Cochlear Implantation in Vestibular Schwannoma: A Systematic Literature Review.

Objective Ipsilateral cochlear implantation (CI) in vestibular schwannoma (VS) has been an emerging trend over the last two decades. We conducted the first systematic review of hearing outcomes comparing neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) and sporadic VS undergoing CI. A comparison of the two populations and predictor of outcome was assessed. This is an update to a previously presented study. Data Sources Systemic data searches were performed in PubMed NCBI and Scopus by an academic librarian. No restrictions based on the year of publication were used. Study Selection Studies were selected if patients had a diagnosis of NF2 and a CI placed in the affected side with reports of hearing outcome. Two independent reviewers screened each abstract and full-text article. Data Extraction Studies were extracted at the patient level, and the assessment of quality and bias was evaluated according to the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Tool. Main Outcome Measures Outcome predictors were determined by using the chi-square test and Student's t -test. Results Overall, most CI recipients functioned in the high-to-intermediate performer category for both sporadic and NF2-related VS. Median AzBio (Arizona Biomedical Institute Sentence Test) was 72% (interquartile range [IQR]: 50) in NF2 patients and 70% (IQR: 7.25) in sporadic patients. Larger tumor size predicted a poorer final audiometric outcome. Conclusions Categorization of hearing outcome into superior performance and inferior performance based on sentence recognition revealed a generally good hearing outcome regardless of treatment or patient population. Select patients with sporadic and NF2 VS may benefit from CI.

Fetal Bovine Collagen Grafts for Repair of Tegmen Defects and Encephaloceles Via Middle Cranial Fossa Approach.

To evaluate the use of commercially available allogenic dural graft materials made of fetal bovine collagen, we present an analysis of our case series with use of autologous and allogenic graft materials. Patients who underwent surgical repair of a tegmen tympani defect associated with ipsilateral conductive hearing loss and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) otorrhea using a middle cranial fossa (MCF) approach from 2004 to 2018 at Loyola University Medical Center were included. Resolution of CSF otorrhea, audiologic outcomes, facial nerve preservation, and surgical complications was analyzed. Thirty-three patients with an average age of 55.3 years (range: 21-78, standard deviation [SD]: 12.9) and body mass index of 34.4 (range: 22-51, SD: 7.4) underwent an MCF repair of a tegmen and dural defect. All patients presented with CSF otorrhea and conductive hearing loss ipsilateral to the defect. Repairs were made with combinations of allograft and autograft in 17 cases, allograft only in 15 cases, and autograft only in 5 cases. Improvement in hearing was noted in 33 cases, and resolution of CSF otorrhea was noted in 36 cases; one patient required repeat surgery which resolved CSF otorrhea. Three patients had minor complications; all these were in the autograft group. The MCF approach coupled with the use of fetal bovine collagen grafts is a safe and viable method to repair tegmen tympani and associated dural defects with salutary outcomes and low morbidity.

Facial Schwannoma Management Outcomes: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate facial nerve outcomes of various management strategies for facial schwannomas by assimilating individualized patient data from the literature to address controversies in management. DATA SOURCES: PubMed-National Center for Biotechnology Information and Scopus databases. REVIEW METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was performed for studies regarding facial schwannomas. Studies were included if they presented patient-level data, type of intervention, pre- and postintervention House-Brackmann (HB) grades, and tumor location by facial nerve segment. RESULTS: Individualized data from 487 patients were collected from 31 studies. Eighty (16.4%) facial schwannomas were managed with observation, 25 (5.1%) with surgical decompression, 20 (4.1%) with stereotactic radiosurgery, 225 (46.2%) with total resection, and 137 (28.1%) with subtotal resection/stripping surgery. Stripping surgery/subtotal resection with good preoperative facial nerve function maintained HB grade 1 or 2 in 96% of cases. With a total resection of intradural tumors, preoperative HB grade did not significantly affect facial nerve outcome (n = 45, P = .46). However, a lower preoperative HB grade was associated with a better facial nerve outcome with intratemporal tumors (n = 56, P = .009). When stereotactic radiosurgery was performed, 40% of patients had improved, 35% were stable, and 25% had worsened facial function. Facial nerve decompression rarely affected short-term facial nerve status. CONCLUSION: The data from this study help delineate which treatment strategies are best in which clinical scenarios. The findings can be used to develop a more definitive management algorithm for this complicated pathology.

Neurotologic Complications Following Microvascular Decompression: A Retrospective Study.

Objective The main purpose of this article is to determine the frequency of neurotologic complications after posterior fossa microvascular decompression (MVD) surgery. Design Retrospective case review. Setting Tertiary care referral center. Participants A total of 215 consecutive MVD operations by a single surgeon between March 1996 and May 2016 were reviewed with 192 surgeries on 183 patients meeting inclusion criteria. Main Outcome Measures Neurotologic complications secondary to MVD. Results The 52 males and 131 females had a mean age of 58.52 years (range, 28-92 years). Indications for MVD were trigeminal neuralgia ( n = 162), hemifacial spasm ( n = 23), glossopharyngeal neuralgia ( n = 13), vagal palsy ( n = 1), and tinnitus ( n = 1). The outcomes examined were postoperative hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, and hemifacial paresis. At least one of these complications was present in 17.7% of patients. There were 4.17% with permanent hearing loss, 6.77% with transient hearing loss, 5.21% with tinnitus, 5.73% with vertigo, and 0.52% with hemifacial paresis. There was no significant difference in complication rates based on surgical indication. Conclusions Neurotologic complications are a significant risk when performing MVD. It is important for otolaryngologists as well as neurosurgeons to be aware of such complications. We recommend perioperative audiometry in all patients undergoing MVD and believe there is utility in routine otolaryngologist involvement.

Cochlear Implantation in Sporadic Vestibular Schwannoma: A Systematic Literature Review.

Objective This study was aimed to perform a systematic literature review by examining outcomes in patients with sporadic vestibular schwannoma (VS) undergoing ipsilateral cochlear implant (CI). Data Sources PubMed-NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) and Scopus databases were searched through October 2017. Study Selection Studies reporting auditory outcomes for each patient when a CI was placed with an ipsilateral sporadic VS were included. Main Outcome Measures Demographic variables, VS characteristics, preoperative hearing metrics, duration of deafness, CI type, approach to tumor resection, postoperative auditory outcomes, and postoperative tinnitus outcomes were reported for each eligible patient within studies. Each study was evaluated for quality and bias. Results Fifteen studies and 45 patients met inclusion criteria. Mean speech discrimination score (SDS) improved from 30.0 to 56.4% after CI placement. The majority when reported had an improvement in tinnitus. Preoperative ipsilateral SDS was a negative predictor of postoperative SDS, while neither tumor resection status, tumor location, duration of deafness, ipsilateral pure tone average, nor timing of CI placement had a significant effect on patient outcome. Conclusions Notwithstanding the challenges inherent with surveillance magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the setting of a cochlear implant magnet, select sporadic vestibular schwannoma patients can be considered for cochlear implantation.

The Natural History of Facial Schwannomas: A Meta-Analysis of Case Series.

Objective This study is to establish predictors of facial paralysis and auditory morbidity secondary to facial schwannomas by assimilating individualized patient data from the literature. Design A systematic review of the literature was conducted for studies regarding facial schwannomas. Studies were only included if they presented patient level data, House-Brackmann grades, and tumor location by facial nerve segment. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated using generalized linear mixed models. Main Outcome Measures Facial weakness and hearing loss. Results Data from 504 patients were collected from 32 studies. The geniculate ganglion was the most common facial nerve segment involved (39.3%). A greater number of facial nerve segments involved was positively associated with both facial weakness and hearing loss, whereas tumor diameter did not correlate with either morbidity. Intratemporal involvement was associated with higher odds of facial weakness (OR = 4.78, p < 0.001), intradural involvement was negatively associated with facial weakness (OR = 0.56, p = 0.004), and extratemporal involvement was not a predictor of facial weakness (OR = 0.68, p = 0.27). The odds of hearing loss increased with more proximal location of the tumor (intradural: OR = 3.26, p < 0.001; intratemporal: OR = 0.60, p = 0.14; extratemporal: OR = 0.27, p = 0.01). Conclusion The most important factors associated with facial weakness and hearing loss are tumor location and the number of facial nerve segments involved. An understanding of the factors that contribute most heavily to the natural morbidity can help guide the appropriate timing and type of intervention in future cases of facial schwannoma.

Hearing Loss following Posterior Fossa Microvascular Decompression: A Systematic Review.

Objectives (1) Determine the prevalence of hearing loss following microvascular decompression (MVD) for trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and hemifacial spasm (HFS). (2) Demonstrate factors that affect postoperative hearing outcomes after MVD. Data Sources PubMed-NCBI, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases from 1981 to 2016. Review Methods Systematic review of prospective cohort studies and retrospective reviews in which any type of hearing loss was recorded after MVD for TN or HFS. Three researchers extracted data regarding operative indications, procedures performed, and diagnostic tests employed. Discrepancies were resolved by mutual consensus. Results Sixty-nine references with 18,233 operations met inclusion criteria. There were 7093 patients treated for TN and 11,140 for HFS. The overall reported prevalence of hearing loss after MVD for TN and HFS was 5.58% and 8.25%, respectively. However, many of these studies relied on subjective measures of reporting hearing loss. In 23 studies with consistent perioperative audiograms, prevalence of hearing loss was 13.47% for TN and 13.39% for HFS, with no significant difference between indications ( P = .95). Studies using intraoperative brainstem auditory evoked potential monitoring were more likely to report hearing loss for TN (relative risk [RR], 2.28; P < .001) but not with HFS (RR, 0.88; P = .056). Conclusion Conductive and sensorineural hearing loss are important complications following posterior fossa MVD. Many studies have reported on hearing loss using either subjective measures and/or inconsistent audiometric testing. Routine perioperative audiogram protocols improve the detection of hearing loss and may more accurately represent the true risk of hearing loss after MVD for TN and HFS.

Older siblings are at increased risk for foreign bodies.

A prospective, case-control study was performed to describe the role that siblings play in foreign bodies of the head and neck and to recognize situations in which children are most at risk for foreign bodies. Any child or adolescent (0 to 17 years old) with a foreign body removed from the head or neck was included. The data collected included location of the foreign body, location of acquisition (e.g., home), and the number of and ages of siblings. Controls were matched by age, sex, and location of removal (clinic, operating room, or emergency department). Thirty-four patients were enrolled (20 male, 14 female). The average age was 5.25 years (range: 10 months to 15 years). The average age of patients with foreign bodies in the ear was 5.98 years (n = 23), esophagus 4.34 years (n = 6), and nose 2.97 years (n = 5). Nineteen (56%) of the foreign bodies were acquired at home and 17 (50%) under supervision by parents. Children with a younger sibling have a significantly increased risk of acquiring a foreign body compared with children without a younger sibling (odds ratio = 4.00, p = 0.04). We conclude that although acquisition of foreign bodies should become less common as children mature, older siblings (i.e., children who have a younger sibling) are at increased risk for foreign body acquisition. Most foreign bodies are acquired at home under supervision by parents. Increased awareness of this finding may help prevent foreign bodies in the head and neck.

Recurrent asystole as an electrocardiographic artifact during microdebrider use in functional endoscopic sinus surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Electrocardiographic (EKG) artifacts can lead to unnecessary treatment and costly diagnostic workup. Two previous studies reported a ventricular tachycardia artifact as a result of microdebrider malfunction. In this study, we report the first case of EKG artifacts that mimick asystole from microdebrider use during functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). CASE: A healthy 19-year-old woman presented with chronic rhinosinusitis, nasal polyposis, and a deviated nasal septum. She was scheduled for a bilateral FESS and septoplasty. During surgery, the microdebrider was changed after 1 hour. While using the second microdebrider, the EKG monitor showed three distinct asystolic events, all lasted approximately 3 seconds. The EKG tracing returned to normal sinus rhythm every time the microdebrider was stopped. The patient's oxygen saturation remained at 100%, and blood pressure remained stable during the episodes. The procedure was aborted, and an extensive cardiology workup was performed, which returned negative results. Biomedical engineering investigated the microdebrider and found a far greater than expected chassis leak, which likely caused electrical interference. Six months later, the patient underwent a right-sided FESS and revision left frontal FESS. There were no EKG abnormalities during the second surgery. DISCUSSION: Although other EKG artifacts have been reported in the literature, this is the first case report of an artifact that mimicked asystole that stemmed from microdebrider use. Improved awareness of this potential EKG artifact for both the surgeon and the anesthesiologist may prevent an unnecessary costly workup.