Use of a 3D reconstruction model in a patient with severe atresia auris for optimal placement of Bonebridge transcutaneous bone conduction implant.

PURPOSE: Patients affected by severe atresia auris (AA) can be a challenge during hearing restoration surgery due to the abnormal position of vascular and nervous structures in the bone. A 3D reconstruction model of malformed temporal bones can be helpful for planning surgery and optimizing intra-, peri-, and post-operative results. METHOD: A 5-year-old girl with severe AA on the right side was implanted with a Bonebridge transcutaneous bone conduction implant (tBCI). 3D printing was used to reproduce the malformed temporal bone, find a good position for the tBCI and plan out the surgical details in advance. Hearing tests were performed before and after surgery and information about intra-, peri-, and post-operative outcomes were collected. RESULTS: The patient did not show any negative outcomes and, thanks to the Bonebridge, completely recovered hearing on the right side. CONCLUSIONS: 3D printing is a useful tool for planning surgery in AA patients and for preventing possible risks related to the unknown malformed anatomy.

A Novel Bone Conduction Hearing System May Improve Memory Function in Children with Single Side Hearing loss: A Case-Control Study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of an adhesive adapter prosthesis (AAP) on memory function in pediatric subjects with single side hearing loss (SSHL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Case-control study. 19 pediatric subjects with mild to moderate SSHL treated with AAP and 15 subjects with normal hearing (control group) were included in this study. Working and short-term memory functions were tested in all subjects, in silence and noise conditions. In SSHL subjects, tests were performed before the AAP was applied (T0) and at 1-month (T1) follow-up. The control group was tested once. RESULTS: AAP significantly improved working memory function in noise as measured at T1 (p<0.01) compared with T0, but T1 scores in children with SSHL remained significantly different from the ones of the control group (p<0.01). AAP also significantly improved short- term memory function test scores at T1 compared with T0 (p<0.01), but despite being in the normal range for the subjects' age, the scores remained significantly different from those of the control group (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: In pediatric subjects with mild, moderate, and moderate-severe SSHL, restoration of bilateral hearing through AAP improved short-term memory function and working memory function in noise, as measured at 1 month follow-up; however, AAP did not seem to lead to a full restoration of such functions as measured by a comparison with healthy controls. Further studies with longer follow-ups might help elucidate whether AAP can elicit further improvements in memory functions.

E-ABR in Patients with Cochlear Implant: A Comparison between Patients with Malformed Cochlea and Normal Cochlea.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to compare the electrical auditory brainstem response (EABR) following cochlear implant (CI) surgery in pediatric subjects with cochlear malformation and a normal cochlea, in order to assess the sensitivity of EABR and to evaluate the surgery outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 26 pediatric subjects who were deaf and scheduled for CI surgery were enrolled into this case control study. Group A (n=20) included subjects with a normo-conformed cochlea. Group B (n=6) included subjects with cochlear malformation. Subjects were evaluated with EABR immediately (T0) and 6 months (T1) post-CI surgery. The EABR Waves III and V average amplitude and latency were compared across time, separately for each group, and across groups, separately for each time. RESULTS: Auditory brainstem response (ABR) could only be recorded in Group A. We were able to record EABR from all subjects at T0 and T1, and waves III and V were present in all the recorded signals. There were no statistically significant differences between T0 and T1 in EABR Waves III and V in terms of average amplitude and latency in neither group. When comparing Groups A and B, the only statistically significant difference was the average amplitude of wave V, both at T0 and T1. CONCLUSION: EABR is a valid tool to measure the auditory nerve integrity after CI surgery in patients with a normal and malformed cochlea, as shown by its ability to measure waves III and V when ABR is absent. The EABR testing should be performed before and after CI surgery, and EABR should be used as a measure of outcome, especially in patients with a malformed cochlea.

Comparative Study between the use of Melatonin and A Solution with Melatonin, Tryptophan, and Vitamin B6 as an Inducer of Spontaneous Sleep in Children During an Auditory Response Test: An Alternative to Commonly Used Sedative Drugs.

OBJECTIVE: An elective investigation into the early diagnosis of deafness in children under the age of 4-5 years is performed using auditory evoked potentials of auditory brainstem responses (ABRs). In case of pediatric patients, the major difficulty includes being examined during spontaneous sleep, which is complicated to obtain, especially in the age range of 12 to 72 months. Recently, melatonin has been used as a "sleep inducer" in diagnostic tests with positive results. Our aim was to evaluate the use of melatonin and of a solution containing melatonin, tryptophan, and vitamin B6 as an inducer of spontaneous sleep on repeated ABR analyses as well as to evaluate the reduction in analyses with sedative drugs in case of uncooperative patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 748 children aged between 12 and 48 months were included in the study and divided into three groups: A: placebo (n=235), B: melatonin (n=246), and C: melatonin, tryptophan, and vitamin B6 (n=267). RESULTS: In groups B and C, in addition to physiological awakening, we observed a significant reduction in the number of repeated analyses as well as drug regimen usage. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the strategic role of melatonin as an inducer of spontaneous sleep. However, above all, it suggests that the administration of a solution containing melatonin, tryptophan, and vitamin B6 significantly reduces the number of repeated ABR examinations as well as the percentage of repeated analysis performed using sedative drugs compared to both the control group and the melatonin-only group.

Use of an electrothermal bipolar tissue sealing system in lung surgery.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the validity of an electrothermal bipolar tissue sealing system (LigaSure, Valleylab Inc., USA) in lung surgery. METHODS: Our study was divided into two phases. EXPERIMENTAL: We performed sutures of pulmonary vessels and bronchi and lung wedge resections by LigaSure in 28 lungs of adult pigs; subsequently, we quantitated the sealing capacity of the system detecting the burst pressure for each anatomical structure. Clinical: LigaSure was used in 36 patients undergoing lung surgery. We performed 23 thoracotomic procedures in 16 patients (19 wedge resections, 2 segmentectomies, and 2 fissure separations), and 20 thoracoscopic procedures (13 wedge resections, 5 bullectomies, and 2 adherence dissections). EXPERIMENTAL: Bronchi and vessels were divided into seven groups (diameter: 1-7 mm); 10 burst pressure measurements for each group were performed. A total of 84 wedge resections were performed; lung specimens were divided into seven groups (weight: 0.2-1.4 g). The percentage of bronchial sutures resistant to the pneumatic critical pressure (60 mmHg) was 100% in the 1-mm and 2-mm groups. No bronchi with 6-mm or 7-mm diameter reached the critical pressure. All pulmonary vessel sutures were resistant to the critical hydrostatic pressure (150 mmHg). The average burst pressure of wedge resection margins was higher than the critical pressure, and the percentage of suture margins resistant to the critical pressure decreased from 95% (0.2-g group) to 68% (1.4-g group). Histology confirmed the sealing of vessels, with a mean depth of thermal injury limited to 1.1mm. Clinical: In all patients, hemostasis obtained by LigaSure was effective, with minimal perioperative bleeding. The mean operating time was 77.2 min (range: 60-97) for thoracotomies and 60.3 min (range: 46-80) for thoracoscopies. The mean drainage duration was 3.1 days (range: 1-8). Two patients had prolonged air leaks (>7 days). The mean postoperative stay was 7.3 days (range: 5-13) for thoracotomies and 4.6 days (range: 1-6) for thoracoscopies. CONCLUSIONS: Use of LigaSure in lung surgery appears feasible and easy. It provides satisfactory hemostasis and air-leak prevention; results are comparable to those of stapling devices, but this system seems to have a better benefit/cost ratio. Larger series are needed to confirm these data.

Use of a modified endobronchial tube for mechanical ventilation of patients with bronchopleural fistula.

Mechanical ventilation in patients with bronchopleural fistula after lung resection is a major problem, as it causes increase of the air-leak, complicates the healing process and makes residual lung tissue ventilation difficult. We present two cases in which the use of a modified double lumen endobronchial tube improved ventilation and eliminated the fistula air-leak. We used a right-sided double lumen sher-i-bronch tube (Sheridan Catheter Corp., USA). This method, by blocking the airflow through the fistula, may facilitate the expansion of the residual lung parenchyma. In both the patients treated with this technique, we obtained a good expansion of the residual parenchyma. Despite the procedure, the first patient died of septic shock; in the second patient, we achieved improvement of the respiratory function, the weaning from the mechanical ventilation, and thereafter, the healing of the fistula. The use of a modified double lumen sher-i-bronch tube in mechanically ventilated patients with post-resection bronchopleural fistula allows the anaesthesiologist to suction separately the two lungs and to ventilate adequately the remaining lung tissue, thus obtaining the lung reexpansion and the consequent reduction of the residual pleural space, and facilitating the healing of the fistula.

Intraoperative pleural lavage: is it a valid prognostic factor in lung cancer?

BACKGROUND: In patients undergoing lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the primary TNM (tumor-regional lymph node-distant metastasis) staging system is the best prognostic factor. However, it is necessary to investigate other factors that could more accurately predict a patient's prognosis. In this study we evaluated the significance of positive intraoperative pre-resectional lavage in patients with NSCLC. METHODS: We enrolled 84 patients (79 men, 5 women) aged between 36 and 81 years (mean age, 64.8 years) undergoing a major lung resection for NSCLC, with no preoperative evidence of pleural effusions. Intraoperatively, the patients were given a pre-resectional pleural lavage with physiologic saline solution. The fluid was aspirated and sent to cytology. RESULTS: Pre-resectional pleural lavage was positive in 19 patients (22.6%). The lavage was positive in 7.3% in patients with early stage I disease (3/41) and 37.2% in patients with stage II/III disease. In the group of 16 patients with chest wall neoplastic involvement (T3), 9 had a positive lavage (56.2%; p = 0.05). No significant correlation was found between positive lavage and nodal status, visceral pleural involvement, or histologic findings. Patients with malignant cells in the pre-resectional lavage had a significantly shorter survival than patients with a negative lavage (p = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: A positive cytology finding of intraoperative pre-resectional pleural lavage could be an important prognostic factor in patients undergoing major lung resection for NSCLC. Patients with a positive lavage should be upstaged. However, larger series are needed to define accurately the role of this technique in early stage lung cancer.