ORIGINAL ARTICLE | |
1. | The effect of endoscopic sinus surgery on quality of life Mustafa Akarçay, Ahmet Kızılay, Murat Cem Miman, Yaşar Çokkeser, Orhan Özturan Pages 65 - 71 FREE FULL TEXT Objectives: We assessed the effects of endoscopic sinus surgery on quality of life of patients with nasal polyposis or chronic sinusitis. Patients and Methods: Thirty patients (5 females, 25 males; mean age 36 years; range 17 to 58 years) who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery were prospectively evaluated. The diagnoses were nasal polyposis in 15 patients and chronic sinusitis in 15 patients. Primary and revision operations were performed in 23 patients and seven patients, respectively. The quality of life was evaluated before and six months after surgery with the use of the Chronic Sinusitis Survey (CSS), and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-12 (SF-12). Prior to administration, the two questionnaires were translated and adapted to Turkish. Computed tomography (CT) findings were scored before and six months after surgery according to the Lund-Mackay system. The results of the surveys were compared with CT scores. Results: The postoperative SF-12 and CSS scores of all the patients improved significantly. Computed tomography scores were not found in correlation with improvements in the SF-12 and CSS scores. Conclusion: Endoscopic sinus surgery results in significant improvement in the quality of life of patients with nasal polyposis and chronic sinusitis, which may not be reflected by CT scores. |
2. | Quality of life assessment with the use of the SF-36 in patients with nasal polyposis: correlations with clinical and laboratory findings Levent Dereköylü, Salih Çanakçıoğlu, Aydın Mamak, Güven Güvenç, Amin Banitahmaseb Pages 72 - 79 FREE FULL TEXT Objectives: We evaluated the quality of life of patients with nasal polyposis and sought correlations between clinical and laboratory parameters and quality of life. P a tients and Methods: Thirty-two patients (8 females, 24 males; mean age 43 years; range 15 to 68 years) with nasal polyposis were evaluated by history, physical examination, endoscopy, computed tomography (CT), nasal smear, and skin prick tests. Quality of life was assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36). Results: The mean CT score showed a weak correlation with symptom and endoscopic scores (p<0.05), whereas the latter two scores were not correlated. All the SF-36 scales were adversely influenced, particularly including the scores for role limitation caused by emotional problems, general perception of health, vitality, and role limitation caused by physical problems. An inverse correlation was found between increasing age and complaints of pain (p<0.05). Symptom scores were correlated only with role limitation caused by emotional problems (p<0.05). Duration of nasal symptoms was correlated with increased scores for role limitation caused by physical problems, mental health, social functioning, and pain (p<0.05). Computed tomography stage was correlated with role limitation caused by emotional problems, pain, and social functioning, whereas CT scores showed correlation only with pain (p<0.05). The presence of asthma adversely influenced general perception of health scores (p<0.05). Conclusion: Nasal polyposis adversely affects the quality of life of patients, the extent of deterioration being more prominent in certain subscales. |
3. | The evaluation of thyroid nodules: is routine use of frozen-section examination necessary following preoperative fine-needle aspiration biopsy? Levent Saydam, M. Tayyar Kalcıoğlu, Ahmet Kızılay, Mete Kaan Bozkurt Pages 80 - 84 FREE FULL TEXT Objectives: We evaluated the role of fine-needle aspiration biopsy as a single parameter in determining the extent of thyroidectomy and the necessity of routine use of frozen-section examination in patients with nodular thyroid disease. Pat i ents and Methods: We reviewed 67 patients (40 females, 27 males; mean age 44 years; range 17 to 78 years) who underwent thyroidectomy for nodular thyroid disease. Preoperative fine-needle aspiration biopsy and intraoperative frozen-section examination were performed in 46 patients and 40 patients, respectively. The results were compared with histopathologic diagnoses. Results: Histopathologically, 25 patients (37.3%) had malignant and 42 patients (62.7%) had benign disease. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy were 50%, 95%, and 77% for fine-needle aspiration biopsy, and 100%, 87%, and 91% for frozen-section examination, respectively. Conclusion: In view of lower sensitivity and accuracy rates for fine-needle aspiration biopsy, the routine use of frozen-section examination seems to be necessary especially in cases with highly suggestive clinical findings of malignancy. |
CASE REPORTS | |
4. | Family history, clinical features, and molecular characterization of a patient with autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss Füsun Düzcan, Bernd Wollnık, Emre Tepeli, F. Necdet Ardıç, Oya Uyguner, Hüseyin Bağcı Pages 85 - 88 FREE FULL TEXT Autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss is the most common form of inherited childhood deafness. Identification of the responsible gene in this type of hearing loss presents difficulties because of marked genetic heterogenicity and limited clinical presentation. A two-year-old girl was referred to our clinic because of congenital hearing loss. Family history showed that her brother and six relatives of her parents were also affected by unilateral or bilateral hearing loss. There was no consanguinity between the parents, though they were from close villages. Audiometric studies revealed severe bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Molecular analysis of the index patient documented that autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss resulted from the homozygous 35delG mutation in the connexin 26 gene. |
5. | The value of endoscopy in the diagnosis of rhinolithiasis: a case report Oğuz Öğretmenoğlu Pages 89 - 92 FREE FULL TEXT Diagnosis of rhinolithiasis may be difficult because of the possibility of varying clinical presentations. Complaints of a 34-year-old male patient had been misdiagnosed as sinusitis and several plain radiographs had missed the event. Endoscopic examination enabled a hard intranasal mass to be seen, resembling a rhinolith. The patient’s complaints disappeared after endoscopic removal of the mass. Failure in the diagnosis was attributed to the presence of superimposed adjacent structures on plain films and inadequate exposure of the posteriorly located mass by routine anterior rhinoscopy. |