Endoscope-assisted Partial Cochlectomy for Intracochlear Schwannoma With Simultaneous Cochlear Implantation: A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: Intralabyrinthine schwannomas are a small subset of vestibular schwannomas which originate within the labyrinthine structures. Management typically consists of watch-and-wait strategies given that surgical intervention will sacrifice hearing. Endoscopic resection of primary intracochlear schwannoma with simultaneous cochlear implantation for a patient with progressive hearing loss and debilitating tinnitus is described. PATIENT: A 56-year-old male presenting with asymmetric left sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) was diagnosed with intracochlear schwannoma on MRI. INTERVENTION: Surgery was indicated due to tumor growth on serial imaging, worsening SNHL, and severe tinnitus. Partial cochlectomy was performed via transcanal endoscopic approach. Cochlear implantation via mastoidectomy and posterior tympanotomy was simultaneously performed with a CI512 Contour Advanced implant (Cochlear, Sydney, Australia). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Post partial cochlectomy speech performance. RESULTS: Preoperative audiometry showed left profound SNHL with 20% speech recognition score despite maximal amplification. Speech perception testing 5 months postoperatively demonstrated good unilateral discrimination when testing the implanted ear alone (BKB sentences 66%, CUNY sentences 79%), open-set comprehension, and excellent binaural performance. CONCLUSION: The endoscope offers an additional viable approach to the otic capsule for the removal of intracochlear schwannoma and good audiologic outcomes can be achieved with simultaneous cochlear implantation even after partial cochlectomy.

Otology/Neurotology recommendations - Choosing Wisely campaign.

The Choosing Wisely Canada Campaign aims to raise awareness amongst physicians and patients regarding unnecessary tests and treatment. The otology/neurotology subspecialty group within the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Society developed a list of five common otologic presentations to help physicians deliver high quality effective care: (1) Don't order specialized audiometric and vestibular testing to screen for peripheral vestibular disease, (2) Don't perform computed tomography or blood work in the evaluation of sudden sensorineural hearing loss, (3) Don't perform auditory brain responses (ABR) in patients with asymmetrical hearing loss, (4) Don't prescribe oral antibiotics as first line treatment for patients with painless otorrhea associated with tympanic membrane perforation or tympanostomy tube, and (5) Don't perform particle repositioning maneuvers without a clinical diagnosis of posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Noise exposure while commuting in Toronto - a study of personal and public transportation in Toronto.

BACKGROUND: With an increasing proportion of the population living in cities, mass transportation has been rapidly expanding to facilitate the demand, yet there is a concern that mass transit has the potential to result in excessive exposure to noise, and subsequently noise-induced hearing loss. METHODS: Noise dosimetry was used to measure time-integrated noise levels in a representative sample of the Toronto Mass Transit system (subway, streetcar, and buses) both aboard moving transit vehicles and on boarding platforms from April - August 2016. 210 measurements were conducted with multiple measurements approximating 2 min on platforms, 4 min within a vehicle in motion, and 10 min while in a car, on a bike or on foot. Descriptive statistics for each type of transportation, and measurement location (platform vs. vehicle) was computed, with measurement locations compared using 1-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: On average, there are 1.69 million riders per day, who are serviced by 69 subway stations, and 154 streetcar or subway routes. Average noise level was greater in the subway and bus than in the streetcar (79.8 +/- 4.0 dBA, 78.1 +/- 4.9 dBA, vs 71.5 +/-1.8 dBA, p < 0.0001). Furthermore, average noise measured on subway platforms were higher than within vehicles (80.9 +/- 3.9 dBA vs 76.8 +/- 2.6 dBA, p < 0.0001). Peak noise exposures on subway, bus and streetcar routes had an average of 109.8 +/- 4.9 dBA and range of 90.4-123.4 dBA, 112.3 +/- 6.0 dBA and 89.4-128.1 dBA, and 108.6 +/- 8.1 dBA and 103.5-125.2 dBA respectively. Peak noise exposures exceeded 115 dBA on 19.9%, 85.0%, and 20.0% of measurements in the subway, bus and streetcar respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although the mean average noise levels on the Toronto transit system are within the recommended level of safe noise exposure, cumulative intermittent bursts of impulse noise (peak noise exposures) particularly on bus routes have the potential to place individuals at risk for noise induced hearing loss.

Intraoperative image guidance in transoral robotic surgery: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative image guidance during transoral robotic surgery (TORS) is hampered by imaging-friendly instrumentation and intraoperative positioning. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an accurate image-guidance system for TORS. METHODS: A custom radiolucent mouth retractor was fabricated from biocompatible material (Med-610; Stratasys, Minneapolis, MN). Teflon beads were placed in the oropharynx and carotid arteries of 3 cadavers. CT scans were obtained in the preoperative and intraoperative positions. Displacement of targets between preoperative and intraoperative scans was measured. Surgical navigation was based on the open-source Image-Guided Surgery Toolkit. Target registration error (TRE) was determined by measuring the distance between the tracker and bead registered to preoperative versus intraoperative scans. RESULTS: The inferior oropharyngeal targets demonstrated the greatest displacement between positions. A significant reduction in TRE was observed when registering the tracker to the intraoperative compared to the preoperative scan. CONCLUSION: This study describes an accurate intraoperative image-guidance system for TORS.

Factor analysis of the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire in mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury patients.

Posttraumatic brain injury patients with depressive symptoms were compared with nondepressed mild and moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients based on their scores on the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPCSQ). A factor analysis demonstrated that the items of the RPCSQ loaded into three factors: mood and cognition, general somatic, and visual somatic symptom groups. Factor scores based on this model were calculated for each group and it was found that depressed subjects reported a greater severity of all three symptom groups compared to nondepressed patients. These results suggest that depression post-TBI may influence patient perception of postconcussion symptoms.