Implementation of a comprehensive prehabilitation program for patients undergoing radical cystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Coordinated preoperative optimization programs for radical cystectomy (RC) are limited and non-comprehensive. We evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a coordinated, multi-faceted prehabilitation program for RC patients at a high-volume bladder cancer referral center. METHODS: We performed a narrative literature review for prehabilitation in bladder cancer management as of December 1, 2020, with specific emphasis on examining higher-level evidence sources. We selected domains with the highest level of evidence and recruited a multidisciplinary team of experts to design our program. We implemented a comprehensive prehabilitation program with a pre-defined order set as standard of care for all patients undergoing RC beginning February 1, 2021. Demographic and clinicopathologic data were collected prospectively. Rates of adherence to the prehabilitation program services were analyzed using Stata version 13. RESULTS: A total of 82 patients were enrolled between February - December 2021, of which 67 (81%) had undergone RC at data cutoff. Mean age was 68 years (SD 11) and 63 (76%) identified as male. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) was utilized in 48 (59%) patients. The mean Charlson Comorbidity Index was 3.8 (SD 2.3). 100% of patients were screened for malnutrition, with 82% consuming nutritional supplements. Fifty-two percent of patients attended physical therapy pre-op. The 30-day and 30- to 90-day rates of complications were 56% and 40%, respectively. Resource length of stay (RLOS) declined after implementation of prehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a comprehensive prehabilitation program at a high-volume bladder cancer referral center is feasible and has a modest effect on resource consumption and complications in our early experience.

Physical Therapy for Muscle Tension Dysphonia with Cervicalgia.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the effectiveness of a specialized manual physical therapy (PT) program at improving voice among patients diagnosed with concomitant muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) and cervicalgia at a tertiary care voice center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cervicalgia was determined by palpation of the anterior neck. Both voice therapy (VT) and PT was recommended for all patients diagnosed with MTD and cervicalgia. PT included full-body manual physical therapy with myofascial release. Patients underwent: 1) VT alone, 2) concurrent PT and VT (PT with VT), 3) PT alone, 4) VT, but did not have PT ordered by treating clinician (VT without PT order) or 5) VT followed by PT (VT then PT). The pairwise difference in post-Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) controlling for baseline variables was calculated with a linear regression model. RESULTS: 178 patients met criteria. All groups showed improvement with treatment. The covariate-adjusted differences in mean post-VHI-10 improvement comparing the VT alone group as a reference were as follows: PT with VT 9.95 (95% confidence interval 7.70, 12.20); PT alone 8.31 (6.16, 10.45); VT without PT order 8.51 (5.55, 11.47); VT then PT 5.47 (2.51, 8.42). CONCLUSION: Among patients diagnosed with MTD with cervicalgia, treatment with a specialized PT program was associated with improvement in VHI-10 scores regardless of whether they had VT. While VT is the standard of care for MTD, PT may also offer benefit for MTD patients with cervicalgia.

Manual therapy and exercise to improve outcomes in patients with muscle tension dysphonia: a case series.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Muscle tension dysphonia (MTD), a common voice disorder that is not commonly referred for physical therapy intervention, is characterized by excessive muscle recruitment, resulting in incorrect vibratory patterns of vocal folds and an alteration in voice production. This case series was conducted to determine whether physical therapy including manual therapy, exercise, and stress management education would be beneficial to this population by reducing excess muscle tension. CASE DESCRIPTION: Nine patients with MTD completed a minimum of 9 sessions of the intervention. Patient-reported outcomes of pain, function, and quality of life were assessed at baseline and the conclusion of treatment. The outcome measures were the numeric rating scale (NRS), Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS), and Voice Handicap Index (VHI). Cervical and jaw range of motion also were assessed at baseline and postintervention using standard goniometric measurements. OUTCOMES: Eight of the patients had no pain after treatment. All 9 of the patients demonstrated an improvement in PSFS score, with 7 patients exceeding a clinically meaningful improvement at the conclusion of the intervention. Three of the patients also had a clinically meaningful change in VHI scores. All 9 of the patients demonstrated improvement in cervical flexion and lateral flexion and jaw opening, whereas 8 patients improved in cervical extension and rotation postintervention. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that physical therapists can feasibly implement an intervention to improve outcomes in patients with MTD. However, a randomized clinical trial is needed to confirm the results of this case series and the efficacy of the intervention. A clinical implication is the expansion of physical therapy to include referrals from voice centers for the treatment of MTD.