Middle ear pressure during sleep and the effects of continuous positive airway pressure.

PURPOSE: Prior studies evaluating Eustachian tube physiology, baseline middle ear pressure (MEP), and the effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) have been performed on awake patients. No study to date has specifically investigated MEP during sleep despite the fact that the average individual spends a third of their lifetime sleeping. The primary objectives of the current study are to quantify normal physiologic MEP during sleep and to evaluate the effects of escalating CPAP levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective observational study at a tertiary academic referral center evaluating serial tympanometry on sleeping adult patients during polysomnography. MEP was recorded awake, at 1-hour intervals during diagnostic polysomnography, and at all CPAP levels during titration. Changes in MEP with duration of sleep and escalating CPAP levels were analyzed. RESULTS: Ten adults were included (4 females; 6 males; mean age 58years). The mean MEP while awake was 3 decapascals (daPa). The mean MEP during sleep without CPAP rose steadily from 14 daPa at 1hour to 41 daPa at 4hours (r=0.52; p<0.001). The mean MEP during sleep at a CPAP level of 5cm of water was 54 daPa. The mean MEP rose steadily with increasing CPAP levels, and was 104 daPa at 10cm of water, (r=0.82; p<0.001). The mean MEP during sleep without CPAP was 26 daPa, which was significantly lower than the mean MEP during sleep with CPAP between 5-10cm H2O (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: MEP naturally increases with duration of sleep. CPAP therapy causes a supraphysiologic elevation in MEP that rises with increasing pressure levels. These findings may help guide future studies examining the safety of CPAP following otologic surgery and the potential therapeutic benefit in patients with chronic middle ear disease.

The Role of Total Parotidectomy for Metastatic Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Malignant Melanoma.

IMPORTANCE: Metastatic cutaneous malignancies of the head and neck, including cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) and malignant melanoma (MM), are aggressive cancers frequently involving the parotid-area lymph nodes (LNs). In such cases, controversy exists about the extent of surgical resection, with many centers choosing not to remove the parotid deep lobe LNs. OBJECTIVES: To determine patterns of intraparotid and neck metastasis, to identify risk factors, and to report outcomes in patients with parotid superficial lobe LN metastasis from cSCC and MM. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We retrospectively reviewed 65 adults from Mayo Clinic in Minnesota who underwent total parotidectomy and neck dissection for metastatic cSCC (n = 42) or MM (n = 23) involving the parotid superficial lobe. INTERVENTIONS: Total parotidectomy and neck dissection. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The presence and number of parotid deep lobe and neck LNs involved with metastatic disease were assessed. Risk factors associated with metastatic spread to the parotid deep lobe were identified, and patient outcomes are reported. RESULTS: Eleven of 42 patients with cSCC (26%) and 3 of 23 patients with MM (13%) metastatic to the parotid superficial lobe also had parotid deep lobe metastasis. Thirteen of 42 patients with cSCC (31%) and 6 of 23 patients with MM (26%) had positive cervical LN metastasis. Among all patients, 22% (14 of 65) had metastasis to the parotid deep lobe, and 29% (19 of 65) had metastasis to cervical LNs. By univariate analysis, neck metastasis and N2 neck disease were risk factors for metastatic cSCC spread to the parotid deep lobe. Parotid-area local control was excellent in patients with metastatic cSCC (93% [39 of 42]) and MM (100% [23 of 23]). Long-term survival remains poor because distant metastases are common. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Metastatic cSCC and MM to the parotid superficial lobe also involve LNs in the parotid deep lobe and neck in a significant and almost equal number of patients. Parotid deep lobe metastasis from cutaneous malignancies portends a poor prognosis. Therefore, patients with superficial parotid gland metastasis should be considered for management with not only neck dissection and adjuvant therapy but also deep lobe parotidectomy.

The prevalence and clinical course of facial nerve paresis following cochlear implant surgery.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To describe the prevalence, clinical course, and outcomes of facial nerve paresis following cochlear implantation and to identify variables associated with poor definitive facial nerve function. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study with systematic literature review. METHODS: All patients who underwent cochlear implantation between January 1990 and December 2010 at a single tertiary academic referral center were reviewed. Data including clinical presentation, intraoperative findings, onset, severity, management, and outcomes of all patients who experienced facial nerve paresis following cochlear implantation were recorded. RESULTS: Eight hundred eighty-eight cochlear implants (282 pediatric, 606 adult) were performed in 768 patients. Eleven patients with postoperative facial nerve paresis were identified. Ten patients (1.1%) developed delayed-onset paresis and had complete recovery within 6 months of surgery, whereas a single patient (0.1%) demonstrated immediate onset paresis and experienced incomplete return of facial nerve function. Seventeen additional cases were identified in the literature and were summarized. CONCLUSIONS: Facial nerve paresis following cochlear implantation is rare. Most cases demonstrate a delayed onset and have complete recovery within months of surgery. Delayed onset facial nerve paresis following cochlear implantation heralds an excellent prognosis, whereas immediate onset facial paresis prognosticates a poorer outcome. In the absence of medical contraindications, corticosteroid therapy should be considered in facial paresis following cochlear implant surgery.

Management of primary and recurrent endolymphatic sac tumors.

OBJECTIVE: To report the clinical presentation, management strategies, and outcomes of 14 endolymphatic sac tumors (EST). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Collective experience accrued from 2 tertiary referral centers. PATIENTS: All patients with ESTs. INTERVENTION: Microsurgery, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Treatment-related morbidity, recurrence. RESULTS: Fourteen ESTs (13 patients) met inclusion criteria. Eight tumors were sporadic, and 6 were associated with von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL). Twelve lesions were managed primarily, whereas 2 were referred for treatment of sizable recurrences after subtotal resection. Including all patients, the median age at diagnosis was 36 years, and the median duration of posttreatment follow-up was 78 months. Among primary tumors, the median delay between symptom onset and diagnosis was 36 months, and the median tumor diameter at presentation was 23 mm with most lesions demonstrating intracranial involvement. Subjects with VHL frequently presented with smaller, less extensive tumors and were more commonly female compared with patients with sporadic disease. Of the 9 ESTs presenting with normal facial nerve function, 8 maintained good (HB 1-2) posttreatment capacity. Two of 5 ears with useful preoperative hearing maintained pretreatment hearing levels after surgery. One of 12 tumors managed primarily recurred after microsurgical resection. Primary SRS was used in 1 medically infirm patient providing durable tumor control (94 mo) at last follow-up. Among recurrent tumors, 2 were managed successfully with reexcision, whereas 1 underwent salvage surgery followed by 2 sequential treatments of SRS for 2 separate intracranial recurrences; no in-field recurrence has been detected to date. CONCLUSION: ESTs are rare primary neoplasms of the temporal bone that may occur sporadically or in association with VHL. Outcomes after treatment of small less-extensive tumors are favorable compared with patients with advanced primary or recurrent disease. Furthermore, subtotal resection carries a high risk of bulky or multifocal recurrence. As such, early gross total resection remains the management strategy of choice for primary and recurrent ESTs; however, SRS should be considered in poor surgical candidates or in cases of focal intracranial recurrence when the morbidity of salvage surgery is high.