OBJECTIVE: The objective was to identify and evaluate factors that may influence the recovery rate in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL). MATERIALS and METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss between 2009 and 2013. Those with an identified etiology were excluded. The patients were divided into four treatment groups: (i) systemic corticosteroids (SC) only, (ii) SC+low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), (iii) SC+hyperbaric oxygen (HBO), and (iv) SC+LMWH+HBO. Recovery was evaluated according to Siegel’s criteria. Age, initial hearing level, onset, treatment and audiogram types, comorbidities, and associated tinnitus and vestibular symptoms were investigated for their impact on prognosis. RESULTS: Two hundred five patients with ISSNHL were included. Recovery was seen in 59% of the patients. The complete recovery rate was significantly lower in patients older than 60 years and in patients presenting with profound hearing loss. Different audiogram curves had no significant effect on recovery. Sudden hearing loss was accompanied by tinnitus in 107 (52.1%) patients and vestibular symptoms in 55 (26.8%); however, neither was noted to affect prognosis. Different treatment combinations did not significantly affect prognosis. However, hypertension and a delay in treatment by more than 10 days from the onset of hearing loss were associated with a worse prognosis. CONCLUSION: Profound hearing loss, older than 60 years, a delay in treatment by more than 10 days, and hypertension were negative prognostic factors in this study, whereas, the type of audiogram curve and addition of HBO to SC did not affect prognosis.
Hemangiomas are benign tumors originating from the skin, mucosa, muscle, gland, and vascular tissue in the bone. Although it is common in the head and neck region, it is rarely seen in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Histologically capillary, cavernous, and mixed types are present, the most common is cavernous-type hemangioma. Cavernous hemangiomas in the nasal cavity, generally originated from the lateral nasal wall, cause symptoms as nasal obstruction and epistaxis. In the author's patient, cavernous hemangioma was originated from the nasal septum, where rarely seen. The author wanted to discuss this rare disease by presenting a 78-year-old woman who presented with nasal obstruction and recurrent epistaxis to the author's clinic.
Hemangiomas are benign tumors originating from vascular structures in the body. Although it is common in the head and neck region, it is rarely seen in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Histologically, there are three types of hemangiomas including capillary, cavernous, and mixed types, the most common being a cavernous hemangioma. Cavernous hemangiomas in the nasal cavity usually originate from the lateral nasal wall and cause symptoms such as nasal congestion and nosebleeds.
The aim of this study was to investigate the serum renin levels of patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL). Twenty-four patients with ISSNHL and 24 asymptomatic healthy volunteers were included in the study. Subjects underwent pure-tone audiometry and serum renin levels were measured. There were 14 women (mean age:42.35 ± 9.53) and 10 men (mean age:43.8 ± 6.87) in the patient group. There were 14 women (mean age:42.4 ± 4.7) and 10 men (mean age:41.4 ± 4.59) in the control group. ISSNHL was detected on the right side in 13 patients and on the left side in 11 patients. Serum renin levels of the patients and controls were 788.01 ± 327.8 and 282.37 ± 107.73 pg/mL, respectively. The serum renin levels were found to be significantly higher in the patient group compared to the control group (P ≤ .001). There was a statistically significant strong positive correlation between serum renin level and the severity of hearing loss (r = 0.77; P = .001). Serum renin levels of patients with ISSNHL were higher than controls. There was a statistically significant strong positive correlation between serum renin level and the severity of hearing loss.
Objective: Carotid body tumors (CBTs) are rare neurogenic tumors that may indirectly affect cardiac autonomic regulation. This study aims to investigate the relationship between tumor size and electrocardiographic (ECG) findings, particularly the corrected QT (QTc) interval. Methods: This retrospective study included 21 patients with histologically or radiologically confirmed CBTs treated at a tertiary center between 2021 and 2025. Patients with comorbidities or medications affecting cardiac conduction were excluded. Tumor sizes were measured via contrast-enhanced computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Preoperative ECGs were analyzed for heart rate, P wave, PR, QRS, T wave, and QTc intervals. The correlation between tumor size and ECG parameters was assessed using Spearman’s rank correlation. Results: A statistically significant and strong positive correlation was observed between tumor size and QTc interval ( r = 0.940, P < .001). No other ECG parameter showed a significant association with tumor size. Tumor size explained 88.36% of the variance in QTc duration ( r2 = 0.8836). Conclusion: This study demonstrates a strong correlation between CBT size and QTc prolongation, suggesting vagal overactivity as a possible mechanism. QTc may serve as a noninvasive marker of subclinical autonomic dysregulation in CBT patients. Larger prospective studies are warranted to validate this association and explore its clinical significance.