Objective: Dizziness associated with vestibular schwannoma is usually ascribed to retrolabyrinthine mechanisms. The goal of this study was to determine if quantitative peripheral vestibular (labyrinthine) otopathology was present in a series of patients with vestibular schwannoma.Study Design: Comparative human temporal bone study.Setting: Otopathology laboratory.Subjects and Methods: Temporal bones from 12 subjects with unilateral sporadic vestibular schwannoma were included. Based on differential interference contrast microscopy, type I and II vestibular hair cell counts were performed on each vestibular sense organ with minimal autolysis in which the neuroepithelium was oriented perpendicular to the plane of section. Hair cell densities (cells per 0.01‐mm² surface area) and the presence of endolymphatic hydrops and precipitate within the endolymph or perilymph were compared between the tumor ears and the contralateral (control) ears.Results: Compared with the contralateral ears, vestibular schwannoma ears had significantly more endolymphatic hydrops (P =. 049) and precipitate in the endolymph and perilymph (P =. 005), lower densities of type I and II vestibular hair cells in the lateral canal cristae (mean differences, respectively: 25.2 [P =. 001] and 10.8 [P <. 001]) and utricle (mean differences, respectively: 26.8 and 10.4 [P <. 001]), and lower densities of type I hair cells and the same density of type II hair cells in the saccule (mean differences, respectively: 26.5 [P <. 001] and 0.9 [P =. 46]).Conclusion: Peripheral vestibular otopathology, manifested as reductions of vestibular hair cell densities, was identified in ears with vestibular schwannoma. Labyrinthine as well as retrolabyrinthine pathology may contribute to tumor‐related vestibular dysfunction.

Research from JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery — Quantitative Assessment of Cochlear Histopathologic Findings in Patients With Suppurative Labyrinthitis

Aim. OSAS is a disease characterized by repetitive air flow constraint or cessation due to airway collapse. Diseases that frequently coexist with OSAS and simple snoring were evaluated in this study. Materials and Methods. This study was conducted in the Otorhinolaryngology Department of the Ankara Numune Hospital between April 2008 and April 2010 with 130 patients who presented with the complaints of snoring, witnessed apnea, and daytime drowsiness. Presence of chronic disease was compared to the demographics, BMIs, Epworth Scale scores, polysomnography, and physical examination findings. Results. Comorbid diseases were present in 56 (43.1%) of the patients, and the most presented disease group was cardiovascular system diseases. Age, BMI, daytime drowsiness, and frequency of septum deviation were observed at higher rates in patients with chronic disease. Age, BMI, and frequency of septum deviation were associated with cardiovascular diseases. Endocrine disease was found to increase with decreased oxygen saturation. Neuropsychiatric diseases were associated with daytime drowsiness and age. The mean age was lower in cases with cigarette smoking compared to cases without. Conclusion. Frequency of the comorbidities mostly increased with age as expected. Comorbid diseases were also associated with obesity and daytime drowsiness. Cigarette smoking was associated with early‐age disease.

Laboratory analysis results may provide an opportunity to predict the activity process of recurrent aphthous stomatitis. The goal of this study was to investigate whether there is a correlation between C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) and oral ulcer activity in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis. We included 72 patients (39 with active and 33 with inactive lesion) with recurrent aphthous stomatitis and 60 healthy controls. We compared blood test parameters including CAR, white blood cell count (WBC) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) among the groups. Additionally, we investigated the most significant parameter for the activity of oral ulcers. NLR was significantly higher both in the active (p<0.001) and inactive lesion groups (p<0.001), compared to the control group but did not significantly differ between active and inactive lesion groups (p=0.17). A significant difference in median CAR (p<0.001) and WBC (p<0.001) was evident among the three groups. Median WBC was significantly higher in the active lesion group compared to the control group (p<0.001) but did not significantly differ between active and inactive lesion groups (p=0.095). Median CAR was significantly higher in the active lesion group, compared both to the inactive lesion group (p=0.002) and the control group (p<0.001). Median CAR was also significantly higher in the inactive lesion group compared to the control group (p<0.001). Median hemoglobin, platelet to lymphocyte ratio and mean platelet volume did not significantly differ among three groups (p=0.16, p=0.85, p=0.19, respectively). CAR could be used as a predictive parameter for inflammation and activity of oral ulcers in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis.