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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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