Ankyloglossia and Tethered Oral Tissue: An Evidence-Based Review.

Tethered oral tissue may represent anatomic variation or true pathology with functional limitations. The most prevalent functional limitation is impaired feeding due to ankyloglossia. Treatment options include conservative management with feeding support versus intervention such as frenotomy or frenuloplasty. The benefits of intervention have yet to be fully elucidated. Many can agree that intervention may improve maternal pain during breastfeeding, but the impact of these procedures on feeding efficiency and intake is debated. Alternate ties such as posterior ankyloglossia and lip tie have been proposed as pathologic oral ties, but their true impact on feeding and speech articulation remains unclear.

Pediatric Endoscopic Ossiculoplasty Following Surgery for Chronic Ear Disease.

OBJECTIVE: Rigid endoscopes can improve visualization of the tympanic space compared to traditional microscopic techniques. This study investigates whether use of transcanal endoscopic ossiculoplasty influences audiologic outcomes compared to microscopic ossiculoplasty following chronic ear surgery in children. STUDY DESIGN: Comparative cohort study at two tertiary care centers. METHODS: Retrospective review of pediatric chronic ear cases where ossiculoplasty was performed from February 2009 to March 2018. RESULTS: We identified 100 ears that underwent endoscopic ossiculoplasty and 100 ears that underwent microscopic ossiculoplasty. The mean age was 11 years (range, 4-18 years) with 63% males. There were no significant differences in these parameters between the two groups. Subjects underwent either primary ossiculoplasty or ossiculoplasty during second-look procedures. There was no significant difference in air conduction pure tone average (PTA) after microscopic cases compared to endoscopic cases (-12.5 dB vs. -10.5 dB, P = .40). These results were independent of prosthesis type. Microscopic ossiculoplasty was significantly more likely to use a post-auricular approach (P = .0001). There was no difference in complication rate between the two groups. The malleus was more likely to be absent or removed prior to endoscopic ossiculoplasty (P = .0004) with no significant difference in the change in PTA between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Transcanal endoscopic ossiculoplasty was found to have equivalent audiometric outcomes with significantly fewer post-auricular approaches and no increase in complications compared to microscopic ossiculoplasty. While the malleus was more likely to be absent in endoscopic cases, this did not appear to influence the change in PTA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 2020.

Vagal stimulation and laryngeal electromyography for recurrent laryngeal reinnervation in children.

Ansa-to-recurrent laryngeal nerve (ANSA-RLN) reinnervation procedures are now often first-line treatments for some children with unilateral vocal fold immobility. Although many describe that children with prolonged denervation and true vocal fold atrophy should not undergo this procedure, there has been no gold-standard means of identifying true denervation. Here, we describe a novel technique using evoked vagal electromyography to predict degree of chronic nerve injury prior to recurrent laryngeal nerve reinnervation in children. This is a simple, readily available technique that may play an important role in predicting likelihood of success with pediatric ANSA-RLN reinnervation. Laryngoscope, 130:747-751, 2020.

Update on hypoglossal nerve stimulation in children with down syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Hypoglossal nerve (HGN) stimulation is a novel therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults. Its efficacy and safety in children with Down syndrome (DS) was previously reported in a preliminary case series of six adolescents. STUDY DESIGN: Case series. METHODS: Twenty nonobese children and adolescents (aged 10-21 years) with DS and severe OSA (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] >10 and <50 events/hr) despite prior adenotonsillectomy were enrolled. Participants had failed a trial of continuous positive airway pressure therapy and underwent sleep endoscopy confirming surgical candidacy. The primary outcome was to assess safety and monitor for adverse events. Secondary outcomes included efficacy in reducing AHI (% reduction in AHI), adherence to therapy, and change in a validated quality-of-life instrument, the OSA-18 survey. RESULTS: All 20 children (median age = 16.0 years [interquartile range = 13-17 years], 13 male) were implanted with no long-term complications. We report two interval adverse events, both of which were corrected with revision surgery. Twenty participants completed the 2-month polysomnogram, with median percent reduction in titration AHI of 85% (interquartile range = 75%-92%). The median nightly usage for these children was 9.21 hours/night. There was a median change in the OSA-18 score of 1.15, indicating a moderate, yet significant, clinical change. CONCLUSIONS: HGN stimulation was safe and effective in the study population. Two minor surgical complications were corrected surgically. Overall, these data suggest that pediatric HGN stimulation appears to be a safe and effective therapy for children with DS and refractory severe OSA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 130:E263-E267, 2020.

Lessons learned to aid the successful outcome of pediatric recurrent laryngeal nerve reinnervation.

While Ansa to recurrent laryngeal nerve reinnervation is gaining popularity in the treatment of unilateral vocal fold immobility, little has been reported on commonly encountered surgical challenges with this procedure. Here, we present a cohort of 21 pediatric patients who underwent this procedure with a full description of techniques used to overcome common challenges with this procedure. We report vocal and swallowing outcomes for these patients, with an overall success rate of 19/21 (90.5%) patients, with success defined as improvement of a half-consistency or resolution of vocal issues.