Transoral robotic tongue base reduction and supraglottoplasty combined with maxillomandibular advancement: a new option for selected sleep apnea patients? Preliminary report.

PURPOSE: Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and maxillo-mandibular advancement (MMA) are effective options for obstructive sleep apnea patients. Identification of the correct candidate is by far the most important item in achieving a succesful outcome. As a consequence, not all patients can be managed successfully via one or the other procedure. To overcome the limits of any single procedure we have combined, in a very selected population of patients, TORS tongue base reduction and MMA. Preliminary data are encouraging, in terms of both AHI and ESS. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on five patients treated with combined TORS-MMA surgery. Demographic and clinical data, pre-operative and post-operative PSG and ESS were collected. RESULTS: Three of five patients were recruited. All patients presented severe OSAHS. Mean AHI and ESS went respectively from 48 and 12 pre-operatively to 19 and 4 post-operatively. Minor bleeding occurred in two patients. No significant sequelae have been reported. CONCLUSIONS: Combined TORS and MMA is feasible and safe. Our very preliminary data are encouraging, in terms of both AHI and ESS. Long-term follow-up and a larger amount of subjects are needed to confirm this surgical approach as a valuable option for selected OSAHS patient.

Comparison of intubation and tracheotomy in adult patients with acute epiglottitis or supraglottitis.

PURPOSE: In acute epiglottitis (AE) or acute supraglottitis (AS), the management of the airway is crucial. We hypothesized that tracheotomized patients recover faster than intubated patients do. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all adult AE and AS patients, who underwent intubation or tracheotomy between 2007 and 2018 in a tertiary care center. Patient demographics, treatment, and complications were analyzed. RESULTS: The cohort comprised 42 patients. The airway was secured with intubation in 50% and with tracheotomy in 50%. All intubated patients (n = 21) and three tracheotomized patients were treated in the intensive care unit (p < 0.0001). Procedure-related complications were encountered in three intubated and eight tracheotomized patients (p = 0.892). Median overall treatment cost was 11.547 € and 5.856 € in the intubated and tracheotomized patient groups, respectively (p < 0.001). The median duration of sick leave after discharge from hospital was 13 days in the tracheotomy group and 7 days in the intubation group (p = 0.097). CONCLUSION: Tracheotomy resulted in a less expensive management in securing the airway in AE or AS, but tracheotomized patients had a trend towards more complications and longer sick leaves compared to intubated patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.

CO2 laser supraglottic resurfacing for non-granulomatous chronic supraglottitis in two children.

Chronic epiglottitis and supraglottitis are clinical entities that present with respiratory distress and are primarily associated with autoimmune disorders, gastroesophageal reflux disease, or angioedema. First described in adults with sarcoidosis in 2010, CO2 laser epiglottis resurfacing has been effective in reducing epiglottic edema. We present two cases of adolescent males with non-granulomatous chronic supraglottitis who were successfully treated with CO2 laser supraglottic resurfacing.

Impact of supraglottoplasty on parental preception of swallowing using a 10 question swallowing index.

INTRODUCTION: Laryngomalacia can have a significant impact on swallowing function. Most of the studies in literature have focused on evaluating swallowing dysfunction in children with Laryngomalacia using clinical assessment and swallowing studies i.e. functional endoscopic evaluation of swallowing or videofluroscopic evaluation of swallowing. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the current study was to evaluate the parental perception of swallowing using a newly devised 10-point swallowing index before and after supraglottoplasty. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a prospective study performed at a tertiary care Aerodigestive center over a period of 18 months. A total of 51 supraglottoplasties were performed by a single surgeon over an 18-month period. Parents were asked to fill a non validated 10-point questionnaire before and after supraglottoplasty. Of the 51 surgeries, 34 surveys were completed, and 28 surveys were included in the study. All the patients were classified in to mild, moderate and severe laryngomalacia based on the established criterion. Each point in the index was graded on the Likert scale. RESULTS: A total of 28 patients who underwent supraglottoplasty were included in the study. There was a significant improvement in the overall parental perception in the swallowing of children with laryngomalacia following supraglottoplasty. There was statistically significant improvement in 9 out of 10 indices on the questionnaire. CONCLUSION: Supraglottoplasty has an overall positive impact on parental perception of swallowing in children with Laryngomalacia. Caregivers had fewer concerns postoperatively, with fewer choking spells and breathing issues during feeds, and a greater satisfaction with the amount consumed at each feed. This Index adds a valuable subjective component to pediatric swallowing assessments pre and post supraglottoplasty. This tool could be used in conjunction with MBSS and FEES measures to provide a more comprehensive assessment.

Supraglottoplasty for laryngomalacia: The experience from Concepcion, Chile.

OBJECTIVE: To review the clinical manifestations and outcomes of supraglottoplasty in patients with moderate to severe laryngomalacia at Guillermo Grant Benavente Hospital between January 2015 and January 2017. METHODS: Retrospective study of patients with laryngomalacia who underwent CO2 laser supraglottoplasty at a tertiary referral center. A review of medical records of these patients was performed. Epidemiological data along with symptoms, comorbidities, morphological type of laryngomalacia, synchronous airway lesions, surgery outcomes and satisfaction of parents after the procedure were recorded. Surgical success was defined as the resolution of the criteria of severity of laryngomalacia. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients were operated, 1 was excluded due to prior tracheostomy. Twenty-three patients were included, the median age at the time of surgery was 5.5 months. All the patients had stridor, 87% presented feeding difficulties, 34.8 % had cyanosis and 21.7% had failure to thrive. Six cases had congenital anomalies and four cases had nongenetic comorbidities. Fifteen patients (65.2%) had synchronous airway lesions. 17.4% had type I laryngomalacia and 82.6% were type 2. The postoperative average hospital stay was 1.3 days. The average follow-up was 14 months and no complications were reported. The overall success rate of surgery was 95%. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with laryngomalacia and any symptom of severity should undergo a full airway evaluation, to rule out synchronous airway lesions, and supraglottoplasty if needed, as it has been shown to be a safe and effective technique for the management of these patients.

Pediatric supraglottic airway devices in clinical practice: A prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Supraglottic airway devices (SGA) are commonly used in pediatric anesthesia and serve as primary or back-up devices for difficult airway management. Most SGA are marketed without proper clinical evaluation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the pediatric LMA Supreme™, Air-Q® and Ambu® Aura-i™. METHODS: This prospective observational study was performed at Bern University Hospital, Switzerland. With ethics committee approval and a waiver for written informed consent 240 children undergoing elective surgery with an ASA class I-III and a weight of 5-30 kg were included. Three different pediatric supraglottic airway devices were assessed: The LMA Supreme™, Air-Q® and Ambu® Aura-i™. Primary outcome parameter was airway leak pressure. Secondary outcome parameters included first attempt and overall success rate, insertion time, fiberoptic view through the SGA, and adverse events. The primary hypothesis was that the mean airway leak pressure of each tested SGA was 20 cmH2O ± 10%. RESULTS: None of the SGA showed a mean airway leak pressure of 20 cmH2O ± 10%, but mean airway leak pressures differed significantly between devices [LMA Supreme™ 18.0 (3.4) cmH2O, Air-Q® 15.9 (3.2) cmH2O, Ambu® Aura-i™ 17.3 (3.7) cmH2O, p < 0.001]. First attempt success rates (LMA Supreme™ 100%, Air-Q® 90%, Ambu® Aura-i™ 91%, p = 0.02) and overall success rates (LMA Supreme™ 100%, Air-Q® 91%, Ambu® Aura-i™ 95%, p = 0.02) also differed significantly. Insertion times ranged from 20 (7) seconds (Air-Q®) to 24 (6) seconds (LMA Supreme™,

Feasibility of a Supraglottic Airway Device for Transbronchial Lung Cryobiopsy-A Retrospective Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the feasibility of a supraglottic airway device for transbronchial cryobiopsy in adults. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of anesthetic and pulmonary records between March 2015 and August 2016. SETTING: Single university medical center. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred thirty-two patients who underwent transbronchial cryobiopsy procedures performed under general anesthesia. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Failure-free use of a supraglottic airway device was 96.8%. Failure of supraglottic airway device insertion was 3.1% because of impossible placement (n = 1), high oropharyngeal leakage (n = 1), massive bleeding requiring bronchial blocker (n = 1), and acute right heart failure with cardiac arrest requiring resuscitation (n = 1). No serious adverse events due to the supraglottic airway device were observed. CONCLUSION: The data demonstrated that transbronchial cryobiopsy under general anesthesia and airway management with a supraglottic airway device was a feasible technique.

Swallowing outcome after TORS for sleep apnea: short- and long-term evaluation.

The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes related to swallowing function in patients who underwent transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for sleep apnea on both short- and long-term scales. 78 patients who underwent TORS for sleep apnea between 2011 and 2014 were followed up for an average period of 20 ± 7.12 months (range 7-32 months), then swallowing outcomes determined by MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) questionnaire, gastrografin fluoroscopy imaging results, nasogastric tube dependence and subjectively by recording the patients' complaints were analyzed and reported. Minimal insignificant short-term impact on swallowing function (4.58 ± 7.03 preoperative MDADI score versus 5.18 ± 8.32 post-operative) (p = 0.56) was registered. Mean time for start of oral feeding was 1.05 ± 0.25 days (average, 1-3). In no case nasogastric tube feeding was required. Only five patients (6 %) showed significant aspiration on gastrografin fluoroscopy examination after 1 week; there was no significant correlation between the volume of tissue removed from both tongue base and epiglottis to the incidence of aspiration as shown by gastrografin fluoroscopy examination (p = 0.72). No long-term swallowing complaint was registered. Patients who underwent TORS tongue base reduction and supraglottoplasty for sleep apnea proved to have a reasonable short-term swallowing outcomes with no long-term sequelae.

Esofagogastrostomía cervical diferida: Una opción técnica cuando se evidencia isquemia del tubo gástrico en el momento de la esofagectomía / Delayed cervical esophagogastrostomy: A surgical alternative for patients with ischemia of the gastric conduit at time of esophagectomy

La comprobación de una isquemia del tubo gástrico al terminar una esofagectomía es un contratiempo que incrementa el riesgo de dehiscencia de la anastomosis esofagogástrica. Para prevenir esta grave complicación, se ha propuesto como opción quirúrgica alternativa diferir la anastomosis el tiempo necesario para que se recupere la irrigación gástrica. De este modo se evitarían otras 2 opciones quirúrgicas que acarrean graves riesgos para el paciente: 1) realizar la anastomosis esofagogástrica en un estómago con una vascularización precaria y 2) la resección del tubo gástrico con una posterior reconstrucción muy compleja

Ischemia of the gastric conduit after esophagectomy represents a setback that increases the risk of anastomotic leak. In order to prevent this severe complication, a surgical alternative has been proposed which consists in delaying the reconstruction until gastric perfusion improves. By adopting this strategy we can avoid two other surgical options that may significantly increase the risk of complications: (1) performing an esophagogastrostomy with a poorly perfused gastric tube and (2) resecting the gastric conduit followed by a complex reconstruction

Transoral robotic surgery vs transoral laser microsurgery for resection of supraglottic cancer: a pilot surgery.

BACKGROUND: Transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) is a mature approach to supraglottic cancer, while transoral robotic surgery (TORS) is emerging. The present study compared these approaches. METHODS: The first 10 patients (2002-2005) given TLM were compared with the first 10 (2007-2011) given TORS for cT1-3 cN0-cN2c supraglottic cancer. RESULTS: A feeding tube was used in four TLM and seven TORS patients. Margins were more often positive, but operating times shorter, in TORS. All 10 TORS patients are without evidence of disease, but only six TLM patients remain disease-free after much longer follow-up. TORS was considerably less uncomfortable and fatiguing for the surgeon. CONCLUSIONS: TORS seems as safe and effective as TLM. Shorter TORS operating times are probably attributable to prior experience with TLM. For laryngeal exposure, length of tube placement and margin evaluability, TLM was superior; however, this may change as TORS develops and transoral robotic instruments are optimized.

Laryngomalacia: patient outcomes following aryepiglottoplasty at a tertiary care center.

Laryngomalacia is the most common cause of stridor in neonates and infants. Most cases are mild and resolve spontaneously without treatment. Only severe cases with intolerable symptoms require surgical intervention; in such cases, supraglottoplasty is considered the treatment of choice. The aim of this study was to review and present the outcomes in patients with laryngomalacia who underwent aryepiglottoplasty-a type of supraglottoplasty. The medical records of children diagnosed as laryngomalacia who were followed up at Hacettepe University Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, between 2007 and 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. The study included 16 children who required surgical intervention. The mean age of the 16 children included in the study was 133 days (range: 7 days-48 months). Among the patients, 9 (56%) were male and 7 (44%) were female. In all, 7 patients (44%) had a comorbid condition. Laryngomalacia diagnoses were as follows: type I: n = 2, 13%; type II: n = 13, 81%; type III: n= 1, 6%. Stridor completely resolved in 10 of the children who underwent aryepiglottoplasty. Three patients required tracheotomy and 3 required revision supraglottoplasty; these six cases were considered as failed surgical treatment. The aryepiglottoplasty success rate was 63%. None of the patients had any intraoperative or postoperative complications. Despite the primarily benign nature of laryngomalacia, comorbid conditions can exacerbate symptoms and negatively affect the prognosis. Aryepiglottoplasty can be performed with high success and low complication rates in properly selected patients.

Laser surgery for early to moderately advanced glottic, supraglottic, and hypopharyngeal cancers.

Current practice standards for the treatment of early to moderately advanced laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer demand both achievement of cure and preservation of laryngeal structure and function to the greatest extent possible. The oncologic and functional results of transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) for early glottic cancer appear to be comparable to those of radiotherapy, with a higher rate of laryngeal preservation and a lower cost. TLM for early and moderately advanced supraglottic and hypopharyngeal cancers offers similar results with regard to survival and local control to those obtained with open surgical approaches. In addition, functional results of TLM are superior to those of open approaches because tracheotomies are usually avoided, rehabilitation of swallowing is faster, and hospital stay is shorter. TLM, when applicable, has become the preferred modality for surgical treatment of most early to moderately advanced cancers of the larynx and selected tumors of the hypopharynx.