Faculty Bibliography

Disenchantment with the limitations, and in some cases the morbidity, of currently used radiologic techniques for the demonstration or exclusion of small acoustic neuromas prompted development of an examination using small amounts of intrathecal air and computed tomography (CT). A prospective study was designed to evaluate air CT cisternography/canalography, wherein patients with the clinical symptoms of acoustic neuroma but with negative enhanced CT, were evaluated by metrizamide CT cisternography followed by air CT cisternography/canalography. Pantopaque cisternography was then performed as a control procedure. Four patients had surgically proven tumors. In 13 others, accumulated evidence indicated no tumors were present. Results suggest that air-CT cisternography is superior to all other diagnostic methods in defining small acoustic neuromas, and may exclude an intracanalicular lesion without the potential hazards of Pantopaque cisternography or high concentration metrizamide tomocisternography. With air-CT cisternography, there were no errors in this series

Reconstruction of the head and neck region following radical parotidectomy with or without mandibulectomy may be a difficult procedure. Facial skin is usually preserved, but the underlying soft-tissue structures and bone are deficient. The challenge is to augment the facial defect while the overlying skin is preserved with a high success rate, minimal time, one operative stage, and reduced secondary deformity to the patient. In certain instances, a microvascular free flap is ideal. We have used a de-epithelialized microvascular free groin flap successfully to reconstruct large parotid-mandibular defects in nine patients. A small bridge of epithelium is left to relieve tension from edema and to monitor the flap postoperatively. The high success rate, minimal complications, and acceptable donor site defect make the microvascular free dermis-fat flap an ideal choice for this type of reconstruction

Dichotic CV recognition at interaural temporal onset asynchronies (lag times) of 0, 30, 60, and 90 ms was investigated in normal hearing young and elderly subjects. The results for the young group were consistent with those reported in previous studies (Studdert-Kennedy et al., 1970; Berlin et al., 1973a). The older group demonstrated a mean right ear advantage (REA) at simultaneity of 12.7%, which was not significantly different from that of the young group (12.4%). This suggests that the processes subserving the REA are not affected by age. However, there was a significant reduction in the total (right ear plus left ear) dichotic scores of the elderly group compared to the young; suggesting an age-associated reduction in the channel capacity of the aging auditory system. Further, there were striking aberrations of the dictotic lag effect in the elderly group compared to the young subjects, consistent with age-related changes in auditory temporal processing. The findings are discussed with respect to the aging auditory system and the nature of dichotic speech processing

Histologic development of the mammalian cochlea has been studied by many investigators. In 1978, Li reported on a preliminary scanning electron microscopic study of hair cell development in the embryonic mouse cochlea. The present study further examines the surface morphology of the embryonic cochlea.

We describe a technique of tracheostoma construction utilizing a deltopectoral flap. This method can be used when entry into the superior mediastinum and low tracheal resection is required.