Effect of long-term betahistine treatment on the clinical outcomes of patients with cochlear Meniere's disease.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have discussed the betahistine treatment for Meniere's disease (MD). However, regarding cochlear MD, there is no consensus on the long-term betahistine treatment. AIMS/OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the relationship between the betahistine treatment duration in patients with cochlear MD and their clinical outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We enrolled 78 patients with 96 ears who were diagnosed with cochlear MD and received the treatment for more than 6 months. Outcomes included the hearing status, frequency of acute hearing loss attack, and whether the disease progressed to MD. Clinical characteristics including age, sex, side of affected ear, treatment duration of betahistine and trichlormethiazide, and pre-treatment hearing level was recorded from medical charts. RESULTS: Comparing the clinical characteristics by outcomes, the average betahistine treatment duration was the independent factor for hearing status of four-tone average (p = 0.01) and low-tone average (p = 0.03). Patients with average betahistine treatment duration of at least 277 days per year had higher odds ratio for improvement of the hearing status of four-tone and low-tone average. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with cochlear MD, regular and long-term betahistine treatment can benefit their hearing outcome in the low- and medium-frequency.

The Interleukin-15 and Interleukin-8 Axis as a Novel Mechanism for Recurrent Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps.

The prevention of postoperative recurrence after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) relies on targeting specific pathological mechanisms according to individuals' immunological profiles. However, essential biomarkers and biological characteristics of difficult-to-treat chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients are not well-defined. The aim of this study was to explore the immunologic profiles of subgroups of CRS patients and determine the specific cytokines responsible for recalcitrant or recurrent CRS with nasal polyposis (rCRSwNP). We used 30 cytokine antibody arrays to determine the key cytokines related to recurrent polypogenesis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) experiments were conducted to assess the levels of these key cytokines in 78 patients. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) isolated from nasal polyps were challenged with specific cytokines to examine the levels of enhanced interleukin (IL)-8 production. Finally, we used immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining to check for the presence and distribution of the biomarkers within nasal polyps. A cytokine antibody array revealed that IL-8, IL-13, IL-15, and IL-20 were significantly higher in the recalcitrant CRSwNP group. Subsequent ELISA screening showed a stepwise increase in tissue IL-8 levels in the CHR, CRSsNP, and CRSwNP groups. PMNs isolated from nine CRSwNP cases all demonstrated enhanced IL-8 production after IL-15 treatment. IHC staining was labeled concurrent IL-8 and IL-15 expression in areas of prominent neutrophil infiltration. Our results suggest that IL-15 within the sinonasal mucosa plays a crucial role in promoting IL-8 secretion by infiltrating PMNs in recalcitrant nasal polyps. In addition, we propose a novel therapeutic strategy targeting the anti-IL-15/IL-8 axis to treat CRS with nasal polyposis.

A predictive survival model for patients with stage IV oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated with chemoradiation.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the pre-treatment and post-treatment clinical factors associated with rate of survival at 1, 3, and 5 years in stage IV oropharyngeal cancer patients treated with concurrent chemoradiation with/without neoadjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study involved 128 Stage IV oropharyngeal cancer patients that were treated at our tertiary referral center between 2008 and 2020. The pre-treatment and post-treatment clinical parameters including nutritional status and inflammatory markers were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The 5-year overall survival rate for all patients was 36.72%. The disease-specific survival (DSS) at 1-year and 3-year were 80% and 63%, whereas the disease-free survival (DFS) at 1-year and 3-year were 49% and 40%, respectively. In multivariate analyses, pretreatment hemoglobin (Hb) < 12 g/dL (hazard ratio [HR] 2.551, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.366-4.762, p = 0.003), pretreatment systemic immune inflammation (SII) ≥ 1751 (HR 2.173, 95% CI 1.015-4.652, p = 0.046), and posttreatment systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) ≥ 261 (HR 2.074, 95% CI 1.045-4.115, p = 0.037) were independent indicators for worsened DSS. Pretreatment Hb < 12 g/dl (HR 1.692, 95% CI 1.019-2.809, p = 0.032), pretreatment SII ≥ 1751 (HR 1.968, 95% CI 1.061-3.650, p = 0.032), and posttreatment SII ≥ 1690 (HR 1.922, 95% CI 1.105-3.345, p = 0.021) were independent indicators for worsened DFS. A nomogram was developed using pretreatment Hb, pretreatment SII, and posttreatment SIRI to forecast DSS. CONCLUSIONS: The pretreatment Hb, pretreatment SII, posttreatment SII, and posttreatment SIRI are associated with survival in patients with stage IV oropharyngeal cancers. The developed nomogram aids in survival prediction and treatment adjustment.

Chronic subdural haematoma mimicking extrapyramidal symptoms.

A male patient in his 70s with chronic schizophrenia, who could previously walk independently, developed a gait disturbance without any significant neurological deficit. Initially, his short step length and unstable gait were thought to be related to extrapyramidal symptoms caused by medication side effects. We tapered his antipsychotic medication, but the unstable gait persisted. After 2 weeks of observation, we noted general weakness with left-side dominance, leading us to consider a focal brain lesion despite there being no recent history of falling or trauma. A CT scan of the brain showed chronic subdural haematoma and the patient underwent emergency surgery. After 14 days of treatment, he was discharged back to the chronic ward.

A Novel Prediction Model Based on Quantitative Texture Analysis of Sonographic Images for Malignant Major Salivary Glandular Tumors.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare multiple objective ultrasound (US) texture features and develop an objective predictive model for predicting malignant major salivary glandular tumors. Methods: From August 2007 to May 2018, 144 adult patients who had major salivary gland tumors and subsequently underwent surgery were recruited for this study. Representative brightness mode US pictures were selected for texture analysis and used to develop a prediction model. Results: We found that the grayscale intensity and standard deviation of the intensity were significantly different between malignant and pleomorphic adenomas. The contrast, inverse difference (INV) movement, entropy, dissimilarity, and INV also differed significantly between benign and malignant tumors. We used stepwise selection of predictors to develop an objective predictive model, as follows: Score = 1.138 × Age - 1.814 × Intensity + 1.416 × Entropy + 1.714 × Contrast. With an optimal cutoff of 0.58, the diagnostic performance of this model had a sensitivity, specificity, overall accuracy, and area under the curve of 83% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 74%-92%), 74% (65%-84%), 78% (72%-85%), and 0.86 (0.80-0.92), respectively. Conclusion: We have developed a novel computerized diagnostic model based on objective US features to predict malignant major salivary gland tumor. Further improving the computer-aided diagnosis model might change the US examination for major salivary gland tumors in the future.

Ultrasound Is Beneficial to Determine Lymphadenopathy in Oral Cancer Patients after Radiotherapy.

The present study aimed to investigate whether the addition of ultrasound (US) +/- fine needle aspiration (FNA) to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) improves the diagnostic accuracy in assessing neck lymphadenopathy in oral cancer patients after neck irradiation. We retrospectively reviewed oral cancer patients who had neck lymphadenopathy after radiotherapy (RT) or chemoradiation therapy (CRT) from February 2008 to November 2019. The following diagnostic modalities were assessed: (1) MRI/CT, (2) MRI/CT with a post-RT US predictive model, and (3) MRI/CT with US + FNA. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the diagnostic performance. A total of 104 irradiation-treated oral cancer patients who subsequently had neck lymphadenopathy were recruited and analyzed. Finally, there were 68 (65%) malignant and 36 (35%) benign lymphadenopathies. In terms of the diagnostic performance, the area under the ROC curves (C-statistics) was 0.983, 0.920, and 0.828 for MRI/CT with US + FNA, MRI/CT with a post-RT US predictive model, and MRI/CT, respectively. The addition of US to MRI/CT to evaluate cervical lymphadenopathy could achieve a better diagnostic accuracy than MRI/CT alone in oral cancer patients after neck irradiation.

Bruns Nystagmus in Cerebellopontine Angle Hemangioblastoma.

Bruns nystagmus is a form of jerk nystagmus that has a localizing value in cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumors. Hemangioblastomas involving the CPA is rare. A case of a 57-year-old male presented with Bruns nystagmus which led to the discovery of a large CPA hemangioblastoma is described. The nystagmus was compatible with the laterality of the tumor. High quality video of Bruns nystagmus was recorded.

Ultrasound examination supporting CT or MRI in the evaluation of cervical lymphadenopathy in patients with irradiation-treated head and neck cancer.

In this study, we determined the diagnostic performance of adding ultrasound (US) with/without fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) to computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in evaluating neck lymphadenopathy (LAP) in patients with head and neck cancer treated with irradiation. We included 269 patients who had neck LAP after radiotherapy (RT) or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) resulting from cancers of the head and neck region between October 2008 and September 2018. The diagnostic methods consisted of the following: 1) CT/MRI alone, 2) CT/MRI combined with a post-RT US predictive model, and 3) CT/MRI combined with US + FNAC. We compared their diagnostic performance using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. In total, 141 (52%) malignant and 128 (48%) benign LAPs were observed. Regarding the diagnostic accuracy, the area under the ROC curves was highest for the combined CT/MRI and US + FNAC (0.965), followed by the combined CT/MRI and post-RT US predictive model (0.906) and CT/MRI alone (0.836). Our data suggest that the addition of a US examination to CT/MRI resulted in higher diagnostic performance than CT/MRI alone in terms of diagnosing recurrent or persistent nodal disease during the evaluation of LAP in patients with irradiation-treated head and neck cancer.

Speech and Swallowing Rehabilitation Potentially Decreases Body Weight Loss and Improves Survival in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors.

This retrospective observational cohort study aims to assess the outcomes and associated factors in head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors with dysphagia, and to investigate the relationship between outcomes and speech and swallowing rehabilitation (SSR). We enrolled patients who were diagnosed with HNC between October 2016 and July 2018; we included 393 patients who developed dysphagia after definite treatment and were referred to speech-language pathologists (SLPs). We then classified patients into groups according to whether they received SSR. We used the clinical variables-including age, sex, site of malignancy, cancer stage, treatment modality, SSR, initial ECOG score, initial KPS, initial body weight (BW), and initial BMI-to evaluate the association between the percentage of BW change and overall survival (OS). There were 152 (39%) and 241 (61%) patients who received and did not receive SSR, respectively. In multivariate linear regression, SSR was significantly associated with percentage change in BW at 3 months post-treatment. Having SSR was positively associated with the percentage change in BW and decreased the BW loss [ß coefficient (95% CIs) = 2.53 (0.92 to 4.14)] compared to having no SSR. In the multivariate Cox regression, SSR was an independent factor for OS. Compared to no SSR, the hazard ratio (95% CIs) for patients who received SSR was 0.48 (0.31 to 0.74). SSR helps to avoid BW loss and increases overall survival. HNC patients who develop dysphagia after treatment should be encouraged to participate in SSR.

Narrow-band imaging for detecting nasal lymphoma.

INTRODUCTION: Narrow-band imaging (NBI) is an advanced endoscopic technique that enhances the mucosal neovascularization. The utilization of narrow-band imaging on the detection of nasal lymphomas is not well-established. AIM: To present a clinical case whose nasal lymphoma was detected with the aid of NBI. CASE REPORT: A 91-year-old male presented to the ear, nose, and throat clinic with right persisting nasal obstruction for 4 months. NBI revealed a well demarcated lesion with an elongated vessel on the surface of the right inferior nasal turbinate. Histopathologic analysis of tissue specimen proved to be extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type. CONCLUSIONS: NBI is useful for the detection of nasal lymphomas. NBI may be a valuable screening tool for nasal lymphomas as it is non-invasive and affordable.

The Applications and Potential Developments of Ultrasound in Oral Cancer Management.

Oral cancer is endemic and causes a great burden in Southern Asia. It is preferably treated by surgery with/without adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) or chemoradiation therapy, depending on the stage of the disease. Close or positive resection margin and cervical lymph node (LN) metastasis are important prognostic factors that have been presented to be related to undesirable locoregional recurrence and poor survival. Ultrasound (US) is a simple, noninvasive, time-saving, and inexpensive diagnostic modality. It can depict soft tissues very clearly without the risk of radiation exposure. Additionally, it is real-time and continuous image is demonstrated during the exam. Furthermore, the clinician can perform US-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) or core needle biopsy (CNB) at the same time. US with/without US-guided FNA/CNB is reported to be of value in determining tumor thickness (TT), depth of invasion (DOI), and cervical LN metastasis, and in aiding the staging of oral cancer. DOI has a relevant prognostic value as reported in the eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging of oral cancer. In the present review, we describe the clinical applications of US in oral cancer management in different phases and potential applications in the future. In the pretreatment and surgical phase, US can be used to evaluate TT/DOI and surgical margins of oral cancer in vivo and ex vivo. The prediction of a malignant cervical LN (nodal metastasis) by the US-based prediction model can guide the necessity of FNA/CNB and elective neck dissection in clinical early-stage oral cancer. In the posttreatment surveillance phase, US with/without US-guided FNA or CNB is helpful in the detection of nodal persistence or LN recurrence, and can assess the possibility and extent of carotid artery stenosis after irradiation therapy. Both US elastography and US swallowing assessment are potentially helpful to the management of oral cancer.

Comparisons among the Ultrasonography Prediction Model, Real-Time and Shear Wave Elastography in the Evaluation of Major Salivary Gland Tumors.

We aimed to validate the diagnostic accuracy of a novel sonographic scoring model and compare it with other methods in the evaluation of malignant major salivary gland tumors. We enrolled 138 patients who received neck ultrasound (US) with fine needle aspiration (FNA) and further operations or core needle biopsies for major salivary gland tumors from June 2015 to October 2021. The sonographic scoring model was presented as 2.08 × (vague boundary) + 1.75 × (regional lymphadenopathy) + 1.18 × (irregular or speculated shape) + 1.45 × (absence of posterior acoustic enhancement) + 2.4 × (calcification). We compared the diagnostic accuracy of the sonographic scoring model with shear wave elastography (SWE), real-time elastography (RTE), and US-FNA cytology for differentiating between benign and malignant lesions. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 58%, 89%, and 85% for the sonographic scoring model, 74%, 62%, and 64% for the SD of SWE with optimal cutoff value of 31.5 kPa, 69%, 70%, and 70% for the 4-point scoring system of RTE, and 74%, 93%, and 91% for US-FNA cytology, respectively. The sonographic scoring model is feasible as assistance in the evaluation of major salivary gland tumors. US-FNA cytology remains the tool of choice in diagnosing malignant salivary gland tumors.

A predictive model for advanced oropharyngeal cancer patients treated with chemoradiation.

BACKGROUND: To analyze clinical characteristics in the prediction of death within 1 year in advanced oropharyngeal cancer patients treated with chemoradiation. METHODS: One hundred forty-seven advanced oropharyngeal cancer patients who underwent curative-intent chemoradiation treatment were retrospectively enrolled. The pre-treatment clinical parameters including inflammatory markers were reviewed. RESULTS: The 1-year death rate for all patients was 29% [95% confidence interval (CI): 23-37%]. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, hemoglobulin (Hb) < 13.5 g/dl was an independent indicator of death within 1-year [Odds ratio (OR) 5.85, 95% CI 2.17-15.75, p < 0.001]. Systemic immune inflammation (SII) ≥ 1820 was also a significant factor for prediction of death within 1 year (OR 4.78, 95% CI 1.44-15.85, p = 0.011). We further used gander, age, Hb and SII to develop a nomogram to predict death within 1 year. The c-index of the model was 0.75 (95%CI 0.66-0.83). For patients with low nomogram score (< 14) versus high nomogram score (≥ 14), the 1-year and 2-year OS rates were 91 and 71% versus 53 and 29%, respectively. (p < 0.001). A difference in the disease persistence or recurrence rate between patients with high and low nomogram score was significant (73 and 28%, respectively; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The pre-treatment Hb < 13.5 g/dl and SII ≥ 1820 are associated with higher risks of death within 1-year in patients with advanced oropharyngeal cancers. Nomogram can aid in patient counseling and treatment modality adjustment. The development of a more effective treatment protocol for patients with high nomogram score will be essential.

Transoral Endoscopic-Assisted Retrieval of Extraluminal Parapharyngeal Foreign Body.

The ingested fish bone (FB) is a common presentation for otolaryngologists in Asia. For FBs which could be identified by examinations with or without nasopharyngoscopy, direct removal would be an appropriate management. However, an ingested FB could occasionally perforate pharyngeal mucosa and migrate extraluminally. Otolaryngologists should be extremely careful while evaluation and management of extraluminal FBs to prevent life-threatening condition. In this case report, we present a patient with a parapharyngeal extraluminal FB for 2 days which was detected by computed tomography scan of the neck. A transoral endoscopic-assisted retrieval of fish bone was performed after right tonsillectomy.

Galvanic vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials in evaluating damaged sites of vestibular neuritis.

Objectives: To test the possibility of pure otolithic organ deficits and validate the histopathological evidence of retrovestibular neural impairment in vestibular neuritis (VN), the authors adopted a topographic survey combining cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) and ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP) using various stimulation modes and caloric tests. Methods: Forty patients with VN were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent pure tone audiometry, acoustic cVEMP, galvanic cVEMP, vibratory oVEMP, galvanic oVEMP, and caloric tests. Different combinations of vestibular tests were further compared and analyzed. Results: According to vestibular test results in affected VN ears, the proportion (10%) of pure saccular dysfunction was significantly less than that (52.5%) of saccular nerve deficit. The proportion (2.5%) of pure utricular dysfunction was significantly less than that (37.5%) of utricular nerve deficit. The percentage (82.5%) of VN involving the ampullar vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) pathway was significantly higher than that (40%) involving the utriculo-ocular reflex (UOR) pathway. The superior, inferior, and total VN percentages were 37.5%, 17.5%, and 45%, respectively. The proportion of inferior VN was significantly less than that of VN involving the superior vestibular nerve. Conclusion: There were significantly fewer cases of pure otolithic organ dysfunction than vestibular nerve involvement in VN patients. The damage to the ampullar VOR pathway was more significant than that to the UOR pathway, and both pathways might be independent of each other. In addition, the incidence of isolated inferior VN was significantly less than that of VN involving the superior vestibular nerve. Level of Evidence: Level 3.

Iatrogenic facial artery pseudoaneurysm.

Tonsillectomy is one of the most common procedures performed by Otolaryngologists. Hemorrhage is the most common complication. Iatrogenic hemorrhage resulting from pseudoaneurysm of the facial artery is rare. In this video, a case of a 30-year-old male who presented with recurrent hemorrhage from an iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm arising from the left facial artery 22 days after undergoing tonsillectomy is described. Treatment options and warning sign of iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms are discussed.

Evaluation of retrootolithic function using galvanic vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

PURPOSE: The purpose is to investigate possible vestibulopathy in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), inner ear tests, including cervical and ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPs and oVEMPs) via various stimulation modes, were adopted. METHODS: Fifty BPPV patients were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent pure tone audiometry, cVEMPs, oVEMPs, and caloric tests. The recurrence status, abnormal rates of inner ear tests, and the characteristic parameters of VEMPs, such as wave latencies and amplitudes, were analyzed. RESULTS: In affected ears, the abnormal rates of acoustic cVEMPs, vibratory oVEMPs, galvanic cVEMPs, and galvanic oVEMPs were 62%, 28%, 36%, and 14%, respectively. The abnormalities of acoustic cVEMPs were significantly larger than those of vibratory oVEMPs, and acoustic/vibratory VEMPs had significantly higher abnormal rates than the corresponding galvanic VEMPs. CONCLUSION: BPPV patients may have both otolithic and neural dysfunctions. Otolithic organ damage occurs more frequently than retrootolithic neural degeneration, and the saccular macula might have a greater extent of damage than the utricular macula.

Efficacy of Povidone-Iodine Nasal Irrigation Solution After Sinonasal Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Study.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To evaluate the efficacy of postoperative nasal irrigation with povidone-iodine (PVP-I) solution in patients undergoing sinonasal surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Single-blind, randomized controlled study. METHODS: This is a prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled study. Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and hypertrophic inferior turbinates who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) and inferior turbinate reduction were enrolled in the study. Patients were evaluated using the Taiwanese version of the 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (TWSNOT-22), rhinomanometry, endoscopic examination, and bacterial cultures. One week after the operation, patients were randomly assigned to either a 0.1% PVP-I nasal irrigation group or a control (normal saline) irrigation group. We then compared the two groups' results to illustrate the effects of nasal irrigation with PVP-I solution following sinonasal surgery. RESULTS: Of the 55 patients that completed the study, 27 patients were in the PVP-I group and 28 were in the control group. In both groups, the TWSNOT-22 scores, Lund-Kennedy endoscopic scores, and total nasal resistance (TNR) all revealed significant improvements at 3 months postoperatively compared with preoperative measurements (all, P < .05). However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in TWSNOT-22, endoscopic, or TNR scores 3 months after the operation (all, P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: A dilute 0.1% PVP-I nasal irrigation as a postoperative care modality after sinonasal surgery did not provide additional benefit compared with normal saline irrigation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 Laryngoscope, 132:1148-1152, 2022.