A case report of osteochondroma of the frontotemporosphenoidal suture.

Osteochondroma, also known as osteocartilaginous exostosis, is the most frequent benign bone tumour of the skeletal system. Despite its preference for long bones (tibia and femur), osteochondroma may occur in some short bones developing endochondral ossification. Seventy-five percent of the patients present only with a single lesion, whereas 25% have multiple lesions; this last clinical condition, defined as osteochondromatosis (disorder of autosomal dominant inheritance) shows a high risk of malignant transformation (about 11%). In the craniofacial area this tumour is very rare. The sites of predilection are the coronoid process and mandibular condyle, even though osteochondromas arising from the base of the skull, maxillary sinus and zygomatic arch have been previously described. However, an osteochondroma originating from the frontotemporosphenoidal suture has not been reported before in the literature. We present a unique case of osteochondroma of the frontotemporosphenoidal suture. Moreover, the relevant international literature has been reviewed and all diagnostic and surgical matters have been discussed

Retrospective study of salivary gland tumor cases in a large Italian public hospital and review of the literature

A variety of tumors can develop in the salivary glands. The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the demographic characteristics of salivary gland tumors (SGT) in the population of a large area of the city of Rome, ASL RM1, over a 4-year period and compare these data with other epidemiological studies. Forty-nine cases were diagnosed as SGT; 63.2% were males and 32.6% were females. The mean age range was 62.13 years. Forty SGT (81.6%) were benign and 9 (18.4%) were malignant. Among benign tumors, Warthin' s tumor was the most common tumor, comprising 55.1% all SGTs followed by Pleomorphic Adenoma and other less common types. Among malignant tumors, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma was the most frequent type. The results of this study suggest that benign tumors are most common in parotid gland and are mainly represented by Warthin's Tumor. Males are the most affected, especially for benign lesions. Regarding malignant tumors, the incidence by gender is variable, as the incidence of several types worldwide. The findings of this study contribute to the knowledge regarding the incidence of SGT

Tinnitus holistic simplified classification (THoSC). A new assessment for subjective tinnitus, with diagnostic and therapeutic implications

Objective: One of the most debated topics in tinnitus is its standard and practical classification. The most popular classification distinguishes subjective from objective tinnitus. Other classifications are based on different features. On the whole, they seem incomplete, and the diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms are often difficult for practical purposes. The aim of this work is to develop a new diagnostic and therapeutic algorithm. Methods: We base our model on 10 years of experience. In particular, the starting point is the data retrieved from 212 consecutive patients in our Tinnitus Unit between May and December 2014: We found a clear auditory disorder in 74.5% of the population, muscolo-skeletal disorders and/or trigeminal disease in 57.1%, and psychiatric comorbidities in 43.8%. Different features coexisted in 59.9% of the population. Results: Following such data we propose the Tinnitus Holistic Simplified Classification, which takes into account the different tinnitogenic mechanisms and the interactions between them. It differentiates tinnitus that arises from: (1) auditory alterations (Auditory Tinnitus), (2) complex auditory-somatosensory interactions (Somatosensory Tinnitus), (3) psychopathological-auditory interactions (Psychopathology-related Tinnitus), and (4) 2 or all of the previous mechanisms (Combined Tinnitus). Conclusions: In our opinion this classification provides an accurate and easy tailored path to manage tinnitus patients

Early diagnosis of endolymphatic hydrops with distortion. Product otoacoustic emissions.

The present investigation was specifically designed to evaluate the ability of the glycerol test combined with pure-tone audiometry, distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) to diagnose endolymphatic hydrops early and to identify patients who may evolve toward Meniere's disease. This investigation consisted of 43 consecutive patients with daily episodes of tinnitus with duration exceeding few hours or with continuous tinnitus who received no treatment. These were the unique symptoms reported by the patients. Each patient underwent glycerol testing measured with conventional pure tone audiometry and with distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). For the traditional pure-tone glycerol test a hearing improvement of at least 10 dB, at the lower two or three frequencies (125,250 and 500 Hz) was judged as positive result. For the DPOAEs glycerol testing, a smaller positive difference (5 dB) for at least three frequencies was interpreted as a significant fluctuation. Twenty four patients showed negative glycerol test both with pure tone audiometry and DPOAEs. In 7 cases the improvement was concurrently observed. In 9 patients post-glycerol changes appeared only in the DPOAEs outcomes. Finally the remaining three patients had two different patterns. Two had different ameliorations of the DPOAEs and pure-audiometry on the left and right sides respectively, and in the last one only post-glycerol, audiograms recovered. The present study re-confirms the potentiality of DPOAEs associated with glycerol test in diagnosing endolymphatic hydrops precociously. The possibility of these patients degenerating into Meniere's disease should not be underestimated

Differences betweeen electrode-assigned frequencies and cochlear implant recipient pitch perception

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated an evident mismatch between frequencies assigned to electrodes and frequencies evoked by stimulation of those same electrodes in implanted patients. We propose that the mapping procedures should include, whenever possible, a comparison with homolateral residual hearing in order to obtain an appropriate frequency range assignation for each electrode. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to investigate the correspondence between the frequencies assigned to each electrode and those actually perceived by the cochlear implant patient. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied five post-lingually deaf adults with detectable residual hearing in the implanted and in the contralateral ear, who had each received a Cochlear implant. An ACE standard setting was used for mapping. The patients were asked to match the electric pitch with the acoustic one following presentation of pure tones to both the implanted and the contralateral ear. RESULTS: In almost all patients the two most apical electrodes evoked higher frequencies than those assigned by the mapping software (E22 = 188-313, E21 = 313-438 Hz). Therefore, electric stimulation seems not to determine pitch sensations for frequencies <500 Hz. For most electrodes there is no correspondence between the acoustic pitch and the assigned frequency ranges. Moreover, these results were almost always different when stimulating the implanted and the contralateral ear

Distortion-product otoacoustic emissions and glycerol on the guinea pig hydropic ear

Objective: The aim of the present work was to investigate the therapeutic effects of glycerol on the distortion-product otoacoustic emissions in guinea pigs in which experimental endolymphatic hydrops had been surgically induced. Methods: Thirty albino guinea pigs were used. The experimental protocol considered three groups of guinea pigs (10 animals each). Group 1 received no drug treatment, while group 2 and 3 were given glycerol orally 0.75 and 0.50 g/kg of body weight once a day for 24 days. Results: The animals treated with glycerol showed an improvement of the distortion-product emission responses in the middle frequencies. This effect was not observed in the higher frequency region. This effect was evident 7 days after glycerol administration in the guinea pigs treated with a dose of 0.75 g/kg. The 0.50 g/kg dosage gave evidence of ameliorating effects 14 days after treatment. Conclusion: Glycerol given orally resulted in an improvement of distortion-product otoacoustic emissions in the guinea pig. Further studies are necessary before the effect of such a treatment can be assessed in humans