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Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is one of most common surgeries in otorhinolaryngology practice. It is done in the narrow confines of the nasal cavity. Bleeding into the surgical field is a major problem faced by endoscopic surgeons. To assess the effectiveness of pterygopalatine fossa infiltration with lignocaine and adrenaline in controlling surgical field bleeding during endoscopic sinus surgery. A randomized blinded study was done among 68 patients who underwent FESS. Infiltration with 2% lignocaine with 1:80,000 adrenaline was given only on one side and the surgeon was blinded as to which side was infiltrated and he was asked to assess the surgical field using a standard scale. There was statistical significant improvement in surgical field on the infiltrated side ( = 0.001) with almost 25-30% improvement in surgical field on the infiltrated side. The surgical field bleeding also varied with the blood pressure with a positive correlation. There were no complications associated with the procedure. Pterygopalatine fossa infiltration with lignocaine and adrenaline is an effective technique in reducing surgical field bleeding during FESS. It can be combined with nasal decongestion or hypotensive anaesthesia for an optimum surgical field.

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Weconducted a study to identify socioeconomic factors associated with unconstrained growth among preschoolers in Muscat, Oman. A sample of children born in 1995 and aged 28-43 months was drawn from the Child Health Registers of 2 health care centres. Sociodemographic data were collected by oral interview and maternal and child anthropometry measured. Regression analysis was used to identify socioeconomic indicators and cut-offs associated with unconstrained growth. Children from households with a monthly income > or = 800 Omani rials and mother’s education > or = 4 years attained height-for-age levels comparable to the current international growth reference. By screening using this criterion, we could obtain a suitable sample for the World Health Organization Multicentre Growth Reference Study in Muscat