Late-onset posttraumatic septal hematoma and abscess formation in a six-year-old Tamil girl--case report and literature review

Nasal septal hematoma with abscess (NSHA) is an uncommon complication of trauma and studies on children are especially rare. We discuss the case of a 6-year-old girl, who was initially evaluated independently by three doctors for minor nasal trauma but had to be re-hospitalized 6 days later with NSHA. Although septal hematoma had initially been excluded (5, 7 and 24 hours after trauma), a secondary accumulation of blood seems to have occured. Delayed hematoma formation has been described in the orbit as a result of possible venous injuries after endoscopic sinus surgery. However, such an observation is new for septal hematoma in children. Thus, we recommend re-evaluation for septal hematoma 48h to 72h after paediatric nasal trauma. Such a scheduled re-examination offers a chance to treat delayed subperichondral hematoma on time before almost inevitable superinfection leads to abscess formation and destruction of the nasal infrastructure. We suggest that parents should be vigilant for delayed nasal obstruction as possible herald of hematoma accumulation within the first week.

Cholesteatoma triggering squamous cell carcinoma: case report and literature review of a rare tumor

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to report a case of squamous cell carcinoma of the petrous part of the temporal bone associated with a long history of secondary acquired cholesteatoma in a 71-year-old man. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We present the case of a 71-year-old man diagnosed with secondary acquired cholesteatoma in 1950. Treatments consisted of repetitive surgery owing to several relapses. In 2004, he presented with progressive fetid otorrhea. Clinical and computed tomography findings were indicative for relapsing cholesteatoma and a subtotal petrosectomy was performed. RESULTS: Histologic work-up demonstrated a moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. The staging revealed stadium pT3 cN0 cM0. Postoperative treatment consisted of local radiation therapy with intensity-modulated beam geometry with a total of 64.2 Gy in 30 fractions using a simultaneous integrated boost. CONCLUSION: Middle ear carcinoma can arise from acquired cholesteatoma. The pathogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma associated with cholesteatoma has not been elucidated satisfactorily. Due to the complex anatomic features, intensity-modulated radiation therapy is the technique of choice for postoperative radiotherapy.

What's Happening? Allan Kaprow and Claes Oldenburg Argue About Art And Life

In 1961 Allan Kaprow (1927–2006) and Claes Oldenburg (b. 1929) exchanged a number of letters in which they argued about the definition of their avant-garde practices as Happenings. Kaprow, who first introduced this "root-metaphor," as he would later call it, describes with it the necessity of the respective activity to be as far removed as possible from all motives, materials, and formats conventionally connected to art. Oldenburg, who at the time of this exchange was just as active in the New York performance scene as Kaprow, disagrees with his colleague's removal of their practice from the artistic sphere. Oldenburg is also dissatisfied with the fact that Kaprow, through his writings, launches a critical discourse that follows his own definition of the Happening. The two artists thus argue just as much about the positioning of their practices with respect to art as over the authority to establish such a position. This essay traces their argument through their written conversation and in doing so exposes the immense influence Kaprow's rhetoric had on the subsequent art-historical canonization of their respective practices: Oldenburg's more ambivalent position is today amalgamated with Kaprow's theoretical stance.