Annual temperature and the prevalence of frequent ear infections in childhood.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine if changes in annual temperature influence the prevalence of frequent otitis media (FOM) and respiratory allergy in children. METHODS: Annual prevalence data for FOM (defined as 3 or more ear infections per year), respiratory allergy, and seizures (nonrespiratory, control condition) in children were extracted from the National Health Interview Survey for 1998 to 2006. Average US annual temperatures for the same period were recorded from the Environmental Protection Agency. Complex samples logistic regression analyses were performed to identify possible correlations between annual temperature and each of the 3 disease conditions, controlling for age and sex. RESULTS: A total of 113,067 children were studied (mean age, 8.6 years; 51.1% girls). Overall prevalences (±95% confidence interval) were 6.3% ± 0.2%, 11.8% ± 0.2%, and 0.7% ± 0.1% for FOM, respiratory allergy, and seizures (nonrespiratory, control condition), respectively. Average annual temperatures ranged from 53.64°F to 55.09°F. Regression analysis found that annual temperature did not influence the prevalence of FOM (P = .681); male sex and younger age were associated with a higher prevalence of FOM (P = .025 and P < .001, respectively). Similarly, annual temperature did not influence prevalence of respiratory allergy (P = .883); male sex and increasing age were associated with a higher prevalence of respiratory allergy (both P < .001). Annual temperature and sex did not influence seizure prevalence; however, increasing age was negatively associated. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in average annual temperature do not appear to influence the prevalence of otitis media or respiratory allergy. This negative finding suggests that although global warming continues to affect our environment, childhood otolaryngologic disease prevalence may not be directly influenced.

Establishing Healthy Lifestyle Choices Early: How to Counsel Children and Their Parents.

Promoting childhood and adolescent health and long-term well-being requires an emphasis on preventative care and anticipatory guidance. In this review, the authors will focus on pertinent ear, nose, and throat preventative health in children, providing clinicians with relevant and succinct information to counsel children and their parents on the following essential subjects: foreign body aspiration and ingestion, upper respiratory infection prevention, noise exposure risks, aural hygiene, risks of primary and secondhand smoke exposure, and sleep hygiene.

Barriers to Receiving Necessary Hearing Care Among US Children.

OBJECTIVE: We aim to clarify the national scope of unmet pediatric hearing care needs and identify specific barriers to hearing care. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of a nationally representative data set. SETTING: This study is based on the combined 2016 and 2017 National Survey of Children's Health. This survey covers the physical and emotional health, access to care, and social context of US children and adolescents aged 0 to 17 years. METHODS: Analysis of parent-reported responses of children's hearing status, access to care, and perceived barriers. RESULTS: Overall, 0.3% (n = 206,200) of US children surveyed reported needing hearing care, which was not received. A further 1.3% (n = 934,000) reported deafness or problems with hearing, and of these, 6.4% (n = 60,000) reported not receiving necessary hearing care. Rates of insurance coverage between children with deafness/hearing problems and the general population were similar (91.7% vs 93.9%); however, deaf or hard-of-hearing children with unmet hearing care needs were more likely to be from non-White backgrounds (P = .009) and to lack health insurance coverage (P = .001). Rates of unfulfilled hearing care by reason were as follows: 57.5% without eligibility for the service, 45.4% reporting the service was not available in their area, 53.7% with difficulty obtaining an appointment, and 53.5% reporting issues with cost. CONCLUSION: Over 200,000 children annually do not receive necessary hearing-related care despite high rates of insurance coverage, and nearly 60,000 of these children are deaf or hard of hearing. Cost, eligibility for and distribution of services, and timely appointments are the primary barriers to hearing health care.

Changing healthcare providers' behavior during pediatric inductions with an empirically based intervention.

BACKGROUND: Each year more than 4 million children experience significant levels of preoperative anxiety, which has been linked to poor recovery outcomes. Healthcare providers (HCPs) and parents represent key resources for children to help them manage their preoperative anxiety. The current study reports on the development and preliminary feasibility testing of a new intervention designed to change HCP and parent perioperative behaviors that have been reported previously to be associated with children's coping and stress behaviors before surgery. METHODS: An empirically derived intervention, Provider-Tailored Intervention for Perioperative Stress, was developed to train HCPs to increase behaviors that promote children's coping and decrease behaviors that may exacerbate children's distress. Rates of HCP behaviors were coded and compared between preintervention and postintervention. In addition, rates of parents' behaviors were compared between those that interacted with HCPs before training to those interacting with HCPs after the intervention. RESULTS: Effect sizes indicated that HCPs who underwent training demonstrated increases in rates of desired behaviors (range: 0.22-1.49) and decreases in rates of undesired behaviors (range: 0.15-2.15). In addition, parents, who were indirectly trained, also demonstrated changes to their rates of desired (range: 0.30-0.60) and undesired behaviors (range: 0.16-0.61). CONCLUSIONS: The intervention successfully modified HCP and parent behaviors. It represents a potentially new clinical way to decrease anxiety in children. A multisite randomized control trial funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Development will examine the efficacy of this intervention in reducing children's preoperative anxiety and improving children's postoperative recovery.

Management and outcomes of laryngeal injuries in the pediatric population.

OBJECTIVES: Pediatric laryngeal trauma is an uncommon event. The purpose of this study was to identify outcomes following surgical procedures for pediatric laryngeal trauma, and to provide an in-depth review of the literature. METHODS: The National Trauma Data Bank was utilized to identify pediatric laryngeal trauma incidents with admission years 2002 through 2006. Patient demographics, injury type, surgical procedures, hospital and intensive care unit durations, ventilator duration, and discharge disposition were abstracted. RESULTS: There were 69 laryngeal trauma incidents identified, with a median patient age of 12.8 years and an overall mortality rate of 8.7%. Laryngeal injury was frequently blunt-force in nature (82.8%) and often occurred in conjunction with trauma to multiple organ systems (76.8%). Tracheotomy (16 procedures), laryngeal suturing (13 procedures), and laryngeal fracture repair (10 procedures) were the most frequent procedures identified. Laryngeal fracture repair was noted to increase the overall hospital duration (p = 0.040). The communication scores were affected only by tracheotomy (p = 0.013). Surgical intervention did not significantly affect the frequency of home discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric laryngeal trauma is an uncommon event that can be evaluated with the National Trauma Data Bank. Although patients who undergo laryngeal fracture repair appear to have an increased duration of hospitalization, patients who undergo tracheotomy or laryngeal suturing do not have increased durations of ventilator dependence, stay in an intensive care unit, or hospitalization.

Preoperative Predictors and Costs of 30-Day Readmission Following Inpatient Pediatric Tonsillectomy in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: To understand national trends in 30-day postoperative readmission following inpatient pediatric tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Nationwide Readmissions Database. METHODS: We used the Nationwide Readmissions Database to identify and analyze 30-day readmissions following inpatient tonsillectomy from 2010 to 2015. Using the International Classification of Disease codes, we identified 66,652 patients and analyzed the incidence, causes, risk factors, and costs of 30-day readmission. RESULTS: Of 66,652 patients who underwent inpatient tonsillectomy, 2660 (4.0%) experienced a readmission. Readmitted patients were more commonly aged <2 years (23.4 vs 10.6%, P = .01) and had a greater burden of comorbidities, including preoperative anemia (3.9 vs 1.3%, P < .001), coagulopathy (3.5 vs 1.4%, P < .001), and neurologic disorders (19.1 vs 6.6%, P < .001). Readmitted patients experienced higher rates of postoperative complications (17.4 vs 9.0%, P < .001) and had a longer length of stay (4.5 vs 2.2 days, P < .001). Index cost of hospitalization was higher among readmitted patients ($14,129 vs $7307, P < .001), and each readmission cost an additional $7576. Postoperative hemorrhage (21.3%) and dehydration (17.7%) were the 2 most common causes for readmission. Independent predictors of readmission included age <3 years, multiple comorbidities, and postoperative neurologic complications. The incidences of tonsillectomies and readmissions declined during the study period, most notably between 2010 and 2012. CONCLUSION: Readmission after inpatient tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy places a substantial financial burden on the health care system. Targeted strategies to improve preoperative assessment and optimize postoperative care may prevent readmission, reduce unnecessary health care expenditures, and improve patient outcomes.

Portable, non-powered, suction-generating device for management of life-threatening aerodigestive tract foreign bodies: Novel prototype and literature review.

OBJECTIVE: To present a novel approach for the emergent, pre-hospital management of life-threatening aerodigestive tract foreign body aspiration using a portable, non-powered, suction-generating device (PNSD), in the context of a literature review of emergent pre-hospital management of patients with foreign body airway obstruction. METHODS: The PubMed and MEDLINE databases were comprehensively screened using broad search terms. A literature review of pre-hospital management and resuscitative techniques of foreign body airway obstruction was performed. Further, independent measurements of PNSD pressure generation were obtained. Application of a PNSD in cadaveric and simulation models were reviewed. A comparative analysis between a PNSD and other resuscitative techniques was performed. RESULTS: Physiologic data from adult and pediatric human, non-human, and simulation studies show pressure generation ranging from 5.4 to 179 cm H2O using well-established resuscitative maneuvers. Laboratory testing demonstrated that a protypic PNSD demonstrated peak airway pressures of 434.23 ±â€¯12.35 cm H2O. A simulation study of a PNSD demonstrated 94% reliability in retrieving airway foreign body, while a similar cadaveric study demonstrated 98% reliability, with both studies approaching 100% success rate after multiple attempts. Several case reports have also shown successful application of PNSD in the emergent management of airway foreign body in elderly and disabled patients. CONCLUSION: PNSDs may play an important role in the emergent, non-operative, pre-hospital management of upper aerodigestive tract foreign body aspiration, particularly in settings and populations with high choking risk. Further characterization of effectiveness and safety in larger cadaveric or simulation studies mimicking physiologic conditions is indicated.

Revisits after pediatric tracheotomy: Airway concerns result in returns.

OBJECTIVES: Children undergoing tracheotomy represent a medically vulnerable patient population, and understanding the reasons for revisiting the hospital setting following tracheotomy is critical for improving the quality of care for these patients. This study aims to investigate the incidence and characteristics of revisits following pediatric tracheotomy. METHODS: Cross-sectional, population-based study using state databases. The State Inpatient Databases and State Emergency Department Databases for California, Florida, Iowa and New York 2010-11 were linked and examined for cases of pediatric tracheotomy (patients < 18.0 years) and corresponding subsequent 30-day post-discharge revisits. Demographic and descriptive data were analyzed determining the revisit rate, revisit diagnoses, procedures, and discharge dispositions. RESULTS: 2,248 pediatric tracheotomy cases were extracted (60.8% male, mean age 8.3 years). There were 373 inpatient or emergency department revisits (30-day revisit rate, 16.6%), of which 34.3% occurred within 48 h after discharge. Of these, 59.2% were inpatient readmissions. There were ≤10 deaths during these revisits (30-day revisit mortality rate, ≤2.7%). The most common primary revisit diagnoses were "fitting of prosthesis and adjustment of devices" (25.7%, likely representing adjustment/replacement of the tracheotomy tube), respiratory failure (11.0%), intracranial injury (5.4%), pneumonia (4.0%), "other upper respiratory disease" (3.8%), and "complications of surgical procedures or medical care" (3.8%). The most common revisit procedures were endotracheal intubation (11.4%), mechanical ventilation (8.8%), and replacement of tracheostomy tube (≤2.7%). Children discharged to a skilled care facility (47.1%) were more likely than those discharged to home (52.9%) to have a revisit (23.3% versus 12.0%, respectively; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Children undergoing tracheotomy have a substantial 30-day revisit rate, most notably during the first 48 h after discharge, often involving tracheotomy tube or pulmonary complications. Improvements in discharge planning should target prevention of these complications.

Cold dissection versus coblation-assisted adenotonsillectomy in children.

OBJECTIVE: To compare intraoperative efficiency and postoperative recovery between cold dissection adenotonsillectomy (CDA) and coblation-assisted adenotonsillectomy (CAA). METHODS: A prospective, randomized, single-blind trial of pediatric patients aged 2 to 16 years undergoing adenotonsillectomy was conducted. Patients were randomized to undergo either CDA or CAA. Measured intraoperative parameters included surgical duration and intraoperative blood loss. Measured postoperative parameters included a 14 day caregiver questionnaire that recorded a daily pain rating using the Wong-Baker FACES pain scale, pain medication use, days to return to a normal diet, and days to return to a normal caregiver routine. Postoperative complications were also recorded. Intraoperative and postoperative measures were statistically compared between groups. RESULTS: Forty-six children with a mean age of 6.7 years (23 CDA and 23 CAA) were randomized and completed the study. Mean age and sex distributions were similar between groups (P > .05). Surgical times were significantly shorter for the CAA group versus the CDA group (11.2 min vs. 17.0 min, P < .001). Intraoperative blood loss was statistically lower for both the adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy portions of the procedure for the CAA group versus the CDA group (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in reported daily pain scores between groups (P = .296, analysis of variance). Both groups returned to normal diet (P = .982), and caregivers returned to their normal routine on similar postoperative days (P = .631). CONCLUSIONS: CAA offers better operative speed and intraoperative hemostasis as compared with CDA. However, CAA does not result in poorer postoperative pain scores or recoveries despite these intraoperative advantages.

Academic otolaryngology in the new millennium: we are falling behind.

OBJECTIVES: Determine if young academic otolaryngologists are exhibiting declining publication rates. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A sample of 50 academic otolaryngologists graduating during 1995 to 1999 was selected randomly. For the five years post-graduation, peer-reviewed publications were determined from MEDLINE. Publication rates were compared with prior decade cohorts (1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s). RESULTS: The recent cohort of academic otolaryngologists published a mean of 4.5 articles in five years versus 6.4 for the early 1990s cohort and 8.9 for the 1980s cohort, a statistically significant decline (P = 0.020, ANOVA). Similar declines in major otolaryngology articles (2.4 [1995 to 1999] vs 3.3 [1990 to 1994] vs 5.7 [1980s], P = 0.005) and number of first author articles (1.3 vs 1.6 vs 3.1, P = 0 .007) published were noted. CONCLUSIONS: The scholarly output of young academic otolaryngologists is declining when compared with academic otolaryngologists graduating the 1980s and early 1990s. SIGNIFICANCE: This raises concern for the potential career success of new academic otolaryngologists.

Parental understanding and attitudes of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea and adenotonsillectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To explore parental perceptions and knowledge of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and adenotonsillectomy. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: National polling organization. PARTICIPANTS: Population-based sample of 584 parents. INTERVENTION: Online surveys. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Responses to questions regarding knowledge of pediatric OSA and treatment with adenotonsillectomy. RESULTS: Ninety-five percent of parents acknowledged that pediatric OSA is a "serious condition". Fifteen percent considered themselves to be "knowledgeable" about it. One fifth understood that untreated OSA could lead to cardiopulmonary disease, failure to thrive, or behavioral problems, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Less than 20% knew that pediatric OSA could be treated with adenotonsillectomy. Thirty-seven percent believed adenotonsillectomy to be an "outdated" procedure. Upon learning that adenotonsillectomy can treat OSA, 82% reported they would be eager to have a child with OSA undergo adenotonsillectomy. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of parents do not understand symptoms, consequences and treatment of pediatric OSA secondary to adenotonsillar hypertrophy. Otolaryngologists should be diligent in communicating issues of this disorder with parents and pediatricians.

Epidemiological characteristics of pediatric epistaxis presenting to the emergency department.

OBJECTIVE: Investigate the epidemiological characteristics of pediatric epistaxis in the emergency department setting. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study using national databases. METHODS: Children (age <18 years) presenting with a diagnosis of epistaxis were extracted from the State Emergency Department Databases for New York, Florida, Iowa, and California for the calendar year 2010. Associated diagnoses, procedures, encounter characteristics, and demographic data were examined. RESULTS: There were 18,745 cases of pediatric epistaxis (mean age 7.54 years, 57.4% male). Overall, 6.9% of patients underwent procedures to control epistaxis, of which 93.5% had simple anterior epistaxis control. The distribution of pediatric epistaxis was highest in spring and summer months (p < 0.001). Children from the lowest income quartile comprised a higher proportion of epistaxis presentations (38.8%, p < 0.001), yet were least likely to have an epistaxis control procedure performed (p < 0.001). Most patients had either Medicaid (43.8%) or private insurance (41.3%). Patients with Medicaid and those without healthcare coverage were least likely to undergo an epistaxis control procedure (p < 0.001). White children were more likely to undergo an epistaxis control procedure compared to those of minority backgrounds (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Most emergency department presentations of pediatric epistaxis are uninvolved cases that do not require procedural intervention. The overrepresentation of low socioeconomic status patients may suggest an overutilization of emergency services for minor cases of epistaxis, and perhaps a lack of access to primary care providers. This is the first study to evaluate racial and socioeconomic factors in relationship to pediatric epistaxis. Further investigation is needed to better elucidate these potential disparities.

Pediatric otolaryngologic conditions: Racial and socioeconomic disparities in the United States.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Determine the national incidence and disparities for common pediatric otolaryngologic conditions. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative database. METHODS: The National Health Interview Survey (2012) was analyzed, extracting children with frequent ear infections (FEI), nonstreptococcal sore throat (NSST), streptococcal pharyngitis (SP), hay fever, and sinusitis. Demographic data including age, sex, race, Hispanic ethnicity, geographic region, poverty level, and insurance status were extracted. The annual incidences of these conditions were determined. Disparities in the incidence of each condition was determined according to race and ethnicity, adjusting for other demographic variables. RESULTS: Among 73.3 million children (average age, 8.6 years; 51.1% male), the incidences were: FEI (4.0 million, 5.5% of children), NSST (11.9 million, 20.6% of children), SP (8.0 million, 13.8% of children), hay fever (6.6 million, 9.0% of children), and sinusitis (4.5 million, 7.9% of children). Black and Hispanic children were less likely to be diagnosed with FEI than white children (odds ratio: 0.503 [95% confidence interval: 0.369-0.686] and odds ratio: 0.661 [95% confidence interval: 0.515-0.848]), adjusting for all other demographic variables. Black and Hispanic children were also less likely to be diagnosed with SP than white children (odds ratio: 0.433 [95% confidence interval: 0.342-0.547] and odds ratio: 0.487 [95% confidence interval: 0.401-0.592], respectively). Similar decreased odds ratios for black and Hispanic children were evident for hay fever (odds ratio: 0.704 [95% confidence interval: 0.556-0.890] and odds ratio: 0.708 [95% confidence interval: 0.565-0.888], respectively) and for sinusitis (odds ratio: 0.701 [95% confidence interval: 0.543-0.905] and odds ratio: 0.596 [95% confidence interval:0.459-0.773], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Black and Hispanic children are consistently less likely to be identified or diagnosed with FEI, hay fever, SP, and sinusitis compared to white children. These data likely highlight a significant health care disparity according to race/ethnicity in otolaryngology. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b Laryngoscope, 127:746-752, 2017.

Clinical characteristics and survival for major salivary gland malignancies in children.

OBJECTIVE: Determine presentation and survival rates for malignant pediatric salivary gland neoplasms. METHODS: All cases of malignant neoplasms involving the parotid or submandibular gland in patients ages birth to 18 years were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (1988-2001). Variables included age, gender, tumor histology, size, follow-up time, and vital status. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were constructed. RESULTS: 113 primary salivary gland malignancies (103 parotid, 10 submandibular) were identified. Mean age at presentation was 13.2 years. Female:male ratio of 5:4. Mean tumor size was 2.5 cm. Among parotid tumors, there were 44 (43%) mucoepidermoid carcinomas and 35 (34%) acinic cell carcinomas. At a mean follow-up of 69.4 months, 6 (5.8%) patients with parotid malignancy were deceased; none of the submandibular malignancies were fatal. Mean Kaplan-Meier survival for parotid gland lesions was 153 months, with rhabdomyosarcomas exhibiting significantly worse survivals as compared to other malignancies (P < 0.001, log-rank test). CONCLUSIONS: Both epithelial and mesenchymal tumors present in the pediatric salivary gland. Survival for both parotid and submandibular gland malignancies is good in children. EBM RATING: C-4.

Outcomes of reduced postoperative stay following outpatient pediatric tonsillectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To assess outcomes of reduced postoperative recovery room observation times and associated complication rates following outpatient pediatric adenotonsillectomy at a tertiary care medical center outpatient facility over a 7.5-year period. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. METHODS: Charts from all outpatient pediatric adenotonsillectomies performed by one surgeon from January 1998 through June 2005 at a tertiary care center were reviewed. RESULTS: Seven hundred and ninety seven (797) charts had sufficient documentation to be included in this study. Mean patient age was 6.8 years (median 5.5 years, range 2-21 years). There were 53 patients under 3 years old (6.64%), 655 patients age 3-12 years (82.18%), and 89 patients age 12-21 years (11.17%). Mean postoperative recovery room observation time prior to discharge was 1.47 h (median 1.33 h, range 0.45-7.25 h). Primary (<24 h postoperative) complication rate was 0.0075%, and secondary (>24 h postoperative) complication rate was 0.0063%. There were no significant differences in duration of postoperative recovery room observation or postoperative complications between the three age groups (p=0.10). CONCLUSIONS: Very brief postoperative observation periods following outpatient pediatric adenotonsillectomy may be considered safe, without added risk nor increased short-term or long-term complications. While individual cases may merit prolonged postoperative observation periods, the majority of study patients had no postoperative complications despite shorter recovery room stays than described in prior reports. These data support safety and efficacy of reduced postoperative stays. Our data should be considered in order to increase the efficiency and cost effectiveness of outpatient surgery centers where such procedures are performed.

Patterns of Hospital Use and Regionalization of Inpatient Pediatric Adenotonsillectomy.

IMPORTANCE: Pediatric adenotonsillectomy is one of the most frequently performed procedures in the United States. Whereas several studies have focused on tonsillectomy techniques and outcomes, little is known about the overall changes in the distribution of care. Variations in care patterns between academic and nonacademic settings may have important financial and educational effects. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether regionalization of inpatient pediatric adenotonsillectomy has occurred over the past decade with respect to hospital teaching status and primary expected payer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Secondary analysis of all inpatient admissions following pediatric adenotonsillectomy (age <18 years) in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample during the calendar years 2000, 2005, and 2010. EXPOSURE: Inpatient pediatric tonsillectomy. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The percentage distributions of pediatric adenotonsillectomies with respect to hospital teaching status and primary payer were compared according to calendar year to determine temporal changes. Multivariate analysis was conducted with logistic regression to determine year-to-year changes in the proportion of pediatric adenotonsillectomy admissions, controlling for hospital teaching status and expected source of payment. RESULTS: The estimated numbers of inpatient hospital pediatric adenotonsillectomy stays in the United States in 2000, 2005, and 2010 were 12 879 (SE, 1695), 17 245 (SE, 2276), and 13 732 (SE, 2082), respectively. There was a significant increase in the proportion of children admitted to academic hospitals from 60.1% to 69.8% to 78.6%, respectively (P = .045). With respect to teaching hospitals, the primary expected payer distribution shifted significantly, with an increase in Medicaid recipients from 38.4% to 38.9% to 50.5%, and a decline in private insurance from 57.7% to 51.5% to 43.9% (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Inpatient pediatric adenotonsillectomies are increasingly being regionalized to academic/teaching hospitals. Concurrently, the proportion of patients using Medicaid as the primary payer has increased for inpatient tonsillectomies in teaching hospitals. Such regionalization has important implications for health care reimbursement and distribution of care.

Population-based outcomes for pediatric thyroid carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The objective was to determine clinical features and clinical outcomes for pediatric thyroid carcinoma. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of national cancer database. METHODS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (1988-2000) was surveyed, extracting all cases of pediatric thyroid carcinoma. Clinical features including age, gender, tumor type, tumor size, nodal disease, treatment modality, and survival variables were retrieved. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was conducted to determine actuarial survival according to histological type. Cox regression analysis was conducted to determine prognostic factors affecting survival in pediatric carcinoma. RESULTS: In all, 566 cases of thyroid carcinoma were extracted for the time period. Mean patient age at presentation was 16.0 years, with a female predominance (84.8%). There were 378 cases of papillary carcinoma, 137 cases of follicular variant of papillary carcinoma, and 51 cases of follicular carcinoma. The average tumor size was 2.6 cm, and 37.1% of patients presented with positive nodal disease. Overall survival was excellent with mean survivals greater than 145 months for each histological type. Follicular carcinoma exhibited a slightly poorer survival that was statistically significant (P = .017) CONCLUSION: Pediatric thyroid carcinoma primarily affects girls. Clinical features of tumor presentation are similar to those of adults with thyroid carcinoma. However, overall survival for pediatric thyroid carcinoma is excellent, with few patients dying of disease.

The validity of the OSA-18 among three groups of pediatric patients.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the signs and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in three groups of pediatric patients; solid organ transplant recipients, healthy children, and children with leukemia; in order to examine the effects of chronic illness on the obstructive sleep apnea-18-item questionnaire and to investigate its validity as a screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea in the pediatric solid organ transplant population. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, there were two hundred and six subjects; 46 kidney transplant recipients, 59 liver transplant recipients, 34 patients with leukemia, and 67 healthy children. Adenotonsillar enlargement was assessed by using the obstructive sleep apnea-18-item questionnaire and by performing a focused physical examination of the oral and nasal cavity at the time of the child's routine visit in either the transplant clinic, outpatient oncology center, or general pediatric clinic. RESULTS: Comparison of questionnaire scores amongst the three groups showed significant differences between the healthy children and liver transplant recipients as well as those with leukemia. There was a significant difference in the physical examination scores of the children with leukemia as compared to the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Adenotonsillar enlargement in pediatric transplant recipients can be an early indication of post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder. However, the prevalence of adenotonsillar enlargement in the transplant population does not appear to differ from that of the healthy population. Additionally, scores on the OSA-18 in the transplant population were confounded by chronic illness. Further prospective studies need to be performed to develop a screening tool to identify transplant recipients at risk for post-transplantation adenotonsillar lymphoma.

Familial bilateral abductor vocal cord paralysis.

Familial bilateral abductor vocal cord paralysis is a rare entity with few prior descriptions in the literature. Modes of inheritance include X-linked, autosomal recessive, and autosomal dominant. A case of this condition in a father and son is presented. Signs and symptoms at presentation, diagnosis, therapeutic considerations, and modes of inheritance are discussed.