Woodruff's plexus-arterial or venous?

[Nasal hemorrhage - risk factors and management in 707 outpatient and inpatient patients]

Epistaxis is one of the most common emergencies in otorhinolaryngology. The spectrum ranges from mild, self-limiting cases to life-threatening hemorrhages. Depending on the severity and course of the condition, management can be either outpatient or involve inpatient monitoring, possibly with surgical treatment.A retrospective systematic evaluation was conducted on all outpatient and inpatient patient data diagnosed with epistaxis from January to December 2021. Epistaxis associated with tumors, trauma, and postoperative epistaxis were excluded.A total of 707 patients were included. Seasonally, the highest number of patients presented in January. Outpatient management was possible for 80.8% of the cases, while 19.2% required inpatient admission. Among the inpatients, 15.4% required surgical intervention. Within the entire study cohort, 61.1% of the patients were male. Among the inpatients who underwent surgical treatment, the proportion of male patients was even higher (81.0%). The majority (73.1%) of the inpatients were on at least one anticoagulant medication. Advanced age (p=0.044) and the presence of posterior epistaxis (p<0.001) were significantly associated with the need for inpatient treatment. No children required inpatient care.Epistaxis is a common condition in otorhinolaryngology, predominantly affecting older male patients and those on anticoagulant therapy in severe cases within the studied cohort. Surgical intervention under general anesthesia was infrequently necessary for the treatment of epistaxis in the overall study population (3%).

Morphometric analysis of sphenopalatine foramen on computed tomography images with clinical significance

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the effect of anatomical variations in the sphenopalatine foramen and the lateral nasal wall on sphenopalatine foramen-related morphometric measurements.

METHODS

Paranasal sinus multidetector computed tomography records of 153 patients were evaluated. Morphometric measurements were made between the fixed bony landmarks and the sphenopalatine foramen. Number, shape, localization variations of the sphenopalatine foramen, concha bullosa, and septum deviation were noted and the results were compared with respect to sex, age, and laterality.

RESULTS

No significant difference was detected with respect to laterality, whereas most of the measured distances were higher in males than females. There was a significant difference between the obtained morphometric data according to age groups. In our study, 91.2% single, 7.8% double, and 1% triple sphenopalatine foramen were detected and the most common irregularly shaped (37.3%). The location of sphenopalatine foramen was reported as the most common type II. Septum deviation types have no potential influence on the location of the foramen, but most of the measured parameters were found to be significantly smaller in the presence of concha bullosa, whereas the angle was found to be higher.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed a significant relationship between the morphometric measurements of the sphenopalatine foramen and concha bullosa, while septum deviation types did not affect these results. For a safer and more effective surgery with prevention of iatrogenic complications, a surgeon should be aware of this correlation, especially in endoscopic transnasal approaches.

Impact of choice of nostril on nasotracheal intubation when using video rigid stylet: a randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Patients undergoing oral and maxillofacial surgeries under general anesthesia usually require nasotracheal intubation. When presented with patients with equally patent nostrils, selection of the nostril to use for intubation is an important decision for facilitating intubation. The objective of this trial is to determine whether choice of nostril impacts nasotracheal intubation when using a video rigid stylet in patients undergoing oral and maxillofacial surgery.

METHODS

Fifty patients scheduled for elective oral and maxillofacial surgery requiring nasotracheal intubation were randomly allocated into two groups to undergo nasotracheal intubation through the left nostril (Group L, n = 25) or the right nostril (Group R, n = 25). Intubation was performed by experienced anesthesiologists using a video rigid stylet. The primary endpoint was time to successful intubation, which was defined as the duration from when the tip of the stylet-tube assembly entered the selected nostril to when the tube entered the trachea. Secondary outcomes included: length of time for device insertion; length of time for tube insertion; total success rate; first-attempt success rate; number of intubation attempts; requirement of airway assisted maneuvers; incidence and severity of epistaxis. Intubation-related adverse events were monitored for up to postoperative 24 h.

RESULTS

Median time (interquartile range) to tracheal intubation was 25.3 seconds (20.7 to 27.6) in Group L and 26.8 seconds (22.5 to 30.0) in Group R (median difference (MD) = 1.9; 95% confidence interval (CI) -1.8 to 5.7, P = 0.248). Nasotracheal intubation was successful in all patients in both groups and the first-attempt success rates in both groups were similar (Group L: 96% (24/25); Group R: 96% (24/25); relative risk (RR) 1.0; 95% CI 0.9 to 1.1; P > 0.999). No significant difference of requirement of assisted maneuvers was noted between the two groups (Group L: 36% (9/25); Group R: 28% (7/25); RR 0.8; 95% CI 0.3-1.8; P = 0.544). Furthermore, all patients showed a high quality of visualization of the glottis (Cormack and Lehane Grade I). For safety outcomes, the incidence and severity of epistaxis during intubation was comparable between the two groups. There were no significant differences between the selection of nostrils and intubation-related adverse events up to 24 h after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

When considering which nostril to use for intubation with video rigid stylet, either nostril can be used similarly.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinicaltrials.gov . Identifier: NCT05218590.