Transoral laser microsurgery for Tis, T1, and T2 glottic carcinoma: 5-year follow-up.

The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the results obtained with CO2 TOLMS in patients with Tis, T1, and T2 glottic tumors at our Department from 2004 to 2016 treated with CO2 TOLMS. One hundred eighty-five patients having a median age of 67 years (range 42-88) were included in the present analysis. The tumor stages of the patients included 134 pTis-T1a, 12 pT1b, and 39 pT2 cases. Median duration of follow-up for the whole study cohort was 55 months (range 24-108 months). At 5-year follow-up, local control was 91%, 83%, and 79.4% for T1a, T1b, and T2 respectively. Disease-specific survival was 95.5%, 91.6%, and 92.3%. Overall survival was 73.8%, 91.6%, and 82%, and larynx preservation was 96.2%, 83%, and 84.6%. This study confirms that CO2 TOLMS is a safe and standard therapy for selected T1 and T2 glottic carcinoma, and our review on T2 glottic cancer suggests that CO2 TOLMS represents a reliable option in terms of overall survival, disease-specific survival, and laryngeal preservation. However, patients with anterior commissure involvement and T2 cancer should be evaluated with a preoperative MRI in order to exclude the infiltration of the laryngeal framework and to quantify the neoplastic involvement of para-glottic space.

Correlation between otitis media with effusion and cranial deformation in children.

OBJECTIVE: Otitis media with effusion (OME), defined as the presence of fluid in the ear without signs of an acute infection, usually occurs after acute otitis media and could result in reduced sound transmission with hearing loss. Several risk factors have been suggested to be associated with OME, as well as the relationships between morphology anomalies of cranial bones and ear infections. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between OME and cranial deformation in a pediatric population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighteen children (13 males and 5 females) with a diagnosis of unilateral OME based on otolaryngologic examination, conductive hearing loss and an asymmetric tympanogram type were enrolled in the study. Patients underwent osteopathic and physical examinations to evaluate the presence of cranial deformations. RESULTS: Our study showed a high percentage of skull asymmetry (94%) in the study sample; children were mainly dolichocephalic and with atypical swallowing (72%). Particularly, we observed an occipital flattening, mainly ipsilateral to the ear affected by OME. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study indicated that a high percentage of children with OME present a skull asymmetry with concomitant dolichocephaly, known to be associated with high arched palate which is also related to a higher incidence of OME.

Prediction of hearing recovery in sudden deafness treated with intratympanic steroids.

The present study aims to obtain a probability model allowing prediction of auditory recovery in patients affected by sudden sensorineural hearing loss treated exclusively with intratympanic steroids. A monocentric retrospective chart review of 381 patients has been performed. A Probit model was used to investigate the correlation between the success of treatment (marked or total recovery according to Furuashi's criteria) and the delay between onset of disease and beginning of therapy. The age of patients and audiometric curve shapes were included in the analysis. The results show that delay is negatively correlated with variable success. Considering the entire sample, each day of delay decreases the probability of success by 3%. The prediction model shows that for each day that passes from the onset of the disease the probability of success declines in absence of the medical treatment, hence we conclude that early treatment is strongly recommended.

Anatomical and functional results of ossiculoplasty using titanium prosthesis.

Titanium ossicular chain replacement prosthesis is often used for rehabilitation of the columellar effect in otologic surgeries. This retrospective study aims to analyse the anatomical and functional results of surgeries in which a titanium prosthesis was used. Two hundred and eighty procedures in 256 patients operated on in a tertiary referral center were analysed. Aetiologies, preoperative audiograms, peroperative data and postoperative outcomes at 2 and 12 months postoperatively were reviewed. Chronic suppurative otitis media with or without cholesteatoma was the main aetiology (89%). There was no difference in anatomical results between partial and total ossicular replacement prosthesis, with an overall dislocation rate of 6%, and an overall extrusion rate of 3%. Regarding functional results, a postoperative air-bone gap ≤ 20 dB was achieved in 65% of cases, with a better result for partial compared to total ossiculoplasty (p = 0.02). A significant difference in air bone gap closure was found when comparing aetiologies, with a higher air-bone gap closure in malformation cases compared to chronic suppurative otitis media with cholesteatoma or retraction cases (p = 0.03). Ossiculoplasty using titanium prosthesis is a safe and effective procedure for rehabilitation of hearing loss, which allows reaching an air-bone gap ≤ 20 dB in the majority of patients.

Anatomical, functional and quality-of-life results for mastoid and epitympanic obliteration with bioactive glass s53p4: a prospective clinical study.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the anatomical, functional and quality-of-life results when using bioactive glass in mastoid and epitympanic obliteration. DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. SETTING: Tertiary referral centre. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-one cases (39 patients) operated between May 2013 and January 2015. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Anatomical results were evaluated by otomicroscopy 1 year after surgery and using imaging to detect residual disease. Functional results were studied by postoperative hearing gain. Quality of life was assessed with the Glasgow Benefit Inventory questionnaire and the success of surgery by a surgery-specific questionnaire. RESULTS: At 1 year, all patients presented a well-healed external auditory canal, with an intact tympanic membrane. In cases with cholesteatoma (n = 23), no recurrent retraction pockets or residual disease were observed on imaging studies. The overall air-bone gap closure was 7.7 ± 1.84 dB (mean ± se of the mean, P < 0.001, paired t-test). No significant differences were found on hearing results when comparing primary versus revision surgery, canal-wall-up versus canal-wall-down obliterations, type of tympanoplasty and presence of cholesteatoma (multifactor anova). The Glasgow Benefit Inventory improved with an average score of 28 and the success of surgery questionnaire showed a significant improvement in ear discharge and a moderate improvement in hearing and equilibrium. CONCLUSIONS: The use of bioactive glass for mastoid and epitympanic obliteration in canal-wall-down or canal-wall-up tympanoplasties is an effective procedure in both primary and revision surgery. The anatomical and functional results appear to be well correlated with patient experience and to the improvement in quality of life.

3D curved multiplanar cone beam CT reconstruction for intracochlear position assessment of straight electrodes array. A temporal bone and clinical study.

A retrospective review of post-op cone beam CT (CBCT) of 8 adult patients and 14 fresh temporal bones that underwent cochlear implantation with straight flexible electrodes array was performed to determine if the position of a long and flexible electrodes array within the cochlear scalae could be reliably assessed with CBCT. An oto-radiologist and two otologists examined the images and assessed the electrodes position. The temporal bone specimens underwent histological analysis for confirm the exact position. The position of the electrodes was rated as scala tympani, scala vestibule, or intermediate position for the electrodes at 180°, 360° and for the apical electrode. In the patient group, for the electrodes at 180° all observers agreed for scala tympani position except for 1 evaluation, while a discrepancy in 3 patients both for the 360° and for the apical electrode assessment were found. In five temporal bones the evaluations were in discrepancy for the 180° electrode, while at 360° a disagreement between raters on the scalar positioning was seen in six temporal bones. A higher discrepancy between was found in assessment of the scalar position of the apical electrode (average pairwise agreement 45.4%, Fleiss k = 0.13). A good concordance was found between the histological results and the consensus between raters for the electrodes in the basal turn, while low agreement (Cohen's k 0.31, pairwise agreement 50%) was found in the identification of the apical electrode position confirming the difficulty to correct identify the electrode position in the second cochlear turn in temporal bones. In conclusion, CBCT is a reliable radiologic exam to correctly evaluate the position of a lateral wall flexible array in implanted patients using the proposed imaging reconstruction method, while some artefacts impede exact evaluation of the position of the apical electrode in temporal bone and other radiological techniques should be preferred in ex vivo studies.

Surgical treatment of sporadic vestibular schwannoma in a series of 1006 patients.

The management of sporadic vestibular schwannoma (VS) has evolved in the last decades. The aim of this study was to analyse the evolution in surgical outcomes of VSs operated by a neurotological team between 1990 and 2006 by different approaches. A monocentric retrospective review of medical charts of 1006 patients was performed. In order to assess eventual changes and progress, the 17-years period was divided in three periods, each one comprehending 268 VS (1990-1996), 299 VS (1997-2001), and 439 VS (2002-2006). Mean follow-up was 5.9 ± 2.4 years. Overall, complete VS removal was achieved in 99.4% of cases. Mortality rate was 0.3%, meningitis and CSF leaks were observed in 1.2 % and 9 % of the cases, respectively. CSF leakage decreased from 11.6% to 7.1% between the first and last period (p < 0.01) as well as revision surgery from 3.4 % to 0.9 % (p < 0.05). Facial nerve was anatomically preserved in 97.7% of cases. At one year, a good facial nerve function was observed in 85.1% of patients (grade I and II of House-Brackmann grading scale), which ranged between the first and last period from 78.4% to 87.6% (p <0.05). At one year, hearing preservation was obtained in 61.6% of patients, which increased from the first period to the last one from 50.9% to 69.0% (p < 0.05) (class A+B+C from the AAO-HNS classification). Useful hearing (class A+B) was observed in 33.5% of cases overall, with 21.8% and 42% in the first and last period, respectively (p < 0.01). Surgical outcomes of sporadic vestibular schwannoma have improved concerning facial nerve function outcomes, hearing preservation and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks, mainly due to the neuro-otological team's experience. Functional results after complete microsurgical removal of large VS depend on experience gained on small VS removal.