ABSTRACT
Background: The prominent ear is a type of congenital ear deformity that can be corrected by a variety of nonsurgical treatments, such as splinting and the taping method. However, there is no objective evaluation method that is universally accepted. The aim of this review is to evaluate objective measurement methods that are used in the available literature to analyze nonsurgical treatment of prominent ears. Methods: A systematic review was performed in the MEDLINE and Embase databases in December 2022 and updated on April 2023 according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematics and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. Any study using objective measurements (continuous variables such as distance and angle) to evaluate the effect of nonsurgical treatment of prominent ears was included. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal for case series was used for quality assessment. Results: A total of 286 studies were screened for eligibility, of which five articles were eligible for inclusion. All of the included studies were case series. The helix mastoid distance (HMD) is the most commonly used parameter to measure treatment outcome. Pinna and cartilage stiffness, length, and width were also used, but without clear statistical relevance. HMD was classified into grading groups (i.e. good, moderate, and poor) to evaluate the treatment's effect. Conclusion: Based on the included studies, objective measurements are rarely used, and when used, they are largely heterogeneous. Although HMD was the most frequent measurement used, all studies used different definitions for the measurement and grouped subsequent outcomes differently. Automated algorithms, based on three-dimensional imaging, could be used for object measurements in the nonsurgical treatment of prominent ears.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Viscoelastic tests such as rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) provide a quick and holistic assessment of coagulation status to guide transfusion during liver transplant (LT). Conventional coagulation tests (CCTs) measure single parameters in isolation, and also the results are delayed hampering management of patients during surgery. We evaluated the correlation of early ROTEM-derived parameters with CCTs and also assessed the ability of ROTEM-derived parameters to predict thrombocytopaenia and hypofibrinogenaemia during LT in patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD). METHODS: This retrospective study was carried out in 100 patients with decompensated ESLD undergoing LT. Correlation between CCTs and ROTEM parameters was analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curves with area under the curve were used to determine the cut-off values of A5 andA10 on EXTEM and FIBTEM. RESULTS: The values of A5EXTEM and A10EXTEM highly correlated with fibrinogen levels and platelet count, whereas A5FIBTEM and A10FIBTEM correlated well with fibrinogen levels. A5EXTEM<21 mm and A10EXTEM<28 mm correlated with a platelet count <75,000 mm-3, whereas A5EXTEM<18 mm and A10EXTEM<25 mm correlated with a platelet count <50,000 mm-3. Fibrinogen levels <100 mg/dL better correlated with A5FIBTEM<5 mm, A10FIBTEM<6 mm, A5EXTEM<21 mm and A10EXTEM<30 mm. CONCLUSION: Early ROTEM parameters A5 and A10 of both EXTEM and FIBTEM had an excellent correlation with thrombocytopaenia and hypofibrinogenaemia and may potentially guide early transfusion of relevant blood products during LT.
