Adenotonsillectomy is the commonest otorhinolaryngology surgery for paediatrics. The purpose of this study was to determine the safety and outcome of adenotonsillectomy in a tertiary center in Malaysia. This was achieved by studying the demographics, indications, co-morbidities of patients and its association with the complications of the procedure. This retrospective study was conducted from November 2011 until October 2016. Medical records of patients aged 2-12 years old who had adenotonsillectomy done in our center were retrieved for data collection. A total of 143 patients who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited. Median age was 7.52 (± 2.98 SD) years old. Allergic rhinitis was the commonest co-morbidity (40%). Recurrent tonsillitis was the main indication (60%), followed by sleep disordered breathing (SDB) without apnea (29%), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) (7%) and other indications (4%). Post-operative paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission was very low (1.4%) and was reserved for those with severe OSA with complications. None of the patients admitted to PICU post-operative had respiratory complications. The prevalence of post-tonsillectomy bleeding was only 2.1%. There was no significant association between patient's co-morbidity with operative complications (p = 0.269). Adenotonsillectomy is indicated for children with recurrent tonsillitis and paediatric SDB. The two most severe complications, namely post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage and respiratory complications occurred but incidence was low. Criteria of post-operative PICU or paediatric high dependency unit admission for paediatric SDB has to be based on multiple clinical and logistics factors and not only patients co-morbidity and indication of surgery.
Parotid lymphangioma is a benign lymphatic malformation commonly observed in infancy or early childhood. It often grows insidiously and presents as a painless, soft fluctuant mass. We report a case of an eight-year-old boy who was diagnosed from another center with right parotid lymphangioma of one-year duration. He presented with right painful preauricular swelling and trismus for nine days after a recent history of blunt trauma to the preauricular caused an acute expansion of the swelling and subsequently, the patient developed ipsilateral facial nerve palsy. Examination showed right preauricular swelling measuring about 6 x 6 cm that extended posteriorly until the mastoid region, superiorly until the zygoma, and inferiorly until the angle of the mandible, pushing the ear lobule anteromedially. There was bluish discoloration of the overlying skin. The swelling was warm and tender on palpation. Multiple shotty lymph nodes were palpable at the posterior triangle. Aspiration of the swelling revealed blood content, but it reaccumulated after a few hours. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the neck showed a lesion confined within the parotid gland. There was a presence of air-fluid level with dependent layers of hyperintense on the T1-weighted image (T1WI) and T2-weighted image (T2WI) with clumps of isointensity on T1WI, which are hypointense on T2WI, which is suggestive of acute-late subacute blood product. A diagnosis of lymphatic malformation complicated with hemorrhage was made. Hence, the patient underwent surgery for the evacuation of blood clot and right superficial parotidectomy. Histopathological examination of the intraoperative tissue biopsy revealed evidence of venolymphatic malformation of the parotid gland. Postoperatively, he was discharged home after three days. The facial nerve function recovered from House and Brackmann grade II to grade I three weeks after the surgery.
A cholesteatoma is an expansion of keratinizing squamous epithelium that enters the middle ear cleft from the outer layer of the tympanic membrane or ear canal. Choleatomas are always treated surgically. Recurrence of the illness presents another challenge for the patient and the surgeon, though. There have been reports of recurrence rates as high as 30% in adults and as high as 70% in children. Here, we describe a case of persistent recurrent otorrhea following revision surgery, along with acquired recurrent cholesteatoma following canal wall down surgery. A 38-year -male with underlying Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension presented with left scanty and foul-smelling ear discharge for 2 years and left reduced hearing. He was diagnosed with left chronic active otitis media with cholesteatoma for which he underwent left modified radical mastoidectomy, meatoplasty and tympanoplasty in 2017. Five months post operatively, he presented with left otorrhea. However, he defaulted followed up and presented in April 2018 for similar complaints. Otoscopy examination revealed left tympanic membrane perforation at poster superior quadrant of pars tensa and bluish discoloration behind pars flacida. He was diagnosed as recurrent left cholesteatoma and subsequently he underwent left mastoid exploration under general anesthesia in June 2018. Postsurgery, he developed recurrent ear discharge which was treated with topical antibiotics and ear toileting. We report a case of recurrent Cholesteatoma despite canal wall down procedure requiring a second redo procedure and with persistent recurrent otorrhea after the redo procedure.However, this case demonstrates the need for regular follow ups even after a canal wall down procedure for detecting recurrence of disease. Moreover, this case denotes some of the patient factors and surgeon factors involved in disease recurrence. Furthermore, importance of opting for an imaging study in case of high suspicion of the disease.
Skull base osteomyelitis is a not commonly encountered but potentially fatal consequence of untreated necrotizing otitis externa. Early recognition and appropriate treatment are crucial to prevent serious complications such as cranial nerve palsies, meningitis, and intracranial abscess formation. The case reports presented in this study provide a rich depiction of the clinical presentation, diagnostic challenges, and interventions employed. Early recognition and appropriate management of skull base osteomyelitis are crucial to prevent complications and improve patient outcomes.