<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Chronic suppurative otitis media is a widespread disease with a significant cause of morbidity with a greater burden in the poor communities of the developing countries for which tympanoplasty is frequently undertaken. Gelfoam may show detrimental effects such as adhesions and fibrosis and improper packing may physically alter the structure of the tympanic membrane leading to failure of tympanoplasty. The graft can be placed without any middle ear supporting agent wherein the graft is held in position by the surface tension between the novel graft placed and the remnant tympanic membrane. This provides the added advantage of facilitating middle ear ventilation through the Eustachian tube. The objectives of the study were to assess the graft uptake and hearing improvement following type 1 tympanoplasty with gelfoam in the middle ear and without gelfoam in the middle ear and to compare and assess results for complications</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> This was a randomised control trial done for a period of one year conducted in the department of otorhinolaryngology and head and neck surgery, Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubballi which is a tertiary referral hospital. 30 patients underwent type 1 tympanoplasty without gelfoam in the middle ear and 31 patients underwent type 1 tympanoplasty with gelfoam in the middle ear. Post-operative follow up was done to look for graft uptake, hearing assessment by pure tone audiometry and impedance audiometry was done 90 days post-operatively.  </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> Graft uptake was 80% in type 1 tympanoplasty without gelfoam in the middle ear and 80.6% with gelfoam in the middle ear. Both types of surgeries had significant hearing improvement, and complications like retraction and residual perforation were also comparable. Ad type of impedance curve is most common post operatively.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Graft uptake is equally good in cases with gelfoam and without gelfoam. Hearing gain is comparable in both groups of patients. No significant complications occurred in our study. ‘Ad’ is the most common type of impedance curve after surgery. Long term follow up is important in these patients. </p>

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Carcinoma of the temporal bone is rare, accounting for fewer than 0.2% of all the tumours of the head and neck. Despite the recent advances made in oncology, delayed diagnosis is common with temporal bone tumors which lead to significant morbidity and poor surgical outcomes. All cases of persistent otitis media or otitis externa which fails to improve with adequate treatment, temporal bone malignancy should be suspected. The aim of the study was to assess the incidence of temporal bone malignancy in patients with CSOM or external auditory mass<span lang="EN-IN">. </span></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> It is a prospective study conducted in department of ENT and Head and Neck surgery, Karnataka institute of medical sciences, Hubballi from July 2015- December 2016. All patients with CSOM presenting with otorrhoea and mass in the external auditory canal in our outpatient department were included in the study<span lang="EN-IN">.  </span></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> Out of 6496 patients included in our study, 3 patients were found to have temporal bone malignancy. Histopathological examination showed squamous cell carcinoma in all 3 patients. All three patients underwent lateral temporal bone resection with post-operative radiotherapy<span lang="EN-IN">. </span></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> High level of suspicion is necessary for early diagnosis of temporal bone malignancy especially in patients with CSOM unresponsive to conventional treatment<span lang="EN-IN">.</span></p><p> </p>

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Head and neck malignancies are of common occurrence in India requiring early diagnosis for effective reconstruction by various surgical techniques. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the pattern of involvement of head and neck malignancies and to evaluate various surgical resection and reconstruction techniques used in the management of head and neck malignancies<span lang="EN-IN">. </span></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> This is a retrospective study carried out in the Department of ENT and Head &amp; Neck Surgery And Surgical Oncology, Karnataka Institute Of Medical Sciences, Hubballi, from July 2015 to December 2016. All patients who underwent surgery for head and neck malignancy were included in our study<span lang="EN-IN">.  </span></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> Retrospective analysis of our study yielded 36 cases of which 29 patients were male and 7 were female. In our study commonest age group was 6^th and 7^th decade constituting 55.55%. The most common site involved was oral cavity constituting about 63.88%. The most common sub-site in oral cavity malignancy was found to be anterior 2/3^rdof tongue (25%), followed by lip and buccal mucosa each of which constituted 13.88%<span lang="EN-IN">. </span></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> In our study oral cavity was the most common site to be involved in head and neck malignancies, of which anterior 2/3rd of tongue is the most common sub-site. Majority of the patients underwent tumour resection with flap reconstruction. Locoregional flaps form an efficient alternative in cases where primary closure is not possible without compromising the aesthetic outcomes<span lang="EN-IN">.</span></p>