Management of traumatic laryngotracheal separation: Case series and review.

Laryngotracheal separation injuries are a rare but serious condition, as survival from such injuries relies on proper airway management. As a result, recommendations for management have been based on small case reports and expert opinion. We reviewed our last 10 years of experience with managing laryngotracheal separation injuries and identified 6 cases for chart review. Awake tracheostomy or videolaryngobronchoscopy was used in each case to initially obtain the airway. Surgical repair was then performed immediately using nonabsorbable monofilament suture or a miniplate, and a low fenestrated tracheostomy was placed. All of our patients who followed up were decannulated, eating regular diets, and had satisfactory voice quality at 3 months postoperatively. Review of the literature revealed that, while management strategies have changed over time, treatment still varies widely depending on surgeon preference and the details of each injury. Outcomes from our series suggest that our described techniques and management strategies can be used with good outcomes. We believe that this is due to securing a safe airway, early surgical intervention with no unnecessary tissue dissection, effective reconstruction of the airway, and the fenestrated tracheostomy technique.

A novel technique for unilateral supraglottoplasty.

OBJECTIVES: Traditional supraglottoplasty for pediatric laryngomalacia is most commonly conducted with either CO2 laser or cold steel instruments. While the procedure enjoys high success rates, serious complications such as excessive bleeding, supraglottic stenosis and aspiration can occur. Unilateral coblation supraglottoplasty may reduce this risk, but data on respiratory and swallowing outcomes are lacking. This study reports our experiences with unilateral coblation supraglottoplasty. METHODS: Pediatric patients with severe congenital laryngomalacia who underwent unilateral supraglottoplasty at a single institution from 2013 to 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Bipolar radiofrequency ablation (Coblation) was utilized with partial arytenoidectomy, aryepiglottoplasty, and advancement of mucosal flaps. Outcome measures included apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), weight-by-age percentile, and decannulation rate. RESULTS: Twelve patients were included with an average age of 13.1 months (range 2-28 months). In patients without tracheostomy, 88% had complete resolution of respiratory symptoms, while the remainder had significant improvement. In patients without gastrostomy tubes, there was an average increase in weight-age percentile of 6.1, 7.8, and 15.3 points at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively, respectively. Three patients had complete polysomnography data with a mean preoperative AHI of 19.3 and postoperative AHI of 4.0. Three of four patients with tracheostomy have been decannulated at a mean follow-up of 1.5 years. There were no early or late postoperative complications and no revision supraglottoplasty. CONCLUSION: Unilateral supraglottoplasty with bipolar radiofrequency ablation can improve respiratory symptoms and decrease OSA severity in severe congenital laryngomalacia. This technique is safe and can lead to substantial improvement in AHI in patients with OSA.

Pediatric tympanic membrane cholesteatoma: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Tympanic membrane cholesteatoma (TMC) is a rare anomaly found in pediatric patients with no significant otologic history. Its pathogenesis appears distinct from congenital mesotympanic cholesteatoma. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the management of TMC. METHODS: Two authors independently conducted a systematic review using the PubMed-NCBI, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases. Studies describing cases of pediatric TMC were included. Patients with history of chronic otitis, otorrhea, trauma, or otologic surgery were excluded. RESULTS: Seventeen articles were included for a total of 45 patients. Mean age was 35.9 months with 56% female. Patients aged ≥36 months had significantly larger cholesteatomas than younger patients (4.2 vs 1.9 mm, p = 0.004). Nine patients (20%) had middle ear extension but none had middle ear or ossicular disease. CT scans influenced management in 1 of 26 patients. All patients were managed surgically by transcanal approach (93%) or retroauricular approach (7%). Surgery involved enucleation without TM perforation (80%) or complete excision with TM grafting (20%). In 23 patients, the fibrous TM remained intact, and there were no recurrences in this group at a mean follow-up of 11 months. Overall, there was 1 recurrence (2%), eventually requiring reoperation. No patients experienced persistent tympanic membrane perforation, chronic otitis, or hearing loss. CONCLUSION: TMC occurs in pediatric patients without an otologic history. Associated middle ear involvement has not been reported. CT scanning may not be necessary for work up and management of this disorder. A transcanal approach with enucleation is often sufficient treatment. Risk of recurrence appears lower than with congenital mesotympanic cholesteatoma.