Background and Objectives: The diagnosis of cholesteatoma is usually clinic, and the only efficient treatment is surgical. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is not considered absolutely necessary for the management of an uncomplicated cholesteatoma, but unsuspected situations from a clinical point of view can be discovered using the scans, warning the surgeon. Our objective is to compare HRCT scan information with intraoperative findings in patients with cholesteatoma and analyze the usefulness of a preoperative HRCT scan from a surgical point of view. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective descriptive study conducted in the Department of Otolaryngology, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Romania, from May 2021 to April 2022. It was carried out on 46 patients with a clinical diagnosis of cholesteatoma who were consequently operated on in our department. All patients received full clinical and audiological examinations. In all cases, an HRCT scan was performed preoperatively as a mandatory investigation. Preoperative HRCT scans were analyzed, and their findings were compared to the intraoperative notes. The two sets of observations were analyzed using standard statistical methods. Results: Extensive cholesteatoma was the most common type of disease, involving 46% of the patients, followed by pars flaccida cholesteatoma (35%) and pars tensa cholesteatoma (19%). Eroded scutum was the most frequent lesion involving 70% of the patients, followed by incus erosion (67%). Comparison of the HRCT and intraoperative findings revealed a very good correlation for tegmen tympani erosion, sigmoid plate erosion, scutum and malleus erosion, and a moderate-to-good correlation for lateral semicircular canal erosion, incus and stapes erosion, and fallopian canal erosion. Conclusions: HRCT is a valuable tool in the preoperative assessment of cholesteatoma, helping in making surgical decisions. It can accurately predict the extent of disease and is helpful for detecting unapparent dangerous situations. However, it is not very accurate in detecting fallopian canal and stapes erosion.

Objective To evaluate the usefulness and reliability of a research software application for the estimation of an individual's cochlear duct length as a basis for electrode selection. Methods In this prospective cohort study, 21 consecutive patients (23 ears) implanted with a cochlear electrode were investigated. The study comprised 19 children (2 bilateral) and 2 adults. Results The measured ‘A’ distances (the largest distance from the round window to the contralateral wall) corresponded to cochlear duct lengths of 28.5–36.4 mm. The mean cochlear duct length was 34.05 ± 1.72 mm (33.60 ± 2.27 mm in females and 34.35 ± 1.27 mm in males). Full insertion was achieved in all but two cases. No misplaced electrode array or electrode fold-over was detected. In all but three ears, the electrode was chosen based on the research software application's indication. Conclusion The results show a good correlation between the pre-operatively predicted insertion depths using the software application and those post-operatively measured using X-ray. The insertion length predicted by the software was always longer than that measured via X-ray.

The current paper presents a case of a 33-year-old female with an uncommon localization of a leiomyoma in the oral cavity—the anterior palatal fibromucosa and the incisive papilla. The patient referred to the Oro-Maxillo-Facial Surgery Clinic of Emergency City Hospital Timisoara, Romania, complaining of a slight discomfort in the act of mastication and the occurrence and persistence of a diastema between the upper central incisors, due to the presence of a nodule located in the anterior palatal mucosa, between the upper central incisors, without any changes of the subjacent bone structure in the anterior hard palate visible on a cone beam computed tomography image (CBCT). The lesion was removed using a surgical excisional biopsy and a histopathological examination was performed using morphological Hematoxylin–Eosin (HE) staining and additional immunohistochemical (IHC) reactions, in order to confirm the diagnosis. On microscopic examination, bundles of spindle cells were found with eosinophilic cytoplasm and vesicular nuclei, with finely granular chromatin. The immunohistochemical reactions were positive for smooth muscle actin (SMA) and desmin and negative for vimentin. The treatment of choice for leiomyoma of the oral cavity is surgical excision with clear margins, followed by periodical clinical monitoring.

Failure in the embryological development of the thyroid in adults is rarely seen. We present the case of a 79-year-old female patient who complained of dysphagia and progressive upper respiratory obstruction, which started 12 months prior to her admission. An ENT clinical exam revealed a tongue base, spherical, well-defined tumour covered by normal mucosa. Further assessments established the diagnosis of the tongue base ectopic thyroid tissue. Due to the patient’s symptoms, a transhyoid tongue base tumour removal was performed. The selected patient gave consent for participation and inclusion in this paper, in compliance with the 1964 Helsinki declaration.

The current paper presents a case of a 33-year-old female with an uncommon localization of a leiomyoma in the oral cavity - the anterior palatal fibromucosa and the incisive papilla. The patient referred to the Oro-Maxillo-Facial Surgery Clinic of the Emergency City Hospital Timisoara, Romania accusing a slight discomfort in the act of mastication and the occurrence and persistence of a diastema between the upper central incisors, due to the presence of a tumoral mass located in the anterior palatal mucosa, between the upper central incisors, without any changes of the subjacent bone structure in the anterior hard palate visible on the cone beam computed tomography image (CBCT). The tumor was removed by a surgical excisional biopsy and a histopathological examination was performed using morphological Hematoxylin–Eosin (HE) staining and additional immunohistochemical (IHC) reactions, in order to confirm the diagnosis. On microscopic examination, there were found bundles of spindle cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm and vesicular nuclei, with finely granular chromatin. The immunohistochemically staining found positive results for smooth muscle actin (SMA) and desmin and negative result for vimentin. The treatment of choice for leiomyoma of the oral cavity is surgical excision with clear margins, followed by periodical clinical monitoring.

Conclusions: HRCT is a valuable tool in preoperative assessment of cholesteatoma, helping in making surgical decisions. It can accurately predict the extent of disease and is helpful for detecting unapparent dangerous situations. However it is not very accurate in detecting Fallopian canal and stapes erosion.