Middle ear disease in children with cleft palate: protocols for management.

OBJECTIVE: There is wide international variation in the protocols used for middle ear disease management in cleft palate patients. Ventilation tube (grommet) insertion may occur routinely at the time of palatoplasty or selectively on a separate occasion if symptomatic middle ear disease develops. The audiological and otologic outcomes of cleft palate patients were studied in a single institution over a timeframe in which both protocols were utilised. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 234 cleft palate patients who underwent palatoplasty from 1990 to 2005 at Middlemore Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand. Data on hearing loss, middle ear disease, and tympanic membrane abnormalities was collected from clinical notes. Audiological data was obtained from pure tone audiogram reports. RESULTS: Forty-five patients had routine grommets inserted concurrent with palatoplasty and 189 patients were managed conservatively with selective grommet insertion if indicated. Grommets were subsequently required in 79 (41.8%) of these 189 patients. There was no difference in the incidence of persistent conductive hearing loss, but recurrent middle ear disease, tympanic membrane abnormalities, and the total number of grommet insertions were significantly higher in the routine grommet group. Poorer outcomes were noted in patients who had undergone a greater number of grommet insertions. CONCLUSION: No significant deterioration in audiological outcomes and better otologic outcomes were found in cleft palate patients undergoing selective grommet insertion compared to routine grommet insertion. It is recommended that ventilation tube placement occur in patients selected on the basis of symptomatic infection or significant hearing loss.

Current practice in autologous fat transplantation: suggested clinical guidelines based on a review of recent literature.

After more than a century of use, fat grafting is firmly entrenched in the skill set of plastic surgeons. While macrofat grafting is relatively predictable and reliable, microfat grafting by injection is still in the stages of technical evolution. Review of the current literature suggests that revascularization may take up to 21 days to reach the center of a microfat graft. We recommend harvesting by excision (or gentle aspiration), processing by short and gentle centrifuge to separate the layers, and reinjection of the lower layer via a fine cannula (for example, 17 gauge for the face) and a 1-mL syringe with multiple passes, injecting only a tiny amount with each pass as the needle is withdrawn, to obtain the most reliable clinical outcome.

Torticollis associated with positional plagiocephaly: a growing epidemic.

The primary study aim was to identify characteristics of torticollis associated with plagiocephaly without synostosis (PWS) and to differentiate this from other forms of torticollis. The three commonest causes of infantile torticollis are idiopathic muscular causes such as sternocleidomastoid fibrosis, structural anomalies in the cervical vertebrae, and neurologic or ocular causes, such as certain types of strabismus. Recently, several units have reported increasing numbers of babies presenting with head tilt and reduced range of cervical motion, a form of torticollis apparently associated with PWS and unrelated to the etiologies enumerated above. A secondary aim was to identify local trends in referral patterns over the preceding 3 years. This was a retrospective review of 159 children attending a secondary referral center for management of positional plagiocephaly or torticollis. The data was collected in a university-affiliated child development clinic, and the records of one of three similar, community-based outpatient clinics, staffed by physical therapists and working in conjunction with our tertiary craniofacial surgery center were analyzed by medical staff. There was a persistent escalation in referrals for both PWS and associated torticollis (ie, not attributable to 1 of the 3 causes mentioned) over the study period. Anatomic and clinical features of PWS-associated torticollis were characterised and contrasted with the classic forms of torticollis. Current treatment strategies are outlined and discussed. Torticollis can predispose to PWS, but in a large proportion of our cases of PWS, torticollis appears to develop secondary to plagiocephaly, and the number of presentations is escalating.

Treatment of recalcitrant idiopathic muscular torticollis in infants with botulinum toxin type a.

Congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) is the most common form of torticollis in children, significantly outnumbering orthopedic, neurologic, and ocular causes. CMT may present as a palpable sternomastoid tumor (SMT) or a simple tightness of the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM), designated as idiopathic muscular torticollis (IMT). Muscular torticollis has been associated with positional plagiocephaly in neonates who slept in the supine position. We have had difficulty in treating some of these combined cases by traditional methods such as physiotherapy, stretching exercises, and molding helmets. In November 2000, we began injecting botulinum toxin type A in cases in which there was persistent IMT, despite significant physical therapy input. The 15 patients included in this retrospective study all presented with IMT and positional plagiocephaly; all had responded poorly to conservative treatment, including physiotherapy, stretching exercises, or use of a helmet. In the attempt to avoid progression to surgical release, these patients were treated with botulinum toxin injected into the affected SCM and subsequent additional physiotherapy. All appeared to respond well, and a retrospective analysis of this treatment strategy was undertaken. Information gathered included a questionnaire, skull-shape tracings, and photographs. Independent outcome assessment data were then obtained from the regional child development teams and community physiotherapists. These results show that 14 of 15 children with recalcitrant IMT and positional plagiocephaly treated with botulinum toxin obtained sufficient improvement in neck range of motion and head position as to make surgical release of the muscle unnecessary. Our conclusion is that the use of botulinum toxin is a safe and effective adjunct to physical therapy in treating recalcitrant IMT; in selected cases, it may obviate the need for surgical release of a tight but nonfibrotic SCM.