有利于人工耳蜗术后早期听觉言语康复训练。     

Prevalence of rotavirus infection in children below two years presenting with diarrhea

Background

Rotavirus is a common cause of diarrhea in children. There is a need for data on prevalence of rotavirus diarrhea especially in our setting. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of rotavirus infection in children upto two years presenting with diarrhea and to ascertain factors associated with rotavirus infection in them.

Methods

A cross sectional observational study was carried out to determine the prevalence of rotavirus infection amongst children less than 2 years presenting with diarrhea. The clinical profile of the children was analyzed along with detection of rotavirus antigen in stool.

Results

A total of 250 children with diarrhea were included in the study. The Male: Female ratio was 0.97:1. We found 24% children presenting with diarrhea to be positive for rotavirus antigen. 78.3% of children with rotaviral diarrhea were in the age group of 6–15 months. There was a significant association between type of feeding and rotavirus diarrhea with reduced prevalence while on exclusive breast-feeding. Though only 10.4% of children with rotavirus diarrhea had severe dehydration, 61.5% of children with severe dehydration were positive for rotavirus.

Conclusion

Rotavirus diarrhea caused substantial morbidity in our study population. The rotavirus positivity in these children was 24% and there was a significant association of rotavirus infection with type of feeding and severity of dehydration.     

Impact of a behaviour change intervention model for promotion of condoms amongst young adult males in an occupational setting

Background

Studies have justified that social and cultural factors influence young people not to use condoms. Sexually active people associate condoms with lack of trust, while others believe carrying them could imply sexual inexperience. The aim of this study was to provide an intervention model based on this social perception and assess the impact of the intervention in improving condom use.

Methods

2083 personnel in the intervention group were subjected to behaviour change intervention based on perception and use of condoms. Using a cluster design, we randomly assigned 40 departments to department-based intervention (20) or assessment (20) groups. Around 100 persons in the same age group of 18–45 years were again randomly assigned to each group. Chi Square test was used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention.

Results

Over 6% individuals in the control group (Table 2) had non-regular partners and out of them 23.5% had used a condom. Again, in the same group (Fig. 1), 45.36% individuals thought it is acceptable for single men to use condoms with their partners and 8.15% agreed that it is alright for married women to use condoms with their husbands. The perception significantly increased in the intervention group (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

This study thus highlights the importance of continued behavioural intervention in filling certain gaps in the social and structural perception to improve condom use for effective HIV prevention in the community.     

Clinical evaluation of overdenture retention using indigenous dental implants

Background

The continuous resorption of the alveolar ridge after extraction of all the teeth can eventually result in a jaw anatomy which offers inadequate support for the dentures. This resorption can render the prosthesis inadequate in terms of both function and esthetics.

Methods

A study was conducted where 50 edentulous, denture-wearing patients, of either sex, were given mandibular implant overdentures, using their existing denture. The implants used were one piece implants with an integrated ball and socket joint for retention. A healing time of 3–4 months was given before loading.

Results

Implant failure was seen in 11 cases during the healing phase. A success rate of 78% was seen in this study during an observation period of 6 months. This success rate is significantly low as compared to global records where a success rate of 87–98% is documented. The patients were asked to grade the overdenture as poor, satisfactory, good and excellent in categories of masticatory efficiency, speech and overall comfort. 71.79% patients rated the overall comfort as excellent and the same percentage of patients rated the speech as good.

Conclusion

Implant retained overdentures help in improving the masticatory efficiency, speech and overall comfort of the patient as compared to conventional dentures.     

Oral steroid treatment for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Objectives:

To describe the efficacy of long-term oral steroids in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL), and to explore potential prognosis factors, the relationship of hearing recovery outcome, and the recovery time-course in ISSHL.

Methods:

In this retrospective study, we analyzed 215 cases diagnosed with idiopathic unilateral sudden deafness between January 2003 and December 2012 at a regional hospital in southern Taiwan. All of them received oral steroid therapy and were followed for at least 3 months.

Results:

Young age, the presence of no other disease (diabetes, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease), treatment within 7 days of the onset of ISSHL, mild hearing loss, and audiograms with ascending curves had a statistically significant better hearing recovery. The average pure-tone audiometry (PTA) was 67.8±23.9 dB initially, and was improved between one month (51.6±28.7 dB) and 2 months post treatment (49.7±28.6 dB). The average last-visit PTA was 49.9±29.2 dB.

Conclusion:

Approximately one third of patients had full recovery in hearing, one third had partial recovery, and approximately one third did not recover from hearing loss. In addition, the hearing level remained relatively stable following 2 months of treatment. More than 2 months of oral steroid therapy for ISSHL is not recommended because no additional benefits were evidenced.Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) is defined as a sensorineural hypoacusis of at least 30 dB over 3 consecutive speech frequencies, occurring within 3 days. It is considered to be an otologic emergency, and the incidence has been estimated to range from 3.9 to 27.5 per 100,000 persons per year.1 Although the exact cause is still unknown, it has been hypothesized to be caused by viral infection of the labyrinth or cochlear nerve, vascular insult, intra labyrinthine membrane rupture, and autoimmunity.2 Owing to the variations in the etiopathogenesis of ISSHL, different therapeutic strategies have been developed. Steroids or in combination with vasodilators, plasma expanders, diuretics, anticoagulants, antiviral, vitamins, cytotoxic medications, hyperbaric oxygen, stellate ganglion block, and inhaled carbogen, have become the most widely accepted treatment options.2-7 However, the length of oral steroid therapy had not been well established. Most of the studies reported the length of steroid therapy ranging between 5-24 days.2-7 Although little is known about the time course of hearing loss for most patients, improvement in hearing can be anticipated only during the first 1-2 months. Therefore, this study investigated progression in recovery from sudden hearing loss, and the optimal treatment duration with oral steroids.     

Study of blood pressure profile of school children 6–15 years in a rural setting of Maharashtra

Background

High blood pressure in childhood is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke in adulthood. There is enough evidence to suggest that the roots of essential hypertension in adults extend into childhood. There is a paucity of literature on the blood pressure measurements amongst children. This study was done to study blood pressure profile of school children in rural area of Maharashtra.

Aim & objectives

This cross sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence of hypertension in children 6–15 years and to study the association between selected variables and blood pressure.

Material & methods

This study was done using a predesigned questionnaire and making measurements of height, BMI and Blood pressure using standardized physical instruments following standard guidelines. The data was collected and analyzed using appropriate statistical tests.

Results

The prevalence of hypertension in the study was found to be 4.4% with 3.5% in females and 5.1% in males.

Conclusion

In the study, hypertension in students was found to be significantly associated with higher BMI and with family history of hypertension. Age, height and BMI were found to correlate positively with Blood pressure levels in this study.     

Prevalence and Parental Awareness of Hearing Loss in Children with Down Syndrome

Background:

To establish the prevalence of hearing deficit in children with Down syndrome (DS) in Hong Kong as measured by brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP). The secondary objective is to examine the agreement between BAEP and clinical questioning in detecting hearing deficit in DS.

Methods:

Consecutive DS patients attending the Down''s Clinic in a regional pediatric referral center were recruited into this cross-sectional study. BAEP data performed within 12 months were retrieved. The care-taker was interviewed with a structured questionnaire to detect any symptom of hearing impairment. BAEP findings and clinical questionings were compared in an agreement analysis using quadratic weighted kappa statistics.

Results:

Fifty DS patients (35 male, 15 female, mean age 11.70 years ± 5.74 standard deviation) were recruited. Eighteen patients (36.0%) were identified having hearing deficit by BAEP. Among patients with hearing impairment, 13 patients (72.2%) had a conductive deficit, and most have mild to moderate hearing loss. Five patients (27.8%) had sensorineural deficit and most have moderate to severe degree. Eight (44.4%) had bilateral hearing deficit. Care-takers of 13 patients (26.0%) reported symptoms of hearing impairment, with 9 (69.2%) having mild symptoms, 3 (23.1%) had moderate symptoms and 1 (7.7%) had severe symptoms. The weighted kappa was 0.045 (95.0% confidence interval − 0.138–0.229), indicating very poor strength of agreement between BAEP and clinical questioning. For patients with conductive hearing impairment, only 1 patients (7.7%) recalled history of otitis media.

Conclusions:

The estimated point prevalence of hearing impairment in Chinese DS children in Hong Kong is 36%. Our finding of poor strength of agreement between objective testing and symptom questioning reflects significant underestimation of hearing impairment by history taking alone. In view of the high prevalence and low parental awareness, continuous surveillance of hearing is mandatory for DS patients throughout childhood and adolescence.     

Cochlear Implant : Anaesthesia Challenges

Background

Cochlear implants are now an acceptable therapeutic option for those patients with irreversible hearing loss and deaf-mutism. The surgery is time consuming and complicated. Hence, the technique of anaesthesia plays a crucial role in success of cochlear implant surgery. Cochlear implant patients have various types of syndromes which are important from anaesthetic as well as surgical point of view. Pre-implant preparation requires objective assessment of hearing, plain X-rays of skull and a CT scan of the temporal bone. Anaesthesia is required for objective assessment of hearing in children under five years of age, to obtain X-rays of skull, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), CT scan, brain evoked response audiometry (BERA) testing and finally for cochlear implant surgery. Anaesthetic considerations include preoperative familiarisation with the patient and his family. Syndromal illnesses have specific anaesthetic significance such as presence of difficult airway or prolonged QT interval. Parental presence is highly desirable during induction of anaesthesia. Electro-surgical instruments especially monopolar ones, should not be used once the cochlear implant is in place.

Methods

In our institution, all cases (15 children) received their cochlear implants under general anaesthesia and formed the study group. Children were administered midazolam orally and inj ketamine during CT scan. Our techniques of general anaesthesia were modified to permit use of nerve stimulators during surgery. To minimise the incidence of vertigo particularly after cochleostomy, postoperative nausea and vomiting, all patients received glycopyrrolate and fentanyl citrate intravenously prior to induction. Other agents used were, thiopentone, suxamethonium and end-tidal 1.3 MAC halothane in 1:2 mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide (O₂ and N₂O). Electro diathermy was switched off, before the cochlear device was implanted on the patient. Patients were allowed to breathe spontaneously whenever nerve stimulator was used to locate the facial nerve. Inj Ondansetron 0.1 mg/kg was used as anti-emetic agent. Postoperative pain relief was initially provided with fentanyl 1 μg/kg IV and later with syrup ibuprofen.

Results

There were no remarkable anaesthetic or surgical complication in our series except perilymph leakage in two cases.Key Words: Anaesthesia technique, Cochlear implantation, Deaf-mutism     

A study to determine the prevalence of pulmonary arterial hypertension in children with Down syndrome and congenital heart disease

Background

Down syndrome (DS) is a common chromosomal abnormality associated with congenital heart disease (CHD). These cardiac abnormalities are known to be associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Methods

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of PAH in DS children with CHD and to compare it with PAH prevalence in non-syndromic children with CHD. It was a cross-sectional study including all children presenting to Cardiology Department at a tertiary care center between Jan 2007 and Dec 2010.

Results

Thirty-five DS children with CHD were compared with 38 non-syndromic children with CHD. Atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD, 13/35) was the commonest CHD among DS children while isolated VSD (26/38) accounted for maximum cases in non-syndromic CHD. PAH was more prevalent among DS children with CHD (18/42) than among the control group (7/38, p = 0.038). In addition, 14/19 patients with AVSD in the entire cohort developed PAH.

Conclusion

DS children with CHD have a higher predisposition to develop PAH, and the likelihood is highest with underlying AVSD.     

Dental knowledge of educators and healthcare providers working with children with autism spectrum disorders

Objectives:

To evaluate dental knowledge and attitudes toward oral health care among healthcare providers and educators working with children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in central Saudi Arabia.

Methods:

There were 305 questionnaires distributed to 7 special-needs centers between September and November 2014. A total of 217 questionnaires were collected with a response rate of 71.1%. The study took place in the College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Results:

Approximately 50.2% of the participants did not offer any toothbrushing advice, and 73.3% never recommended dental checkup visits to parents, and 75.6% never performed dental examinations to children under their care. Ten percent thought that children should have their first dental visit after 6 years of age. Almost all participants agreed that children should practice oral hygiene, and 60.4% think they should brush twice per day. In general, the participants choose toothbrushes and toothpaste as the main tools to perform oral hygiene. There were 35% of participants who believed that parents should be responsible for the children’s oral hygiene, and a few participants mentioned teachers and therapists to be responsible. Most of the participants (71.4%) did not receive any dental information from dental professional resources, only 14.3% of participants believed bacteria to be the cause of dental cavities.

Conclusion:

There is a clear lack of dental knowledge and attitudes, and its practical application among the participating group of healthcare providers working with children with ASD in Riyadh.Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disability that affects children at a young age. Children with ASD usually show multiple, complicated deficiencies in their social, emotional, and communicative skills.1 Because of the multiple signs and symptoms of ASD, a multidisciplinary team is required to diagnose and offer comprehensive medical care for affected children. These teams usually include different specialists and subspecialists, such as general practitioners for primary diagnoses, and lead to referrals to relevant professionals or pediatricians who are able to confirm, or refute the ASD diagnosis. Clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychotherapists (who are able to confirm the diagnosis of autism and introduce a customized individual behavior management plan), dieticians (who can provide advice and information concerning nutrition and diet), special educators (who can assess children’s educational needs), social workers (who can assess the care needs of children with ASD and their families), speech and language therapists (who can assess speech, language, and communication abilities), audiologists (who can evaluate possible hearing impairments), opticians (who can assess any visual difficulties that the children might have), in addition to specialists in oral health (OH [such as, pediatric dentist, who can perform early check-ups and introduce both primary and comprehensive preventive and therapeutic oral care]).2 From a medical point of view, the recognition and diagnosis of ASD in its early stages is significant. Early intervention and treatment can control, and in many cases improve, the symptoms.3,4 From a dental point of view, early examinations for intervention and prevention among children in general (and those with special needs specifically) are strongly recommended by major dental academies.2,5 However, because children with ASD have multiple medical issues, their dental issues might not receive equal consideration from healthcare providers (HCPs) trying to provide the best comprehensive care. In addition, several well-documented national and international studies have observed a lack of dental knowledge among primary HCPs,6-15 and educators16-20 who work with children. Most published studies have reported data collected from HCPs who work with healthy children, or those with disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, or Down syndrome, however, no studies have been conducted to assess the dental knowledge of educators and HCPs that interact with children diagnosed with ASD. Therefore, because of the unique characteristics of children with ASD, this study evaluated the dental knowledge of, and attitudes toward oral healthcare among different HCPs and educators interacting with children with ASD in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).     

Stigma of mental illness: A study in the Indian Armed Forces

Background

Stigma against mental illness exists across all countries. Stigma devalues the ill person and their relatives and denies them from attaining their rightful place in society. Stigma also prevents the ill person from seeking help. Stigma in the Armed Forces of UK and USA has been identified as a barrier to help seeking and a cause for concern as it could affect operational efficiency. However, studies conducted in the services of this country are lacking. Hence we decided to measure stigma perceived by patients and caregivers of the mentally ill and to assess stigma regarding the mentally ill patients and their caregivers, in the general population.

Methods

A cross sectional survey of patients (302), their caregivers (98), and members of the general population (102) who had no relatives suffering from mental illness was done. The patients were given the Stigma Scale developed by King et al. The caregivers (98) were given the devaluation of consumers scale and devaluation of consumer families scale developed by Struening et al.

Results

90% of patients admitted to experiencing stigma. 86% of patients had experienced discrimination. Females experienced more discrimination than males. Stigma perceived was irrespective to age, mental status, rank and education of the patient. Caregivers perceived stigma and felt blamed by the community. Members of the general population gave similar responses.

Conclusions

Study has brought out the high levels of stigma faced by the patients and their caregivers. High levels of stigma observed are a barrier to care.     

A clinical study to evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal Anti-VEGF therapy in treating macular edema due to retinal venous occlusions

Background

A non-randomized, interventional study was carried out various types of retinal venous occlusions with significant macular edema who required an Anti-VEGF injection.

Method

One hundred and one consecutive patients diagnosed as a case of CRVO/HCRVO/BRVO were enrolled in the study provided they had significant macular edema. Atleast three intra-vitreal injections of Anti-VEGFs were given and both the pre and post injections BCVA and CMT on OCT were observed and analyzed.

Results

87 patients (86.14%) showed a significant improvement of vision of atleast two lines on the Snellen's and mean BCVA improved from log MAR +1.084 to log MAR +0.455. CMT on OCT showed reduction in thickness after Anti-VEGF therapy in 99 patients out of 101 and mean CMT decreased from 586.30 μ at baseline to 329.50 μ. Both of these findings were statistically very significant.

Conclusions

Anti-VEGF therapy had a marked improvement in BCVA along with a dramatic reduction in CMT in the vast majority of RVOs patients with no serious ocular or systemic side effects.     

内耳畸形患者的人工耳蜗植入术

目的：探讨内耳畸形患者人工耳蜗植入手术的方法和临床经验。方法：1997-2001年共实施多导人工耳蜗植入术180例,其中伴有双侧内耳畸形患者25例。就其不同原因所致内耳畸形患者的人工耳蜗植入手术特点及术后开机调试特点与耳蜗形态正常的人工耳蜗植入进行了比较。结果：（1）所有内耳畸形患者人工耳蜗植入术后都有听觉;（2）内耳畸形人工耳蜗术中容易出现“镫井喷“,其中Mondini畸形术中出现“镫井喷“的现象比其他畸形多见;（3）植入电极大部分完成插入蜗内,少数遗留蜗外电极;（4）术后无面瘫、脑脊液瘘等并发症;（5）术后开机调试发现部分数值比正常形态耳蜗植入偏高,但听阈无明显区别。（6）经过语言康复训练,听力及言语能力均有不同程度的提高。结论：伴有内耳发育畸形患者的深度感音性聋可以行人工耳蜗植入,植入效果与耳蜗发育正常患者的人工耳蜗植入效果基本一致。     

Bilateral orbital complications of paediatric rhinosinusitis

Background

The spread of infection from the ethmoid sinuses to the orbit occurs directly through a congenital dehiscence of the lamina papyracea or via haematogenous spread through ophthalmic venous system. Hence orbital complications of paediatric rhinosinusitis are usually unilateral at presentation.

Methods

We describe three children with bilateral orbital cellulitis that occurred as a complication of rhinosinusitis without intracranial spread of the infection. The children ranged in the age group from 4 to 7 years. All these children had a prolonged hospital stay from 14 to 25 days and underwent multiple surgical procedures to drain the subperiosteal abscess. These children presented to the hospital with bilateral orbital cellulitis without significant past history. All of them on radiological evaluation showed subperiosteal abscess involving only one orbit. They were taken up for functional endoscopic sinus surgery and the subperiosteal abscess was drained endoscopically with partial removal of lamina papyracea. One case required second surgery despite good recovery for two days post first surgery.

Result and conclusion

Two cases had severe unilateral visual loss at presentation but both recovered dramatically after the surgery. All cases had uneventful recovery with no residual disability. The purpose of this article is to discuss the reasons for bilateral orbital complications of rhinosinusitis at initial presentation despite the previous hypothesis of unilateral involvement.     

Revisiting the Boyne procedure

Background

The technique involving the free grafting of the mandibular condyle with a vertical ramus osteotomy was described by Philip Boyne in 1987 along with a series of 15 cases where a patient presented with a markedly displaced fracture dislocation of the mandibular condyle.

Method

Twenty-one cases (25 condylar fractures) were treated with a modified Boyne technique.

Results

Results showed that we had a complication rate of 12% (8% resorption, 4% fracture of the plate).

Conclusion

The Boyne procedure should be thought of as a mainstream treatment method for the displaced fractured mandibular condyle.