Recidivism and Recurrence.

Recidivistic cholesteatoma encompasses residual as well as recurrent disease, and can occur in up to 61% of cases. Pediatric disease may have a higher propensity for recidivism. Serial physical examination and MRI including non-EPI DWI sequences are useful in surveillance. Canal wall down approaches with mastoid obliteration may be an approach to reduce recidivism while minimizing the need for mastoid cavity maintenance. Modern techniques of Eustachian tube dilation and endoscopic ear surgery may yet prove particularly helpful in reducing re-retraction and residual disease in the retrotympanum, respectively; however, they require further study.

Comparison of Outcomes of Surgical Repair of Spontaneous Temporal Bone CSF Leaks and Encephaloceles Using Bone Cement and Autologous Material.

OBJECTIVE: To compare outcomes transmastoid repair of spontaneous middle fossa cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak using only bone cement (BC) versus only autologous material (AM) or combined materials (CM) with both bone cement and autologous material. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective Chart Review. SETTING: Tertiary Care Hospital. PATIENTS: Forty-three adult patients undergoing transmastoid repair of spontaneous middle fossa CSF leak between 2014 and 2020 (BC:12, AM:15, CR:16). INTERVENTIONS: Cortical mastoidectomy, identification of defect, and repair with BC (Cranios® hydroxyapatite), AM (local bone, fascia, fat, and/or cartilage), or CM (Cranios® combined with autologous materials). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Successful repair without recurrent CSF leak or encephalocele throughout follow up. RESULTS: Fifty-one percent of subjects were female. Mean age at repair was 58.6 years (SD 10.9). Mean BMI was 35.4 (SD 7.6; BC:36.3, AM:36.5, CM:33.6). Forty (93%) patients had successful repair without known recurrent CSF leak or encephalocele since surgery (BC:11, 91.6%; AM:14, 93.3%; CM:15, 93.8%; p = 0.49) over a mean length of follow up of 49.6 months (BC: 37.9, AM: 59.2, CR: 49.5). The difference in mean operative time amongst the groups was faster for patients using bone cement (BC: 100.2 min, AM: 182.8, CM: 133.2; p < 0.00001). CONCLUSIONS: BC, AM, and CM techniques each demonstrate effective and sustained means of repair for middle fossa CSF leak and encephalocele, even in the presence of multiple defects. Use of isolated BC offers a significant decrease in operative time with a noninferior outcome. Active CSF leak at the time of surgery is associated with increased risk of recurrence.

Novel Surgical Technique in Active Bone Conduction: Minimally Invasive Approach to Fully Implantable Osseointegrated Implant.

We report our experience using a novel minimally invasive surgical technique for implantation of a fully implantable active bone conduction implant. This was a retrospective review of 16 adults, including 10 women and 6 men. The mean age was 54 years. Hearing loss profiles included 8 with mixed hearing loss, 5 with conductive hearing loss, and 3 with single-sided deafness. Nine patients underwent placement through the standard approach and 7 with the minimally invasive approach. There were no postoperative complications at a mean follow-up of 6.5 months (SD, 4; range, 1.5-12), and all patients received audiologic benefit with objective improvement in sound-field thresholds upon activation. Mean operative time was shorter with the minimally invasive approach (64 vs 41 minutes, P = .01). The fully implantable bone-anchored auditory implant can be effectively placed via a minimally invasive incision, with potential benefits of decreased operative time, low risk for intra- and postoperative complications, and rapid healing.

Evaluation and Management of Otalgia.

Otalgia can be broadly categorized into primary otologic causes and secondary nonotologic causes. Isolated otalgia in the absence of hearing loss, otorrhea, or abnormal otoscopic findings is typically secondary to referred pain from nonotologic causes, as the sensory nerve supply to the ear arises from 4 cranial nerves and the cervical plexus. The most common causes of primary otalgia are acute otitis media and otitis externa, whereas the most common causes of secondary otalgia are temporomandibular joint disorders and dental pathology. Persistent unilateral ear pain and other alarm symptoms warrant further evaluation for possible neoplasm.

Impact of Reconstruction With Hydroxyapatite Bone Cement on CSF Leak Rate in Retrosigmoid Approach to Vestibular Schwannoma Resection: A Review of 196 Cases.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of reconstructive technique on the incidence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak following retrosigmoid approach to acoustic neuroma resection. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Academic medical center. PATIENTS: A total of 1,200 patients with acoustic neuromas presented to our institution from 2005 to 2018. Of these, 196 patients underwent surgical resection via a retrosigmoid approach. INTERVENTION: At our institution, internal auditory canal (IAC) reconstruction following a retrosigmoid approach was performed with bone wax and muscle plug or Norian hydroxyapatite bone cement from 2005 to 2013. Starting in 2014, a newer model of bone cement, Cranios hydroxyapatite, was used exclusively for reconstruction. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rates of CSF leak were evaluated across different methods of IAC reconstruction and types of bone cement. Patients whose leaks were attributable to the craniectomy site were excluded from analysis. RESULTS: The postoperative CSF leak rate among patients who did not receive bone cement for IAC reconstruction was 15.6% (n.5). The leak rate amongst patients who received Norian bone cement was 6.3% (n.4). After introduction of Cranios bone cement, the total leak rate decreased to 1% (n.1). Compared with all other types of closure, Cranios had a significantly reduced rate of postoperative CSF leak (p < 0.005). The leak rate following Cranios versus Norian was also significantly reduced (p < 0.05). Leak rate was not affected by tumor size (p.0.30) or age (p.0.43). CONCLUSION: CSF leak rate following acoustic neuroma resection was significantly reduced by introduction of Cranios hydroxyapatite bone cement.

Failure and Revision Surgery After Cochlear Implantation in the Adult Population: A 10-year Single-institution Retrospective and Systematic Review of the Literature.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize failure rate and etiology after cochlear implantation; to identify predictors and describe outcomes after implant failure. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review and systematic review of the literature using PubMed and Embase. SETTING: Academic Cochlear Implant Center. SUBJECT POPULATION: Four hundred ninety-eight devices in 439 distinct adult patients. INTERVENTIONS: Unilateral or bilateral cochlear implantation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Implant failure rate and etiology. RESULTS: A total of 32 devices (5.9%) failed in 31 patients encompassing the following failure types in accordance with the European Consensus Statement of Cochlear Implants: 17 device failures (53.1%), 11 failures due to performance decrement/adverse reactions (34.4%), and 4 medical reasons (12.9%). There was no significant difference in age, sex, or manufacturer between patients with and without failures. Twenty-five percent of patients with failure leading to explantation had childhood onset of deafness compared to 12.1% of patients with adult-onset hearing loss (OR = 2.42; p = 0.04). Performance decrement/adverse reaction patients had an older average age at implantation compared to device failure patients (mean 68.5 yr 95% CI: 59.9-77.1 vs mean 47.6 yr, CI: 39.9-55.3, p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in time to failure, sex, or device manufacturer between the different types of failures. Twenty-nine patients who experienced CI failure underwent a revision surgery, while the remaining two opted for explantation without reimplantation. One patient who underwent revision surgery subsequently presented with a second failure and underwent a second revision, which was successful.In our systematic review, 815 citations were reviewed, and 9 studies were selected for inclusion. Overall failure rate across all studies was 5.5%. Device failure was the leading cause of failure in the majority (6/9) of studies, accounting for 40.8% of all failures. Medical reasons were the second leading cause at 33.6%, followed by performance decrement/adverse reaction (20.9%) and other (4.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Cochlear implant failure is a rare phenomenon. Childhood-onset of hearing loss appears to be associated with an increased risk of overall failure. Older patients are at increased risk for performance decrement/adverse reaction. Revision surgery success rates remain very high and patients with failure of any cause should be offered explantation with concurrent reimplantation.

Impact of Underlying Diagnosis on Speech and Quality of Life Outcomes After Cochlear Implantation for Single-Sided Deafness.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to compare outcomes in speech and quality of life in those undergoing cochlear implantation for single-sided deafness (SSD), with the aim to characterize the clinical impact of underlying diagnosis in the affected ear and pre-operative hearing status. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective case series. SETTING: Academic Cochlear Implant Center. PATIENTS: 42 adult patients implanted with the diagnosis of SSD. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were evaluated at 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-operatively using AZBio sentence and speech, and consonant-nucleus-consonant (CNC) depending on appropriate testing level. Our previously validated Comprehensive Cochlear Implant Quality of Life (CCIQ) questionnaire was administered. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Speech perception, quality of life. RESULTS: Subjects were stratified by the underlying diagnosis: Meniere's Disease (MD; n = 10), sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL; n = 13), and Other (eg TBI, acoustic neuroma, progressive, noise-induced; n = 19). Mean preoperative PTA of the implanted ear was 82dB ±â€Š17; that of the nonimplanted ear was 32dB ±â€Š17. SSNHL and MD demonstrated the highest speech perception score at 3 months (93 and 95%), and "Other" demonstrated the lowest scores at 88%. All 3 groups demonstrated nadir in speech scores at 6 months before improving at 12 months, but the "Other" diagnoses maintained the lowest speech testing across all time points. All 3 groups reported improved quality of life on CCIQ. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects with SSNHL and MD demonstrate excellent speech perception and quality of life outcomes after cochlear implantation for SSD. Subjects with "Other" diagnoses underlying their SSD demonstrated lower scores on speech testing but nonetheless reported improved quality of life.