Hearing threshold of 30 diabetic patients and 30 healthy controls attending the medical outpatient department were determined using pure tone audiometry (Arphi Digital 900). All subjects were less than 50 years old. Subjects with otological and other metabolic diseases were excluded from the study. The patients were categorized into groups according to age, duration of disease, complications and control of diabetes. These observations were compared with those from the control subjects using appropriate statistical methods.It was found that diabetics had a poorer hearing threshold than the non-diabetics; all age groups with diabetes showed a significant high frequency hearing loss, as compared to the control population; poorly controlled and complicated diabetics have significant, high frequency hearing loss as compared to those who were well controlled and uncomplicated; there was no relationship between duration of the diabetes and the level of hearing loss.

Many developed countries have well established universal neonatal hearing screening programs. In India, the viability of such a program, in an already overburdened health system is indeed a challenge. This cross sectional study was undertaken to evaluate the possible burden of hearing loss among neonates born at a tertiary care hospital in Southern India. Five hundred neonates were screened with automated distortion product otoacoustic emission (aDPOAE) for hearing loss, 9.2% of whom had one or more high risk factors. Although 6.4% had hearing loss at initial assessment, only 1.6% had hearing loss on retesting with aDPOAE. Retesting with OAE before an automated Auditory brainstem response (aABR) helped to exclude patients without hearing loss. The frequency of moderate to moderately severe hearing loss in this study was 0.6%. This pilot study underscores the importance of the introduction of screening for congenital deafness in specialized centers in India, despite its challenges.

In suppurative otitis media with intracranial complications, it is accepted practice to treat the neurosurgical complication first, followed by mastoidectomy at a later date after the patient has been stabilized. Craniotomy with concurrent mastoidectomy is not only safe, but it also removes the source of infection at the same time the complications are being treated, thus avoiding reinfection while the patient is awaiting the ear surgery. In addition, the treatment is completed with a single, shorter hospital stay, which is more economical for the patient.

We report the first known cases of Fusariosis of maxillary sinus with granuloma and oro-antral fistula in two immunocompetent hosts. Fusarium solani was demonstrated in the direct microscopic examination and isolated in heavy growth from the biopsy materials. Both these patients were successfully treated with oral ketoconazole (200 mg daily) for three weeks followed by a Caldwell-Luc operation. Ketoconazole was continued for two months post-operatively.

Intranasal midazolam and chloral hydrate are both safe and efficacious for pediatric procedural sedation. Chloral hydrate was superior to intranasal midazolam, with an earlier time to onset of sedation, a faster recovery, better satisfaction among parents and the audiologist, and successful sedation.