Facial nerve hemangioma is a rare and benign vascular tumor, and accounts for 0.7% of intratemporal tumors. We report the second case described in the literature of a facial nerve hemangioma in its tympanic segment. A 14-year-old male patient presented with a history of progressive right ear hearing loss with preserved facial mimicry. Pure tone audiometry showed a right ear moderate conductive hearing loss. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an expansive lesion involving the tympanic segment of the right facial nerve, suggestive of hemangioma. Watchful waiting was chosen as management. In the first case of middle ear facial hemangioma described in the literature, facial palsy was the symptom that led the patient to seek medical care. In the present case, it can be inferred that the first symptom was conductive hearing loss ipsilateral to the lesion. Facial palsy may not be present and the clinical presentation may resemble otosclerosis, ossicular chain disruption, and third window abnormalities, among other differential diagnoses of conductive hearing loss. The second case of tympanic portion facial nerve hemangioma is reported, describing the specificity of conductive hearing loss as its only clinical manifestation.

It is known that in less than a third of patients presenting sudden hearing loss, the disorder can be attributed to viral infection, trauma, neoplasms, and vascular and autoimmune diseases. However, the role of the HIV in the onset of this disease has not yet been well described. A 46-year-old female, in an immunosuppression state induced by HIV infection, presented with sudden bilateral hearing loss, with no improvement despite treatment. Several mechanisms were reported by which the virus could induce damage to the auditory pathway. However, little is known regarding the prevention and treatment of this morbidity.

BACKGROUND: The most common current hearing protection devices (HPDs) on the market include earplugs and earmuffs. A variety of materials can be used to manufacture these devices, and each offers a level of noise attenuation that is informed by the manufacturer although it does not always correspond to the attenuation observed in real-world use. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the noise attenuation of HPDs available to workers exposed to noise. METHODS: The most relevant studies originally published in English, Portuguese, or Spanish that investigated the noise attenuation effectiveness of HPDs used by workers exposed to noise were analyzed. The following electronic databases were searched by 2 independent reviewers for studies published from 1999 to 2019: MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library (OVID), ProQuest, and BVS-Bireme. Different combinations of the following search terms (MeSH terms) were used for all databases: “Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced”, “Ear Protective Devices” (Efficacy OR Effectiveness)”, “Noise, Occupational”. RESULTS: The search strategy yielded a total of 326 potentially relevant studies. After removal of duplicates, 156 remained for the screening of titles and abstracts. After reviewing titles and abstracts, 46 studies were selected for full-text reading. Of these, six were included in this systematic review. CONCLUSION: Hearing protection devices reduced the noise exposure and were effective in all included studies in different countries, types of activity, and sound pressure exposure.

Objective Herpes zoster virus can cause inflammatory neuropathy of the facial nerve. However, studies evaluating the prevalence of this agent in peripheral facial palsy are heterogeneous regarding sample group selection, laboratory analysis method and variables studied. In addition, there are a lack of epidemiological data in the Brazilian population on this serological phenomenon in peripheral facial palsy. This study estimated herpes zoster reactivation prevalence in serological samples through chemiluminescence immunoassay for quantitative determination of specific antibodies directed against the virus. Methods This cross-sectional study sought to determine the prevalence of viral reactivation by herpes zoster in subjects with idiopathic peripheral facial palsy through analysis of serological samples over a year. Results Forty-seven patients (32 females and 15 males) participated. Severe paralysis was more common in older patients (p = 0.017). Facial pain (p = 0.02) and vertigo (p = 0.001) were related to a worse evolution of facial palsy. The rate of serological reactivation of the virus was 12.76 per cent. Conclusion The rate of serological reactivation of herpes virus in idiopathic peripheral facial palsy in our population is similar to foreign literature data, suggesting similar aetiological mechanisms in the genesis of this morbidity.