The literature on verrucous carcinoma of the head and neck was reviewed to analyse the use of primary radiation therapy in the treatment of this lesion. The results emphasize an overall local control rate of 43.2 per cent, and 6.7 per cent of true anaplastic transformation following irradiation. Diagnosis remains the fundamental problem: without a correct diagnosis of verrucous carcinoma, no correct treatment can be applied.

Surgeons choice of an ear pack is dictated by availability, previous training and personal preference. There has been no recent prospective study evaluating the use of different types of ear packs. This randomized prospective study compares the use of BIPP impregnated ribbon gauze (Aurum), Pope wicks (Xomed-Teace), silastic sheeting (Dow Corning) and tri-adcortyl ointment (Squibb) as an ear dressing following ‘clear’ middle ear procedures via a permeatal approach. The results showed that there was no statistically significant difference in post-operative pain and discomfort experienced, neither was there any significant difference regarding the otolaryngologist's assessment of the degree of canal granulation, stenosis or discharge with the above named packs. This study concludes that non-traditional dressings such as tri-adcortyl ointment or simply a thin silastic sheet placed on the drum are no worse than time honoured BIPP. They have, as well, the advantage of being well-tolerated by the patients.

Acquired medial canal fibrosis is a discrete clinicopathological entity characterized by formation of fibrous tissue in the bony external auditory meatus.

Over a seven-year period, a total of 14 operative procedures were performed on 12 ears involving 10 patients. Four cases had followed otitis externa, two were complications of suppurative otitis media, and three cases were iatrogenic. The cause could not be identified in three ears involving two patients.

Treatment entails excision of all the fibrous tissue and involved skin, a wide canaloplasty, a meatoplasty, and then reconstruction by split skin graft. Two cases of canal cholesteatoma were encountered. Average follow-up of two years showed hearing improvement in all patients. The only complication was a recurrence of the stenosis in two ears. The paper discusses terminology, aetiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and principles of treatment of this condition.

This case report describes five cases of acute granulomatous myringitis treated during the nine-year period from 1987 to 1996. Otorrhoea and slight otalgia were the two major complaints. Findings included the appearance of a granulomatous bulge along the handle of the malleus or on the eardrum. No cases displayed eardrum perforation. No similarities were noted in patient age, sex or affected side. Treatment consisted of removal of the granuloma with a small cup forceps plus cauterization with 20 per cent trichloracetic acid. Two or three treatments resulted in complete healing, and average time to healing was 30 days, with no recurrences. Because it differs so distinctly from the more common chronic myringitis – characterized by mild symptoms, erosion and perforation of the eardrum with little granulomatous change, and a longer time to healing with frequent recurrence – the authors conclude that acute granulomatous myringitis should be regarded as a separate entity.

The diagnosis of conductive hearing loss is usually based on audiological methods and radiology. The aim of our study was to show that there is a useful additive method to clarify the findings of diseases with conductive hearing loss.

Patients (151 ears) with conductive hearing loss were examined using several methods: otomicroscopy, air- and bone-conduction threshold, pure tone average, speech threshold, speech discrimination, tympanometry and stapedial reflex and tympanoscopy.

The management of the patients changed in 17 per cent of cases due to tympanoscopy. In a group with normal tympanic membrane the movement of the stapes during endoscopy was compared to stapedial reflex. Stiff stapes were found more often than an abnormal stapedial reflex.

Middle ear endoscopy can increase the accuracy of diagnosis of conductive hearing loss thus enhancing decision making in the case of the patient.

Patients with far-advanced otosclerosis (FAO) may appear to be suffering from profound sensorineural hearing loss and are frequently directed to cochlear implantation programmes. In order to avoid such misdiagnosis, FAO should be considered in patients with non-measurable bone-conduction levels and airconduction levels exceeding 85 dB. Specific clues can lead the clinician to suspect otosclerosis as the aetiology of hearing loss. A review of eight patients (nine ears) with FAO who underwent stapedectomy from 1985–1995 reveals that six of the eight (75 per cent) who had been unable to use a hearing aid preoperatively obtained serviceable hearing with a hearing aid after surgery. This confirms that cochlear implantation is not the best treatment for all profoundly deaf patients; some are better off with stapedectomy.

An audit of day surgery was carried out by the Royal College of Surgeons (Eng.) Comparative Audit service. Data from 121 respondents on over 3 962 day cases were analysed from both retrospective information and from prospective individual patient proformas. The day surgery rate is 31 per cent. The variability of facilities for day-surgery, the timing of lists, type of anaesthetic used and case-mix are discussed. Outcome and the reasons for admission to an overnight bed are analysed. The overall admission rate was found to be 2.8 per cent (range 0.6–19.5 per cent between consultants). Seventy per cent of ENT day-surgery was performed on morning lists which have a lower admission rate than afternoon lists. The main reasons for admission are vomiting 30 per cent, haemorrhage 20 per cent and inadequate recovery from anaesthetic 22 per cent. A more detailed analysis of reasons for admission were given for tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, FESS, and grommets. Recommendations are given which might increase the scope of safe day-surgery and reduce admission rate.

Leiomyosarcoma is a malignant tumour of smooth muscle origin. These tumours are rarely encountered in the head and neck region. A case of leiomyosarcoma of the auricle is presented. There are two cases of external auditory canal leiomyosarcoma in the literature. To our knowledge the present case is the first example of leiomyosarcoma of the auricle.

A case is reported in which a Nucleus 22 channel intracochlear device was implanted a deaf/blind Hungarian adult with discharging ears suffering from Behçet's disease. Preconditioning surgery was employed three months prior to the implantation procedure to ensure a sterile, dry protected environment for the electrodes. One month after implantation, the patient exhibited excellent auditory discrimination capability at the time of the first switch on. We suggest that some deaf/blind individuals may serve as very good candidates for intracochlear implantation.

We document only the second reported case of verrucous squamous carcinoma of the nasal septum. In both cases previous surgical treatment for assumed squamous papillomata had resulted in multiple recurrences necessitating formal surgical resection. Our patient has remained tumour-free during long-term follow-up.

A 59-year-old white male presented with a two-month history of dry cough and shortness of breath. At bronchoscopy, a 1 cm mass on the laryngeal surface of the epiglottis was found. Immunohistochemical stain of the biopsy specimen revealed a monoclonal proliferation of plasma cells. Serological tests revealed normal serum immunoglobulin levels, and a bone marrow aspirate and biopsy was also normal; no abnormalities were found on serum or urine electrophoresis. He received radiotherapy (50 Gy), and was doing well three years following therapy without evidence of disease.

A patient is presented who had bilateral abductor vocal fold paralysis pathologically proven to be due to multiple system atrophy (MSA) in the absence of other neurological features. MSA is a degenerative neurological condition that includes olivopontocerebellar atrophy, Shy-Drager syndrome and striatonigral degeneration. The usual predominant features of MSA are cerebellar ataxia, autonomic dysfunction and Parkinsonism. Stridor is present in over one third of patients and has been reported previously as a presenting symptom in MSA: however previously reported patients have always gone on to develop other neurological symptoms. The usual investigations of bilateral abductor vocal fold paralysis caused by MSA will not reveal the pathological process and we believe that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the medulla and brain stem and autonomic function tests are probably the investigations of choice. It is a worthwhile exercise attempting to identify MSA as the cause of stridor as the prognosis is good in the medium term if appropriate support is offered.

Solitary extramedullary plasmacytomas are uncommon malignant neoplasms with a great predilection for the upper respiratory tract. Extramedullary plasmacytoma involving the parotid gland is an extremely rare condition. This report describes the case of a primary extramedullary plasmacytoma arising in the right parotid gland of a 63-year-old man. A review of the literature reveals that this disease has generally a good prognosis, provided that multiple myeloma has been excluded. The treatment of choice should be surgical excision followed by radiotherapy, although from this study there is insufficient evidence to suggest that this is more effective than surgery alone. All patients must have regular long-term follow-up to monitor for recurrence or dissemination, in which event chemotherapy may be considered in addition to the other treatment modalities.

Pigmented villonodular synovitis, a benign but locally destructive fibrohistiocytic proliferative lesion involving tendon sheaths, bursae and diarthrodial joints, is distinctly rare in the temporomandibular joint. We report one such case occurring in a 42-year-old housewife who presented with a progressively enlarging right zygomatic mass for six months. On exploration, an orange-brown firm mass, 5 × 3 × 2 cm, was seen adherent to the lateral aspect of the capsule of the right temporomandibular joint, and eroding into the inferior aspect of the right temporal bone and part of the mandibular condyle. The mass was completely excised. Pathological examination showed features typical of those of pigmented villonodular synovitis and the lesion was entirely extra-articular in location. The patient remained well with no evidence of local recurrence two years after operation. Review of the literature and careful analysis of the clinicopathological features showed that the vast majority of the reported cases of pigmented villonodular synovitis of the temporomandibular joint belonged to the extraarticular variant, which is associated with a more aggressive local infiltrative behaviour and higher rate of local recurrence than the localized type. The recommended treatment for this condition is therefore wide local excision, aiming to remove the lesion as completely as possible without producing severe disability for the patient.

This paper reports an unusual case of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma presenting with extensive cutaneous involvement of the head and neck region.

A case is presented of a patient with bilateral retinoblastoma, treated at infancy with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, who subsequently developed at least four additional histologically distinct malignancies: a Ewing sarcoma of the left fibula, two extraskeletal osteosarcomas of the left lower extremity, a mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the right parotid gland and a squamous cell carcinoma of the left paranasal cavity.

In addition to retinoblastoma, patients with a germline RB-1 mutation are at high risk of second primary malignancies. An additive carcinogenic effect of cytotoxic therapy in these patients has been assumed. Patients with hereditary retinoblastoma should be under life-long follow-up programmes including a regular head and neck examination for detection of new primaries, especially in the radiation field of the presenting retinoblastoma.

We report a case of a 40-year-old man presenting with acute vertigo and deafness. Computed tomography (CT) scanning at initial presentation was normal. However, one year later he developed numbness on the right side of his face and examination revealed fifth, seventh and eighth cranial nerve palsies as well as cerebellar dysfunction. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a cerebellopontine angle lesion. He underwent near total excision followed by neuro-axis irradiation. The main mass of the tumour projected into the cerebellopontine angle. Histology showed this to be a medulloblastoma. All features of this case are unusual; hence we discuss the pathogenesis and management of this very rare tumour.

We report the case of a giant fusiform aneurysm of the petrous internal carotid artery in a 15-year-old patient who had presented with headache, hearing loss and Horner's syndrome. Definitive radiological diagnosis was made by non-invasive imaging techniques, including magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). The aneurysm was obliterated by endovascular balloon occlusion following successful tolerance of test occlusion of the internal carotid artery.