Validation and reliability of the Italian version of the Self-reported Mini Olfactory Questionnaire (Self-MOQ).

Objective: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) represents a frequent complaint in general population and especially in patients with chronic sinonasal diseases. The aim of this study was the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Self-reported Mini Olfactory Questionnaire (Self-MOQ) into Italian. Methods: One hundred fifty patients affected by chronic sinonasal diseases and reporting hyposmia were enrolled. Other 150 normosmic subjects without inflammatory or neoplastic sinonasal disorders were used as a control group. The Short-form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire was used for clinical validity. Results: Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.825. The test-retest reliability was excellent. The good correlation between the Self-MOQ and the Visual Analogue Scale scores (p < 0.05) demonstrated the construct validity of the questionnaire. The Self-MOQ was able to distinguish between subjects with or without OD (p < 0.05). Higher Self-MOQ score was found in case of nasal obstruction and posterior rhinorrhoea (p < 0.05). Self-MOQ showed significant correlation with SF-36 general health, SF-36 role functioning/physical, and SF-36 pain (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The Italian version of the Self-MOQ showed good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct, and clinical validity.

Real-Life Prognosis of Sinonasal Tumors.

BACKGROUND: Sinonasal cancer represents a challenging disease because of its difficult diagnosis and different histology. Despite a multidisciplinary evaluation and treatments, a poor prognosis is still present. We retrospectively analyzed patients with sinonasal cancer treated in our institution, paying attention to histology and real-life prognosis. METHODS: A total of 51 consecutive patients were included in the study. Clinical features were described. Overall, disease-free, and disease-specific survival (OS, DFS, DSS) according to histology were calculated. Kaplan-Meyer estimator curves were reported. RESULTS: The most prevalent primary tumor was squamous cell carcinoma, followed by adenocarcinoma. Global 2- and 5-year OS was 68.80% and 54.58%, respectively. Global 2- and 5-year DFS was 48.53% and 29.56%, while global 2- and 5-year DSS was 82.86% and 74.57%, respectively. The median OS was 74 and 43 months for early- and late-stage cancer, respectively. The Cox multivariate regression analysis did not reveal any statistically significant effects of age, stage, or histology on survival outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis is often late and the prognosis poor. An appropriate treatment, which is always quite multimodal, allows us to achieve a global 5-year OS slightly higher than 50%. An adequate diagnosis to increase the percentage of early-stage tumors is mandatory to improve prognosis.

Italian version of the Brief Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders (Brief-IT-QOD).

Objective: To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the Brief Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders (Brief-IT-QOD). Methods: The study consisted of six phases: item generation, reliability analysis (112 dysosmic patients for internal consistency analysis and 61 for test-retest reliability analysis), normative data generation (303 normosmic subjects), validity analysis (comparison of Brief-IT-QOD scores of healthy and dysosmic subjects and scores correlation with psychophysical olfactory testing TDI and SNOT-22 scores), responsiveness analysis (10 dysosmic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps patients before and after biologic therapy), and cut-off value determination (ROC curve analysis of Brief-IT-QOD sensitivity and specificity). Results: All subjects completed the Brief-IT-QOD. Internal consistency (α > 0.70) and test-retest reliability (ICC > 0.7) were acceptable and satisfactory for both questionnaire subscales. A significant difference between dysosmic and control subjects was found in both subscales (p < 0.05). Significant correlations between subscales scores and TDI and SNOT-22 scores were observed. Brief-IT-QOD scores before treatment were significantly higher than after biological therapy. Conclusions: Brief-IT-QOD is reliable, valid, responsive to changes in QoL, and recommended for clinical practice and outcome research.

Quality of Life After Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery: Validation and Reliability of the Italian Version of the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test for Neurosurgery (SNOT-NC).

OBJECTIVE: Expanded endonasal approaches (EEA) have become the main approach to the anterior skull base. A specific questionnaire, the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test for Neurosurgery (SNOT-NC), was developed in German to assess quality of life after EEA. The aim of this study was the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Italian version of SNOT-NC. METHODS: Three hundred patients who underwent EEA for anterior skull base diseases were included in the study. An Italian version of SNOT-NC was cross-culturally adapted. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct, and clinical and group validity were analyzed. The Short-Form 36 questionnaire was used for construct validity analysis. RESULTS: The Cronbach α coefficient was 0.862. Only 1 subscale (olfactory disturbance) showed an insufficient internal consistency. The test-retest reliability was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient between 0.934 and 0.997). The good correlation between SNOT-NC and Short-Form 36 scores (P < 0.05) showed the construct validity of the questionnaire. SNOT-NC was able to distinguish between patients with more or fewer nasal symptoms (P < 0.05). Patients who underwent a transtuberculum/transplanum approach had greater olfactory disturbances compared with other approaches (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The Italian version of SNOT-NC showed good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct, and clinical and group validity, as well as original version. It can be considered a good instrument to evaluate the impact of endoscopic EEA to the anterior skull base.

Arytenoid Fixation in Laryngeal Cancer: Radiological Pictures and Clinical Correlations with Respect to Conservative Treatments.

Background: The aim of this retrospective study was to identify different radiological features in intermediate⁻advanced laryngeal cancer (LC) associated with arytenoid fixation, in order to differentiate cases still safely amenable to conservative treatment by partial laryngectomy or chemoradiotherapy. Methods: 29 consecutive patients who underwent open partial horizontal laryngectomies (OPHLs), induction chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy in the case of >50% response (IC + RT) or total laryngectomy were classified as: pattern I (supraglottic LC fixing the arytenoid due to weight effect), pattern II (glottic LC involving the posterior paraglottic space and spreading toward the crico-arytenoid joint and infraglottic extension <10 mm), pattern III (glottic-infraglottic LC involving the crico-arytenoid joint and infraglottic extension >10 mm) and pattern IV (transglottic and infraglottic LC with massive crico-arytenoid unit involvement, reaching the hypopharyngeal submucosa). All glottic cancers treated with surgery were studied by a cross sectional approach. Results: A substantial agreement between the work-up and the pathology results has been obtained in each of the subcategories. Three-year disease-free survivals, local control and freedom from laryngectomy were significantly better in pattern II compared to pattern III⁻IV. Conclusions: LC showing fixed arytenoid due to weight effect or posterior paraglottic space involvement with infraglottic extension <10 mm assessed at the true vocal cord midline are still safely manageable by OPHL or IC + RT.