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<p class="abstract">Choanal and nasopharyngeal stenosis in adults are extremely rare. They usually are detected and treated in pediatric age as they typically result from congenital malformations. In adulthood, they mostly result from acquired causes such as iatrogenic trauma after surgeries, infectious or autoimmune diseases, or radiotherapy. However, sometimes it is not possible to determine the exact etiology. Treatment is challenging, with restenosis being the most feared and frequent complication. With this case report, we aimed to highlight the diagnostic and treatment approaches for choanal and nasopharyngeal stenoses in adults. We present a 61-year-old patient with persistent bilateral nasal obstruction and discharge, snoring, and recurrent frontal headaches for years which turned out to be a bilateral choanal and nasopharyngeal stenosis. Previously, the patient had been diagnosed with chronic rhinosinusitis without any other relevant medical history. Additionally, no previous surgical procedures or radiation therapy were found to be associated with the etiology. The patient was treated with surgery. A combined modality of trans-nasal endoscopic excision of choanal and nasopharynx fibrous tissue using cold cutting instruments and posterior septectomy followed by the topical application of Mitomycin-C, without stenting, was an effective option.</p>

Background: Middle ear aeration level is an important precursor of chronic otitis media (COM) and one predictive factor for tympanoplasty success. Tympanometry measures the volume of the external ear canal, middle ear cavity, aditus, and mastoid air cells in patients with tympanic membrane (TM) perforation. The aim of the study was to determine whether the pre-operative tympanometric volume and the interaural tympanometric volume differences in unilateral simple COM can predict the success of type I tympanoplasty. Methods: Retrospective analysis of type I tympanoplasties performed in adults between January 2017 and December 2020 in a tertiary hospital. Bilateral COM, revision surgery and tympanoplasty using cartilage grafts or associated with other procedures were excluded. Success was defined as no evidence of TM perforation on otoscopic examination and tympanogram, at least six months after surgery.    Results: Sixty-one patients were evaluated. The mean age was 43 years old, and there was a female predominance (55.7%). The overall success rate was 77%. Location or size of perforation weren’t different among patients with and without surgical success. We found a statistically significant result (p=0.009) regarding interaural tympanometric volume differences, with a median of 2.7 ml (IQR 3.6) in the surgical success group and a median of 1.3 ml (IQR 1.26) in the recurrence group. 90.6% of patients with interaural tympanometric volume difference greater than 2 ml had successful surgery. Conclusions: A good aeration of middle ear, demonstrated by higher interaural tympanometric volume differences, can predict success of type I tympanoplasty.

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