Endoscopic Repair of Type 1 Laryngeal Clefts and Deep Interarytenoid Notches: Cold Steel Versus Laser.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Endoscopic repair is the preferred surgical treatment for type 1 laryngeal clefts (T1LCs) and deep interarytenoid notches (DINs). No studies exist showing differences in repair rates using laser and cold steel. Our objective is to assess overall success and revision rate for endoscopic cleft repair and determine whether there is any difference in surgical outcomes between cold steel and laser techniques. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review, cohort study. METHODS: Retrospective review at a quaternary care pediatric hospital. Included all patients who underwent endoscopic repair for T1LCs and DINs between January 2010 and December 2019. Demographics, comorbidities, surgical data, outcomes, and revision status were collected and analyzed. We excluded patients who did not have a follow-up at our institution. RESULTS: A total of 194 patients were identified, 14 were excluded for lack of follow-up data so 180 were analyzed. Of these, 127 had cold steel repair and 53 had laser repair. There is no significant difference in demographics or comorbidities. In the cold steel group, 4 of 127 (3.1%) had breakdown and in the laser group, 10 of 53 (18.9%) had breakdown. Patients who failed after a cold steel repair tended to break down later (median 12.7 months) when compared to laser repairs (median 2.1 months). Nine of the 10 patients with breakdown after laser repair were noted on initial postoperative evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic cleft repair is a well-described and effective method for repair of T1LCs and DINs. Both cold steel and laser have high success rates; however, higher failure rates were noted in the laser repair group. Failure after laser repair may occur earlier than failure after cold steel repair. But this did not reach significance. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 131:2805-2810, 2021.

Patient perspectives on recall period and response options in patient-reported outcome measures for chronic rhinosinusitis symptomatology: A pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for assessment of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) employ a variety of recall periods and response scales for reporting CRS symptom burden. CRS patient perspective is unknown with respect to recall periods and response scales in PROMs. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Tertiary rhinology clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty three adults with CRS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants were asked to choose which CRS symptom recall period-1 day, 2 weeks, 1 month or greater than 1 month-was most reflective of their current disease state and best to base treatment recommendations (including surgery) upon. Participants were also asked to report which of six response scales (one visual analogue scale [VAS] and five Likert scales ranging from four to eight items) were easiest to use and understand, and most preferred. RESULTS: A majority of participants felt the current state of their CRS symptoms was best reflected by a recall period of 2 weeks to 1 month; however, patients preferred that recommendations about treatments, including endoscopic sinus surgery, be determined by symptoms experienced over at least a one-month period. Participants generally found the VAS and seven-item Likert scale to be the easiest to use and understand, and their most preferred scales. No patient characteristics associated with preferences for recall periods or response scales. CONCLUSION: Future PROMs for CRS symptoms should consider assessment of symptoms over a one-month time frame and use either a VAS or seven-item Likert response scale to optimally balance reflection of current disease state, need for intervention and patient preference.

Olfactory Dysfunction is not a Determinant Of Patient-Reported Chronic Rhinosinusitis Disease Control.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: As a cardinal symptom of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), hyposmia has been recommended to be assessed as a component of CRS disease control. Herein we determine the significance of hyposmia in CRS in the context of nasal obstruction and drainage symptoms. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, cross-sectional METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 308 CRS patients (102 CRSwNP, 206 CRSsNP) without prior endoscopic sinus surgery. The burden of nasal obstruction and hyposmia were assessed using the corresponding item scores on the 22-item Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22). Burden of nasal discharge was assessed using the mean of "thick nasal discharge" and "thick post-nasal discharge" SNOT-22 item scores. Patients were all asked to rate their CRS symptom control as "not at all," "a little," "somewhat," "very," or "completely." RESULTS: In CRSwNP, only 4.9% had a hyposmia score > 1 with nasal obstruction and drainage scores less than or equal to 1. In CRSsNP, only 1.9% had a hyposmia score > 1 with nasal obstruction and drainage scores less than or equal to 1. On univariate association, CRS symptom control was significantly associated with nasal obstruction, hyposmia, and drainage in both CRSwNP and CRSsNP (P < .05 in all cases). Using multivariable regression to account for all nasal symptoms, only nasal obstruction and nasal discharge scores (but not hyposmia) were significantly associated with CRS symptom control. CONCLUSIONS: Hyposmia rarely occurs without nasal obstruction or nasal drainage, and may therefore be redundant to assess for CRS disease control. Moreover, hyposmia was not associated with patient-reported CRS symptom control when accounting for the burden of nasal obstruction and drainage. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 131:E2116-E2120, 2021.

Norwood Procedure With Left Ventricle Exclusion in Complex Single Ventricle Patients: A Novel Technique.

BACKGROUND: Hypoplastic left heart disease and its variants complicated by severe semilunar and atrioventricular valve insufficiency are associated with a high mortality risk in utero and postnatally. Through the description of three cases, this report outlines the evolution of a successful strategy of morphological left ventricle isolation (ie, "left-sided Starnes") in caring for this rare cohort of patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). METHODS: This study includes three patients: two patients prenatally diagnosed and one transferred from an outside hospital. All patients presented with complex univentricular heart disease with a nonfunctional left ventricle and severe left-sided atrioventricular and/or semilunar valve insufficiency. RESULTS: Two patients were delivered with an operating room on standby due to the possibility of emergent surgery being necessary; however, all patients were able to be medically stabilized after birth. Patient 1 underwent successful left ventricle exclusion with a fenestrated polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) patch, despite severe mitral valve regurgitation. Patient 2 reinforced the efficacy of PTFE patch occlusion in addition to having aortic valve closure with a small washing jet. Patient 3's clinical course was successfully predicted based on the previous patients and outlined for the family prenatally. All patients are currently growing well at home, awaiting Fontan with marked improvement in cardiac function. CONCLUSION: This rare cohort of patients with HLHS having severe left-sided atrioventricular and/or semilunar valve insufficiency appear to survive to birth and can be medically stabilized prior to semiurgent intervention. The Norwood procedure with left ventricle exclusion appears to be a successful strategy for these unique patients.

The Influence of Consanguinity on Familial Clefting Among Palestinians.

INTRODUCTION: Orofacial clefts (OFC) are the most common congenital craniofacial anomaly. The relationship between intermarriage (consanguinity) and positive family history for OFC is not well described. Consanguinity rates in developed countries are <1% but are considerably higher in the Middle East (45%). Familial clefting rates in developed countries are under 20% but in the Middle East are reported at 30% or higher. OBJECTIVE: To determine OFC demographics and to clarify the relationship between consanguinity and familial clefting among Palestinians. DESIGN: The Palestinian Congenial Anomalies Database is based on a 700-question survey administered to mothers of children with congenital anomalies. Orofacial clefts were diagnosed in 540 children. All demographic data were analyzed using χ2 tests with a level of significance at α < .05. RESULTS: Demographics for OFC among Palestinians were similar to other published reports. Overall consanguinity rate was 53% and familial clefting rate was 49%. Parental rates of consanguinity were significantly different for patients with cleft palate. Patients with consanguineous parents had a higher rate of positive family history of clefting (67%). Recurrence of clefts in siblings was significantly higher among those born to consanguineous parents (73%) when compared to nonconsanguineous parents. CONCLUSION: Consanguinity rates for Palestinians with OFC were higher than those reported in the Middle East. Familial clefting and sibling recurrence rates were also higher than expected. The risk of OFC may be mitigated with improved education about anticipated genetic consequences of consanguinity in high-risk populations such as the southern West Bank.