A 5-year-old child living in Erzurum, Turkey, complaining of otalgia, otorrhea and pruritus in the right ear for three days, was examined. Otoscopic examination at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology revealed live maggots in the external auditory canal. Ten maggots were recovered and were identified as third stage larvae of Wohlfahrtia magnifica (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). Local and systemic an...

Recent ministerial pronouncements and media hyperbole around GPs being personally responsible and even personally providing out-of-hours care have sent shock waves throughout the profession. Such a reversal of an agreement that suited government as recently as 2004, is regarded by three generations of GPs as the last straw. For rural and city GPs alike, that agreement brought an end to constant...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Although otalgia is usually associated with ear problems, it may also originate outside the ear. We therefore assessed the clinical characteristics of patients with otalgia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS We analyzed 294 patients who presented with otalgia. We assessed differences in otalgia between adults and children, differences in otogenic vs. referred otalgia between adul...

UNLABELLED The interaction between temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and otalgia is, even nowadays, a reason for speculation and hypotheses raising. Several researchers suggest causes, consequences and alleged treatments. STUDY DESIGN This is an epidemiological, sectional cohort study of prevalence. AIM The study demonstrates the prevalence of patients harboring TMDs in an otorhinolaryngolo...

BACKGROUND Nowadays, nurses play a central role in telephone triage in Dutch out-of-hours primary care. The percentage of calls that is handled through nurse telephone advice alone (NTAA) appears to vary substantially between GP cooperatives. This study aims to explore which determinants are associated with NTAA and with subsequent return consultations to the GP. METHODS For the ten most freq...

Two cases are described in which cardiac ischemia presented with pain confined to the ear. In both cases the correct diagnosis was missed and treatment delayed. Angina and myocardial infarction may present with pain in the ear due to referral via the vagus nerve.

BACKGROUND Little is known about the determinants of parental response when children appear to have a respiratory tract infection (RTI). Our objective was to identify what factors predict that parents will seek medical consultation. METHODS In a prospective cohort study we consecutively recruited 400 children aged 2 months to 12 years from the urban, largely middle-class, primary-care practic...

Melanoma of the ear canal is extremely rare; due to its hidden area, most would present late in their history. We present the first case reported, of a black pigment foreign body mimicking a melanoma in the external auditory canal. A 14 year old Chinese male presented with right sided otalgia and itch. Otoscopic examination revealed an irregular black naevus in the right auditory canal. An intr...

Introduction Migraine is a common clinical problem characterized by episodic attacks of head pain and associated symptoms such as nausea, sensitivity to light, sound, or head movement. It is generally thought of as a headache problem, but it has become apparent in recent years that many patients suffer symptoms from migraine who do not have severe headaches as a dominant symptom. These patients...

OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to analyze whether tympanic plexus neurectomy is a successful surgical option in patients with intractable otalgia. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective single institution study from the experience of two surgeons was conducted. METHODS Records of adult patients with intractable unilateral otalgia of likely glossopharyngeal origin were reviewed, with institution...