Editorial

Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Orlando Guntinas-Lichius

Dear Colleague,

Dear Reader!

It was clear to me early on that I would like to make the topic "Multisensory and Organ Crosstalk - Otorhinolaryngology as an Interdisciplinary Partner" the motto of the 94th Annual Meeting of the German Society for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. How did it come about: It starts with the name Otorhinolaryngology (or British: ear, nose, throat). There is no other specialty that is defined by a string of organs. Even the founders were aware that diseases in this field are often caused by interaction and dysfunction of these organ systems, and that these organs can rarely be considered separately in the determination of disease. Yet in many areas, such as the sensory organs, we know little about the importance of the interplay of multiple senses, multisensory, and its impact on disease. In the same way, we have not been looking outside the box for so long, only recently realizing that otorhinolaryngologic and head and neck diseases also have a significant effect on other organ systems or vice versa. This is what the reviews this year are about. Be curious and be surprised about the variety of interaction. And there is still an infinite amount to discover.

The first in this volume is Andrej Kral from Hannover [1]. He shows that a congenital hearing disorder is much more, namely it affects cortical processing in many ways, not only in the cortical auditory system. This does not get better with age, as Wilma Großmann from Rostock then tells us [2]. Hearing disorders in old age have an important influence on aging processes in other brain regions. The interaction between hearing and balance is also exciting - obvious, since both sensory functions are neighbors in the inner ear. Nevertheless, it is astonishing how little we know about the mutual influence when it is of both, or both are diseased. Ingmar Seiwarth from Halle had made it his task to show how hearing contributes to balance [3]. Tinnitus also belongs to the ear. Chronic tinnitus is often not a disease in its own right, but is accompanied by relevant psychosomatic phenomena. Birgit Mazurek from Berlin and co-authors point out that it is therefore important to treat not only the tinnitus, but also these accompanying symptoms, if one wants to help the affected person effectively [4]. Back to the cortex: A cortical network disorder can also be detected in tinnitus, as Christian Dobel from Jena and co-authors report [5]. Then we turn to other sensory functions. The importance of smelling has only become clear to many through the pandemic. Who better than Thomas Hummel and co-authors to bring us up to date on olfactory disorders and their treatment [6]. Here, too, we look beyond our own nose: Ilona Croy and Antonie Bierling from Jena lead us into the world of interaction between smelling and emotions [7]. That sleep apnea has something to do with cardiovascular dysfunction is common knowledge. But the disease also has an influence on the cognition of those affected - as can be read in the review by Gerlind Schneider from Jena [8]. Last but not least, my hobby horse should not be missing. Carsten Klingner and I, also both from Jena, summarize how facial expressions are related to emotions in many ways and how, of course, diseases of the facial nerve also have an influence on this [9].

And then it's already over! I could have thought of many more examples, but we do not want to organize the congress with invited reviews only, but with some reviews. I am looking forward to the oral explanations of the colleagues about their reviews.

Enjoy reading and discussing the presentations!

Professor Orlando Guntinas-Lichius

President of the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head & Neck Surgery

• Literatur

• 1 Kral A. Hören und Kognition im Kindesalter. Laryngo-Rhino-Otol 2023; 102: S3-S11
• 2 Großmann W. (Zu-)Hören mit alterndem Gehirn – eine kognitive Herausforderung. Laryngo-Rhino-Otol 2023; 102: S12-S34
• 3 Seiwerth I. Interaktion von Hör- und Gleichgewichtssinn. Laryngo-Rhino-Otol 2023; 102: S35-S49
• 4 Mazurek B, Böcking B, Dobel C, Rose M, Brüggemann P. Tinnitus und beeinflussende Komorbiditäten. Laryngo-Rhino-Otol 2023; 102: S50-S58
• 5 Dobel C, Junghöfer M2, Mazurek B, Paraskevopoulos E, Groß J Tinnitus und multimodale kortikale Interaktion. Laryngo-Rhino-Otol 2023; 102: S59-S66
• 6 Hummel T, Power Guerra N, Gunder N, Hähner A, Menzel S. Riechen und Riechstörungen. Laryngo-Rhino-Otol 2023; 102: S67-S92
• 7 Croy I, Antonie Bierling A. Gerüche als Kommunikationspfade – warum Emotionen durch die Nase gehen. Laryngo-Rhino-Otol 2023; 102: S93-S100
• 8 Schneider G. Obstruktive Schlafapnoe – Einfluss auf kardiovaskuläres System und Kognition. Laryngo-Rhino-Otol 2023; 102: S101-S114
• 9 Klingner CM, Guntinas-Lichius O. Mimik und Emotion. Laryngo-Rhino-Otol 2023; 102: S115-S125

Publication History

Article published online:
02 May 2023