Objectives: We report an extremely rare case of a large solitary fibroma of the paranasal sinus, which we treated by sinonasal endoscopic surgery. We describe its clinical and histopathological features, and we report the endoscopic technique used to deal with such a large sinonasal mass (penetrating the pterygomaxillary and infratemporal fossae); we also offer a brief survey of the literature.Case report: A woman presented with an approximately one-year history of nasal obstruction. Nasal endoscopy revealed an irregularly shaped, friable, reddish mass that occupied the whole of the right nasal fossa. Magnetic resonance imaging of the paranasal sinuses revealed a large mass that occupied the anterior and posterior ethmoids and the maxillary and sphenoid sinuses, displacing the septum and penetrating the pterygomaxillary fossa, having destroyed the lateral wall of the right nasal fossa. The tumour was resected by means of sinonasal endoscopic surgery; an endoscopic medial maxillectomy with extension to the pterygomaxillary and infratemporal regions was performed. Histological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of solitary fibrous tumour. During follow up, we performed regular nasal endoscopies, as well as computed tomography scans one and six months post-operatively.Conclusions: Endoscopic techniques are currently the approach of choice for the treatment of such tumours of the sinonasal cavity and pterygomaxillary and infratemporal regions. The size of the lesion did not contraindicate endoscopic sinonasal surgery as a curative treatment.

Endoscopic medial maxillectomy (EMM) is a safe, effective method for the treatment of inverted papillomas (IPs) of the paranasal sinuses. To evaluate the efficacy of EMM as a surgical technique in the treatment of IP compared with non-endoscopic techniques. This was a retrospective study of 52 patients with an IP diagnosed by biopsy from 1990 to 2004. EMM was performed in 34 patients (65.4%), whereas non-endoscopic techniques were used in 18 (34.6%). The mean duration of follow-up was 54.2 months. Recurrence occurred in 4 of the 34 patients who underwent EMM (11.8%; 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 39 at 26%) and in 8 of the 18 patients treated using non-endoscopic techniques (44.4%; 95% CI = 23.2 at 67.3%). There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between treatments, assessed by Kaplan-Meier estimator and log-rank testing. Of the 12 patients who suffered a recurrence, 6 (50%) were treated with endoscopic surgery, 4 (33%) with mediofacial degloving and 2 (17%) were merely followed up; no malignant degeneration occurred.

Objective. Despite the widespread use and technical improvement of cochlear implant (CI) devices over past decades, further research into the bioelectric bases of CI stimulation is still needed. Various stimulation modes implemented by different CI manufacturers coexist, but their true clinical benefit remains unclear, probably due to the high inter-subject variability reported, which makes the prediction of CI outcomes and the optimal fitting of stimulation parameters challenging. A highly detailed full-head model that includes a cochlea and an electrode array is developed in this study to emulate intracochlear voltages and extracochlear current pathways through the head in CI stimulation. Approach. Simulations based on the finite element method were conducted under monopolar, bipolar, tripolar (TP), and partial TP modes, as well as for apical, medial, and basal electrodes. Variables simulated included: intracochlear voltages, electric field (EF) decay, electric potentials at the scalp and extracochlear currents through the head. To better understand CI side effects such as facial nerve stimulation, caused by spurious current leakage out from the cochlea, special emphasis is given to the analysis of the EF over the facial nerve. Main results. The model reasonably predicts EF magnitudes and trends previously reported in CI users. New relevant extracochlear current pathways through the head and brain tissues have been identified. Simulated results also show differences in the magnitude and distribution of the EF through different segments of the facial nerve upon different stimulation modes and electrodes, dependent on nerve and bone tissue conductivities. Significance. Full-head models prove useful tools to model intra and extracochlear EFs in CI stimulation. Our findings could prove useful in the design of future experimental studies to contrast FNS mechanisms upon stimulation of different electrodes and CI modes. The full-head model developed is freely available for the CI community for further research and use.

Introduction: Stapedotomy is currently the surgical technique of choice for treating otosclerosis. Despite this, there is not an agreement about the best technique to perform the small fenestra on the footplate, therefore multiple procedures have been proposed. The aim of this study was to investigate the hearing outcomes of microdrill and manual perforator. Material and Methods: Observational prospective study was carried out on patients that underwent stapedotomy. We analyzed the hearing threshold in two groups of patients according to the way the fenestra footplate was realized by microdrill or manual perforator. Results: A total of 113 patients were evaluated. Postoperative hearing gain of the microdrill group was 23.29 (18.58) dB HL 95% CI (18.40-28.18). In the manual perforator group, it was 22.67 (12.91) dB HL 95% CI (19.07-26.26). Both groups were statistically significant. Postoperative bone conductive hearing threshold at the frequencies of 0.5, 1 and 2 KHz and postoperative air conductive hearing threshold at the frequencies of 2 and 4 KHz showed statistically significant differences in the manual perforator group. The closure of air-bone gap was higher in the microdrill group with statistically significant differences. Conclusion: Both, manual perforator and microdrill, have good hearing outcomes at six months after surgery. Manual perforator has better audiological outcomes than microdrill. Hence, manual perforator is a safe technique and can be used in center that do not have other methods to do the small fenestra.

Pneumocephalus after cochlear implantation is very rare with five reported cases in the literature. The presence of clinical features in the immediate postoperative period has never been reported, because they occur weeks after surgery. These neurological manifestations can compromise the patient’s life; thus, it is important to have proper knowledge and management of these manifestations. We present a case report with a review of the literature. A 35-year-old man began having seizures a few hours after a cochlear implantation. Computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a pneumocephalus and bone defect at the level of the electrode’s drilling path, not objected during the surgery. The patient was handled conservatively, and in subsequent reviews, CT objected reabsorption of the pneumocephalus. The presence of a pneumocephalus should be taken into account in the neurological features of a patient with cochlear implant, especially if mastoid bone defects are suspected during surgery. The management of the pneumocephalus will, in most cases, be conservative, consisting of clinical observation and imaging tests. Surgical treatment is reserved for situations in which the clinical manifestations are very symptomatic and when they are tension pneumocephalus. Cite this article as: Palacios-García JM, Vazquez-Becerra E, Ropero-Romero F, Sánchez-Gómez S. Seizure as Early Presentation of a Pneumocephalus after Cochlear Implant: A Case Report. J Int Adv Otol 2020; 16(3): 470-2.