Low Misrepresentation Rates of Scholarly Work in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Residency Applications.

Objectives To evaluate research trends, including rates of misrepresentation of scholarly work, in otolaryngology residency applications received by a single institution during the 2018-2019 residency application cycle. Methods After obtaining Institutional Review Board approval, all residency applications to the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN for the 2018-2019 cycle were de-identified and analyzed. Demographic and research information including the number of listed peer-reviewed articles/abstracts, types of research projects, and misrepresentations were retrospectively evaluated. Results Our institution received 321 applications, which represented 69.5% of the entire 2018-2019 otolaryngology applicant pool. The average United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 score was 246 ±12.4. There were 203 (62.2%) applicants who reported 591 published citations with 20 (6.2%) applicants misrepresenting 26 items (4.4%). Applicants who misrepresented research output had lower average Step 1 scores (237.4 vs 246.4, p: <0.05). Self-promotion to higher authorship status was the most common form of misrepresentation (61.5%). Conclusions The role of scholarly work in stratifying applicants continues to expand. Although a competitive application climate motivates a minority of applicants to misrepresent scholarly work, rates of misrepresentation in otolaryngology applications are low and continue to decline. The level of evidence assigned to this study is III.

Audiologic Improvement Following MCF Approach for Spontaneous Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the audiologic improvement after middle cranial fossa (MCF) approach to repair spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (sCSF) leaks. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Twenty-four consecutive patients (27 ears) with temporal bone sCSF leak over a 4-year period. Patient age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index (BMI), location of CSF leak, recurrence of CSF leak, and presence of encephalocele(s) were recorded. INTERVENTION: Audiometric testing in patients undergoing MCF repair of temporal bone sCSF leak. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison of preoperative and postoperative pure-tone average (PTA), air-bone gap (ABG), and word recognition score (WRS) in the sCSF leak ear. RESULTS: Out of 27 ears, 55% had multiple tegmen defects and 82% had more than or equal to 1 encephaloceles. There were no recurrent CSF leaks at a median follow up of 4 months. The mean (SD) preoperative PTA and ABG were 40.58 [15.67] and 16.44 [6.93] dB, respectively. There was significant improvement in mean PTA (10.28 [8.01] dB; p < 0.001; Cohen d = 0.95) and ABG (9.31 [7.16] dB; p < 0.001; Cohen d = 0.88) after sCSF repair. Mean WRS improved (by 3.07 [6.11] %; p = 0.024; Cohen d = 0.46) from a mean preoperative WRS of 93.16 [9.34]% to a mean postoperative WRS of 96.26 [6.49]%. CONCLUSIONS: MCF approach for repair of sCSF leaks yields significant improvement in conductive hearing loss and is highly effective in management of the entire lateral skull base where multiple bony defects are often identified.