Socioeconomic Impact on Swallow Therapy Attendance.

Dysphagia negatively impacts quality of life and increases health care costs. Swallow therapy is the primary and effective treatment for dysphagia of various etiologies, and attendance is critical to success. This study seeks to identify barriers to swallow therapy attendance at a tertiary care, safety-net hospital. A total of 309 patients were referred for swallow therapy from January 1, 2018, to April 30, 2019. Patients were divided into those who "Attended" at least one swallow therapy appointment and those who "Did not Attend" any swallow therapy appointment. Demographics, socioeconomic factors, and diagnosis prompting therapy referral were compared between the two groups. Socioeconomic status (SES) was based on insurance status and income. 177 patients (57%) attended at least one swallow therapy appointment and 132 (43%) did not attend any appointments. Overall, 240 (78%) patients had public insurance and 69 (22%) had private insurance. Analysis of SES status identified 106 (34%) patients as double-low SES, 157 (51%) as low SES, and 43 (14%) as high SES. Referral diagnoses were "Dysphagia-unspecified type" (n = 119, 38%), "Cancer" (n = 66, 21%), "Neurologic" (n = 46, 15%), "Globus" (n = 29, 9%), "Aspiration" (n = 17, 6%), "Reflux" (n = 17, 6%), and "Throat Pain" (n = 15, 5%). No patient demographic factors, SES factors, or referral diagnosis correlated significantly with swallow therapy attendance. Overall, swallow therapy attendance was poor. In this group, socioeconomic and demographic factors did not significantly impact swallow therapy attendance. Future research should focus on identifying barriers to swallow care and strategies to improve attendance.

Impact of Patient Factors on Attendance at Remote Telehealth Swallow Therapy.

In-person swallow therapy is a primary and effective treatment for dysphagia. However, remote telehealth is now a widely utilized component of healthcare delivery for therapeutic interventions. This study evaluates potential factors influencing attendance at telehealth swallow therapy. Retrospective review of 308 patients referred for telehealth swallow therapy from April 2020-November 2021 included patient referral diagnosis, diagnostic swallowing evaluations, and sociodemographic information including age, race, health insurance, interpreter use, and socioeconomic status. Univariable and multivariable analyses compared patient and appointment factors for those who attended telehealth swallow therapy with those who did not attend. Overall, 71.8% of patients attended at least one telehealth swallow therapy appointment while 28.2% did not attend any. The most common referral diagnoses were "Cancer" (19.2%) and "Dysphagia Unspecified" (19.2%). Patients diagnosed with "Cancer" and "Muscle Tension" were significantly less likely to attend telehealth swallow therapy compared to those with "Dysphagia Unspecified," "Globus," and "Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease/Laryngopharyngeal Reflux" after adjusting for covariates. Lower socioeconomic status (p = 0.023), no interpreter use (p < 0.001), and more diagnostic evaluations (p = 0.001) correlated with higher telehealth swallow therapy attendance. Race and sex did not correlate with attendance. Most patients referred to telehealth swallow therapy attended at least one appointment. Patients with dysphagia associated with cancer and muscle tension, those with higher socioeconomic status, interpreter use, and fewer diagnostic swallowing evaluations were less likely to attend telehealth swallow therapy. Future research should investigate and compare attendance and efficacy of telehealth swallow therapy with in-person therapy.

Protocolized awake secondary tracheoesophageal puncture with immediate voicing.

Tracheoesophageal (TE) puncture with voice prosthesis placement is a common method for vocal rehabilitation in patients who have undergone total laryngectomy. Tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis (TEP) placement after laryngectomy, known as secondary TE puncture, is traditionally done in the operating room, using rigid esophagoscopy. Traditional secondary TEP placement carries a number of downsides including risks associated with general anesthesia, high cost, and technical challenges associated with anatomical variables. As a result, in-office secondary TE puncture has become an increasingly utilized procedure with many advantages but currently lacks standardization. Here, we describe a kit-based, awake, in-office secondary TE puncture with primary TEP placement technique. This technique calls for an endoscopic snare in the event there is difficulty passing the guidewire in the cranial trajectory. No surgical technique videos demonstrating in-office secondary TE puncture currently exist. Here, we present a video tutorial of our technique, breaking down the procedure into 10 steps from analgesia to voicing.

Seasonality of head and neck cancers.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to investigate if the season of diagnosis is associated with patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics within head and neck cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1406 patients with a diagnosis of head and neck cancer (HNC) were identified from a HNC database (1996-2019). Patients were classified as receiving a diagnosis in the winter, spring, summer, or fall by calendar definition. Proportions and chi-squared analysis compared patient, tumor, and treatment factors for all diagnoses. Data was subdivided and analyzed based on the primary site. RESULTS: From this cohort, 23 %, 27 %, 25 %, and 25 % of HNC patients were diagnosed in winter, spring, summer, and fall respectively with no statistically significant difference between seasons of diagnosis. When subdivided by primary site, oral cavity cancer was significantly more likely to be diagnosed in spring, salivary gland cancer was more likely to be diagnosed in winter and summer (p = 0.03 and p = 0.01 respectively). No other demographic, clinicopathologic, or management characteristics were associated with the season of diagnosis (p > 0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis of head and neck cancer does not follow a seasonal pattern. Diagnosis of oral cavity and salivary gland cancer showed a seasonal pattern. The majority of patient, tumor and management characteristics were not associated with the.

Cochlear Implantation in Pediatric Patients With Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE(S): To describe cochlear implantation (CI) outcomes, with speech perception, auditory, language, and parent-reported auditory and speech behaviors, in children with an enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) and incomplete partition type 2 (IP-II) and compare to control children without inner ear malformations (IEMs) and to determine cerebrospinal fluid gusher rates and effect on outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, and CINAHL databases were searched from inception to February 2020. Studies reporting relevant outcomes in children with EVA or EVA + IP-II and controls without IEMs undergoing CI were included. Mean differences in speech perception, auditory, and language scores between cases and controls were meta-analyzed. Gusher rates were determined by proportion meta-analyses. RESULTS: Of 214 identified articles, 42 met inclusion criteria, evaluating 775 cases and 2,191 controls. Of -cases, 578 (74.6%) had EVA and 197 (25.4%) had EVA + IP-II. Cases showed a significant improvement in speech perception, auditory and language performance, comparable to controls. Parent-reported auditory and speech production behaviors outcomes were positive among cases and comparable to controls. Pooled gusher proportions in EVA and EVA + IP-II cases were 27.7% (95% CI: 17.6-39.1) and 48.6% (95% CI: 28.6-69.0), respectively, with a proportion difference of 20.9% (95% CI: 11.0-30.1). Gusher occurrence did not impact speech perception or language outcomes. CONCLUSION: Outcomes in children with EVA or EVA + IP-II undergoing CI are favorable and largely comparable to outcomes in children with hearing loss undergoing CI without IEMs. Intraoperative gusher is more prevalent among children with EVA + IP-II as compared to iEVA. Gusher does not influence speech perception and language development outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA Laryngoscope, 132:1459-1472, 2022.

Frontal Bone Cranioplasty for Facial Feminization: Long-Term Follow-Up of Postoperative Sinonasal Symptoms.

Background: Forehead feminization cranioplasty (FFC) risks entering the frontal sinus to achieve the desired contour. To date, no study has investigated long-term FFC complications. Objective: Determine if long-term sinus and headache symptoms worsen secondary to frontal sinus mucosal violation, measured by patient-reported outcomes. Methods: Single database retrospective chart review of patients who underwent forehead contouring between August 2012 and August 2019 was conducted. Two cohorts-frontal sinus mucosal violation versus mucosal preservation-were surveyed postprocedurely for postprocedure SNOT (Sinonasal Outcome Test)-22 scores and pre- and postprocedure sinus and headache symptoms. Results: Frontal sinus violation, mean time between surgery and response was 4.16 ± 1.88 years (range: 1-8). Without violation, mean time between surgery and response was 2.5 ± 1.10 years (range: 1-5). Postoperative SNOT-22 severity scores were not different (12.55 vs. 8.6, p = 0.20). Postoperative SNOT-22 scores were equivalent to a control nonrhinosinusitis population. No difference was found between violation of the frontal sinus with worse postoperative sinus (22 vs. 5, p = 0.60) or headache symptoms. Conclusion: Our data did not detect a difference in sinus or headache outcomes in patients who experienced violation of the anterior frontal table compared with a similar population with preservation of the frontal sinus, over an 8-year follow-up.

Online Reputations: Comparing Hospital- and Patient-Generated Ratings in Academic Otolaryngology.

OBJECTIVES: This study compares hospital-generated online ratings to patient-generated online ratings in academic otolaryngology and evaluates physician factors influencing these results. METHODS: Websites of academic otolaryngologists were assessed for inclusion of hospital-generated Press Ganey surveys. Corresponding scores on Healthgrades and Vitals.com were identified via internet search. Hospital ratings were compared with patient-generated ratings, including score, demographics, and number of ratings. All data was collected between July 15th 2019 and August 22nd 2019. RESULTS: 742 academic otolaryngologists with hospital-generated ratings were identified. Mean hospital-generated rating was significantly higher ((4.70, 95% CI 4.69-4.72) than patient-generated rating (Vitals:4.26, 95% CI 4.18-4.34, and Healthgrades:4.02, 95% CI 3.87-4.18; P < .001). In patient-generated rating, an increased number of rating scores (>20) was associated with male gender, professor ranking, and >30 years in practice (P < .005). Physician demographics did not impact number of ratings in hospital-generated setting. With patient-generated, lower aggregate score was associated with professor ranking (P = .001). In hospital-generated, lower score was associated with >30+ years in practice (P = .023). Across all platforms, comprehensive otolaryngologists and neurotologists/otologists were rated lower in comparison to other specialties (PGS:P < .001,Vitals:P = .027,Healthgrades:P = .016). CONCLUSION: Hospital-generated ratings yield higher mean scores than patient-generated platforms. Between sources, Healthgrades.com scores were lower than those of Vitals.com. Professors with >30 years of practice generated more reviews in patient-generated ratings, and these physicians were generally rated lower. Access to patient-generated ratings is universal and physicians should be aware of variability between online rating platforms as scores may affect referrals and practice patterns.

Satisfaction in Academic Otolaryngology: Do Physician Demographics Impact Press Ganey Survey Scores?

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Patient satisfaction is increasingly emphasized and measured in healthcare delivery. However, patient satisfaction is multifactorial and difficult to comprehensively assess. The objective of this study was to assess for correlation between patient satisfaction measured by Press Ganey surveys (PGS) and physician demographics of gender, years in practice, academic rank, and specialty in academic otolaryngology. STUDY DESIGN: Review of publicly available PGS scores in academic otolaryngology practice. METHODS: Public websites of academic otolaryngology departments were assessed for inclusion of PGS scores. Individual physician profiles were queried for years in practice, academic rank, and specialty. Gender was determined by picture or profile pronouns. Univariate and multivariate analyses compared PGS scores with studied variables. RESULTS: Forty-seven of 113 (42.8%) academic practices publicly reported physician PGS score. Of 1,360 affiliated otolaryngologists, 742 (54.6%,592 male:150 female) revealed PGS scores. Average PGS score for male and female providers was equivalent (PGS = 4.73, P = .84). There was no significant difference in PGS scores by academic rank (P = .28). A weak statistically significant decrease in mean PGS scores was associated with longer duration of practice (r = -0.11, P = .018). Head and neck oncologic surgeons had higher mean PGS score in comparison to other specialties (PGS = 4.81, P < .05). General/comprehensive otolaryngologists had lower average PGS score (PGS = 4.66) in comparison to specialists (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Physician gender and academic rank do not correlate with patient satisfaction in academic otolaryngology as measured by publicly reported PGS scores. Head and neck oncology is rated more highly than other specialties, and physicians in practice for longer demonstrate decreased PGS scores. With PGS scores tied to physician evaluation and reimbursement, investigation into the generalizability of PGS in otolaryngology is warranted. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA Laryngoscope, 130: 1902-1906, 2020.