Odontogenic maxillary sinusitis (OMS) is a well-recognized condition in both the dental and otolaryngology communities. Close to 30% of cases of unilateral maxillary sinusitis may have an underlying dental pathology. Failure to identify a dental cause usually lead to cases recalcitrant sinusitis often associated with serious complications. The aim of this study is to describe the literature findings on odontogenic maxillary sinusitis that discuss anatomy, epidemiology, etiology, bacteriology, diagnosis and treatment.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common peripheral vestibular dysfunctions encountered in clinical practice. Although the treatment of BPPV is relatively successful, many patients develop recurrence after treatment. Our purpose is to evaluate the mean recurrence rate and risk factors of BPPV after treatment. A review of the literature on the risk factors of BPPV recurrence was performed. A thorough search was conducted using electronic databases, namely Pubmed, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete and Scopus for studies published from 2000 to 2020. Thirty studies were included in this review with 13,358 participants. The recurrence rate of BPPV ranged from 13.7% to 48% for studies with follow-up <1 year, and from 13.3% to 65% for studies with follow-up ≥2 years. Pathophysiologic mechanisms and implication of each of the following risk factors in the recurrence of BPPV were described: advanced age, female gender, Meniere’s disease, trauma, osteopenia or osteoporosis, vitamin D deficiency, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease, migraine, bilateral/multicanal BPPV, cervical osteoarthrosis and sleep disorders. Patients with hyperlipidemia and hypertension had the highest recurrence rates of BPPV, 67.80% and 55.89%, respectively, indicating that vascular comorbidities increase the risk of BPPV recurrence. In addition, more than half of patients (53.48%) with diabetes mellitus and BPPV experienced recurrence of BPPV. Knowledge and awareness of risk factors for recurrence of BPPV are essential for the assessment and long-term prognosis of patients. Identification of these relapse risk factors may enhance the ability of clinicians to accurately counsel patients regarding BPPV and associated comorbidities.

Research from JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery — Corticosteroids and Vestibular Exercises in Vestibular Neuritis — Single-blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Objective: To investigate long-term recovery after Bell's palsy and evaluate specific parameters for predicting the long-term outcome of facial weakness. Study Design: Retrospective clinical study combined with long-term follow-up. Setting: Tertiary care university hospital (Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Thessaloniki, Greece). Patients: Forty-four patients who were followed up 2 to 6 years (mean, 4.01 yr) after the onset of facial weakness. Main Outcome Measures: The failure rate of complete recovery was studied for age, initial nerve excitability test, electroneurography, initial severity of paralysis, and number of days from onset of facial weakness to the start of medical treatment. Results: Thirty-two (73%) of 44 patients had a satisfactory outcome, and 12 (27%) had a nonsatisfactory recovery. Initial House-Brackmann grades V/VI and electroneurographically detected degeneration of 90% or more were shown to affect the long-term outcome of facial weakness significantly (p = 0.024 and p = 0.000, respectively). Conclusion: The initial severity of facial weakness and the electroneurographically detected facial nerve degeneration were found to be important factors in predicting the long-term prognosis of Bell's palsy.

This systematic review sheds light on the effectiveness of auditory–verbal therapy (AVT) outcomes in children with cochlear implants (CIs). The presented outcome is based on research findings from the last 10 years. The systematic review was designed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and Critical Appraisal of Treatment Evidence (CATE) checklist. Specific keywords were chosen based on the research question and searched on the PubMed database. All searched papers were analysed based on specific exclusion criteria and classified into four evidence levels. The results revealed that children who participated in AV therapy can achieve linguistic skills at the same level as their hearing peers. Voice quality seemed positively affected, placing young children with CIs in the normal range for receptive vocabulary development. In contrast, reading skills seemed less benefited. AV therapy seems to contribute to integration into mainstream society. Despite the recorded speech and language improvements of young children with CIs, the aim of AV therapy is still not fulfilled. AV therapy can be seen as the best clinical practice for young children with CIs till now, but the lack of well-controlled studies is undermining.