Efficacy of High-Dose Corticosteroid Therapy in Acute Stage Severe Facial Palsy in Children.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of high-dose corticosteroid for severe acute facial paralysis in children. METHODS: The present study enrolled 10 pediatric patients with House-Brackmann (H-B) Grade VI facial paralysis who received prednisolone (PSL) 3 to 4 mg/kg/d for 2 to 3 days followed by a 10-day taper (the child high-dose group). Eight pediatric patients who received PSL 0.5 to 1 mg/kg/d were enrolled in a child low-dose group, and nine adult patients (25-64 yr) who received a high-dose PSL 200 mg equivalent for 2 to 3 days followed by a 10-day taper were enrolled in an adult high-dose group. On the initial and follow-up visits, facial movements were evaluated using the H-B grading system. The degree of oral-ocular synkinesis was evaluated by the degree of asymmetry in eye-opening width during mouth movements. The synkinesis index was defined as a percentage of the interpalpebral space width ([normal side - affected side]/normal side). RESULTS: The child high-dose group achieved a significantly better H-B score than the child low-dose group ( p < 0.01). The synkinesis index was significantly lower in the child high-dose group than in the child low-dose group or the adult high-dose group ( p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Children receiving PSL 3 to 4 mg/kg/d achieved better recovery and less synkinesis than those treated with low-dose PSL (0.5-1 mg/kg/d).

Relationship between cleft palate width and otitis media.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between cleft width and otitis media (OM) and to determine whether a wide cleft palate (CP) is a risk factor of the incidence, type, amount of middle ear effusion, and prolonged morbidity in OM. Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Children with CP who underwent palatoplasty between 2014 and 2018 were analyzed. Cleft width was measured at palatoplasty. The incidence of otitis media with effusion (OME) and acute otitis media (AOM), the type and amount of middle ear effusion, and OME duration and age at resolution were assessed in relation to cleft width. Results: One hundred eighteen children were included. The CP types were Veau I in 16, II in 35, III in 48, and IV in 19 patients. The incidence of OME and AOM before palatoplasty was 83.1% and 49.2%, respectively. Cleft width did not differ significantly between patients with or without OME but was significantly greater in those with, than in those without, AOM (p < .001), in those with mucoid, than in those with serous, effusion (p = .012), and in those with complete, than in those with partial, effusion (p = .01). Regardless of cleft width or type, OME persisted for a median duration of 50 months. Conclusions: Cleft width was significantly associated with the incidence of AOM and the type and amount of middle ear effusion before palatoplasty. However, it was not significantly related to the incidence, age at resolution, or duration of OME. Regardless of cleft width or type, OM in children with CP requires long-term follow-up. Level of Evidence: 2b.

A prospective cohort study of sensorineural hearing loss associated with Kawasaki disease.

AIM: About 60 cases of sensorineural hearing loss (HL) have been reported in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD), but the current estimate of its prevalence is uncertain. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of sensorineural HL associated with KD. METHODS: The present, prospective cohort study, conducted from May 2019 to May 2020, evaluated patients with a diagnosis of KD who received the initial therapy and underwent two auditory brainstem response (ABR) tests. HL was defined as a threshold of 40 dB or more, and borderline hearing was defined as a threshold of 30 dB. RESULTS: In total, 107 patients were enrolled, and 75 underwent two ABR tests. Thirty-one patients (30.0%) received prednisolone with their initial intravenous immune globulin and acetylsalicylic acid therapy. HL was present in only one patient who had congenital conductive HL. Five patients had borderline hearing but had normal hearing behavior. There was no significant difference between the patients with normal hearing and those with borderline hearing in terms of the clinical variables. CONCLUSIONS: In Japan, the prevalence of sensorineural HL after KD is not high. It may therefore be unnecessary to perform routine hearing tests for all patients with KD. NAME OF TRIAL REGISTER: Association between Kawasaki Disease and Sensorineural Hearing Loss. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: UMIN000037019 (the date of registration: June 11, 2019).

Outcomes of adenoidectomy with and without tonsillectomy in patients younger than 2 years with moderate to severe upper airway obstruction.

OBJECTIVES: The effectiveness of adenotonsillectomy for obstructive sleep disorder breathing (OSDB) in children under age 2 years is unclear. The present study aimed to identify the perioperative symptoms and clinical outcomes of adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy in very young children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The present, single-center, retrospective cohort study, conducted from January 2010 to April 2020, enrolled patients under age 2 years with moderate to severe upper airway obstruction who underwent an adenoidectomy or tonsillectomy. The patients were divided according to The Brodsky grading scale into group 1 (Grade 0 to 1 tonsils) or group 2 (Grade 2 or higher tonsils), who received only an adenoidectomy. Group 3 comprised patients with a concomitant adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy. Perioperative symptoms among the groups and the cumulative revision-free status and recurrence-free status rates in groups 1 and 2 were analyzed. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients were enrolled. The median standard deviation score (SDS) for height and weight was -0.79 and -0.31, respectively. No postoperative complications, such as bleeding, were observed. However, two patients underwent intubation preoperatively due to severe obstruction. Seven patients underwent revision surgery. The cumulative revision-free and recurrence-free rates at week 60 were 81% and 100% for Group 1 and 42% and 48.5% for Group 2, respectively. The cumulative revision-free rate and cumulative recurrence-free rate were significantly higher in Group 1 (P < 0.0001; HR: 47.9; 95% CI: 1.12-2050 and P < 0.007; HR: 4.62; 95% CI: 1.37-15.6, respectively). None of the patients in Group 3 had revision surgery or symptom recurrence. CONCLUSION: Simple adenoidectomy in children with large tonsils carries a high risk of revision surgery. However, given the high risk of severe obstruction in very young children with OSDB, timely surgery is recommended. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

Efficacy of Mirror Biofeedback Rehabilitation on Synkinesis in Acute Stage Facial Palsy in Children.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of mirror biofeedback rehabilitation for synkinesis in severe acute facial paralysis in children. METHODS: Eight pediatric patients with facial paralysis with an initial electroneurography (ENoG) value less than 10% who underwent mirror biofeedback rehabilitation (the child-rehabilitation group) were enrolled. Seven infants (under age 2 yr) who were unable to undergo rehabilitation (the infant-and-toddler control group) and adult patients (n = 13, range, 33-56 yr) who underwent rehabilitation (the adult-rehabilitation group) comprised the control groups. All the patients enrolled were baseline House-Brackmann (H-B) grade VI at onset. The patients began daily facial biofeedback rehabilitation using a mirror at the first sign of muscle contraction on the affected side and were instructed to keep their eyes symmetrically open using a mirror during mouth movements. The training was continued for 12 months after the onset of facial paralysis. The degree of oral-ocular synkinesis was evaluated by the degree of asymmetry in eye opening width during mouth movements. The synkinesis index was calculated as a percentage of the interpalpebral space width ([normal side - affected side]/normal side). Statistical analyses used non-parametric tests (the Kruskal-Wallis test and Steel-Dwass posthoc test). RESULTS: The synkinesis index was significantly lower in the child-rehabilitation group than in the infant-and-toddler control group or the adult-rehabilitation group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Children who underwent mirror biofeedback rehabilitation had less synkinesis than the infant-and-toddler control group, suggesting that mirror biofeedback rehabilitation is more effective in preventing the exacerbation of synkinesis in children.