An Evaluation of On-Call Otolaryngology Consultations: Assessing an Increasing Workload.

OBJECTIVE: This study compares the volume of on-call otolaryngology consultations in a tertiary care center over a 5-year period. The objective of this study was to identify changes in the volume of consultations in an inpatient setting. METHODS: A cross-sectional retrospective study was performed to determine the volume of consultations. The years 2010 and 2015 were the timepoints for the cross-sectional analysis. A review of electronic medical records was performed to identify all patients associated with the otolaryngology service from the emergency department, inpatient wards, and intensive care units. The primary outcome was the number of otolaryngology consultations per year. RESULTS: The number of on-call consultations in 2010 was 992. In 2015, the number of on-call consultations was 2174. This represents a 120% increase in the number of consultations over a 5-year period ( P < .001). CONCLUSION: There has been a significant increase in the volume of on-call otolaryngology consultations at our tertiary care center. This increase has the potential to adversely affect patient care. A better understanding of the cause of this increase may allow policymakers and health care practitioners to improve patient access, physician workloads, and resource allocation.

Computed tomographic volumetric analysis as a predictor of local control in laryngeal cancers treated with conventional radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: There is still controversy regarding the appropriate management of large T2 and T3 laryngeal cancers, with some investigators finding little correlation between the current TNM staging system and tumour control following external beam radiotherapy. OBJECTIVE: To establish the utility of computed tomography (CT)-determined tumour volume as a predictor of local control of moderately advanced (T2 and T3) squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective chart review and CT volumetric analysis were performed on 47 patients who were treated for T2 or T3 laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma with radiotherapy alone at the London Regional Cancer Centre between 1995 and 2000. Of these 47 patients, there were 30 with glottic tumours and 17 with supraglottic tumours. Forty-two males and five females were included in the analysis, with ages ranging from 40 to 84 years. Each patient's CT scan was redigitized, and the tumours were outlined by the chief investigator and by a head and neck radiologist using anatomy modelling software. Patient demographics, tumour characteristics, and tumour stage were analyzed, with local failure rates described and related to the variables through univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Tumour size ranged from 0.15 to 16.64 cm3, with a mean volume of 3.5 cm3. The local recurrence rate in this group of patients was 40% (19/47). Local control was correlated on multivariate analysis to tumour size for all patients combined (> 3 cm3 vs < 3 cm3; p = .003) and for glottic tumours alone (> 1 cm3 vs < 1 cm3; p = .001). A correlation was also demonstrated on multivariate analysis between local control and overall stage (p = .023), patient age (p = .029), and hypopharyngeal involvement (p = .032). CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant and independent relationship between CT-determined tumour volume and local recurrence in moderately advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx treated with conventional radiotherapy. Based on these results and those of similar studies, CT should therefore become a routine part of the staging system for T2 tumours and above.