APPROACH TO CUTANEOUS LESIONS OF THE HEAD AND NECK IN THE GERIATRIC AGE GROUP: RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF 170 CASES

Introduction: The incidence of skin lesions increases with advancing age, especially in the head and neck region. The aim of this study was to evaluate the demographic data of head and neck skin lesions in the geriatric age group and the preferred surgical approaches. Material-Method: The records of 170 patients of an age >65 years who underwent surgical excision and reconstruction for head and neck lesions in our clinic were retrospectively reviewed. The histopathological results of the lesions and the repair method used were evaluated according to age and localization. Results: The mean age of the patients was 71.42 ± 14.20 years. The histopathologic distribution of the lesions were 75 (44.2%) basal cell carcinoma, 30 (17.6%) squamous cell carcinoma and 65 (38.2%) benign. The most frequent localizations were nose and cheeks, and the most preferred reconstruction methods were primary closure and advancement flap. None of the patients had serious complications. Conclusion: Basal cell carcinoma is the most common lesion in the head and neck region in elderly individuals. The lesions in this region can be detected in the early stage since they are in the visible region. The Surgical excision and repair with local flaps in the treatment provide very successful cosmetic results

The Short-Term Effect of Eugenol on the Prevention of Experimentally Induced Myringosclerosis in a Rat Model

Objective:The aim of our study was to assess the possible short-term effects of topical and oral eugenol on the suppression of experimentally developed myringosclerosis (MS).Methods:Four groups of seven male Wistar albino rats were used in the study. The tympanic membranes (TMs) of all subjects were myringotomized, and group 1 was given no treatment (as control group), group 2 received saline, group 3 had received topical eugenol and group 4 received oral eugenol.Results:In macroscopic evaluation the control and saline groups showed much more MS compared to the topical and oral eugenol groups which had statistically significantly less changes (p<0.05). Fibrosis and inflammation regarding the lamina propria (LP) of the eardrums of the topical and oral eugenol groups were significantly less than those of the control and saline groups (p<0.001). In microscopic evaluation, TMs were found to be thicker in the control and saline groups (p<0.001).Conclusion:Our study showed that the application of topical and oral forms of eugenol reduced fibrosis and prevented the advancement of MS in the LP of the TMs in the short-term. More studies with different extracts are needed to investigate the efficacy of phytotherapeutic agents for preventing MS development following myringotomy

Diagnostic Value of the Video Head Impulse Test in Patients with Vertigo: Can It Be Used as a Screening Tool?

Background and Aim: Several laboratory tools are used to evaluate balance disorders but, there is still no screening test to determine the site and the severity of the lesion. The aim was to investigate whether video Head Impulse Test (vHIT) can be used as a screening test in patients with chronic or recurrent vertigo and dizziness. Methods: The files of 965 patients who were followed up in our vertigo outpatient clinic were reviewed retrospectively. Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex (VOR) gains and saccadic movements of the right and left lateral canals in the vHIT test, and Canal Paresis (CP) in the Caloric Testing (CT) were noted. Results: A total of 325 patients were included in our study. In CT results, the group that CP was most frequently detected was Menière’s Disease (MD) group (71 patients (74.7%). While vHIT results were found to be pathological in the vast majority of patients in the Vestibular Neuritis (VN) group (72.7%), the results were found to be normal at the highest rate in the vestibular migraine group (77.9%). Correlation analysis showed a significant but weak correlation between the degree of CP in the CT and the VOR gains of the lateral canals in vHIT in all groups. Conclusion: Although it has high sensitivity in cases with VN and vestibulopathy, we think that vHIT cannot be used as a screening tool in patients with vertigo, especially for chronic cases, since its sensitivity rate differs in the long term according to the cause of the disease