Association of gastro-oesophageal reflux and chronic rhinosinusitis: systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) has been implicated in the development of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The association of GORD with CRS is systematically assessed from the medical literature. METHODOLOGY: Embase and MEDLINE were searched using a comprehensive strategy limited to English language and Human subjects. Any study with original data on the experimental, diagnostic, treatment or prognostic association of CRS with GORD was included. Studies without a control group, case reports and review articles were excluded. RESULTS: The search returned 958 records, with an additional 10 found from bibliographic lists; this produced 32 studies. The included studies (n=32) consisted of studies reporting pathogenic factors (n=20), epidemiological association (n=8), prognostic interactions (n=3), and a combination of these outcomes (n=1). Potential pathogenic roles for GORD in CRS were supported; CRS subjects had greater prevalence of intranasal Helicobacter pylori and acid reflux than subjects without CRS. CRS is more prevalent in GORD sufferers than those without GORD. Evidence is conflicting for GORD as a factor in CRS treatment failure. CONCLUSION: The results support a significant association of GORD with CRS. Physicians should be cognizant of the potential for acid and non-acid reflux as a driving factor in CRS.

International survey and consensus (ICON) on ambulatory surgery in rhinology.

OBJECTIVES: Day-case surgery is the gold standard to several surgical procedures in Rhinology. However, few data and guidelines have been published except in the Anglo-Saxon countries and France. The aim of this survey was to propose a list of issues arising during day-case surgery in order to analyze the different constraints encountered around the world. MATERIAL AND METHOD: It was a prospective multicenter international email survey. The method was based on the formalized expert consensus methodology. A list of 11 issues was based on literature data and was sent by e-mail to 265 key opinion leaders (KOL) who attended the IFOS congress. RESULTS: The response rate was 20% from 27 countries without statistical difference between continents concerning the score on each item. The mean age of KOL was 50±10 years. Their mean length of experience was 21±10 years. Issues in relation with technical resources and experience showed that the last time at which ambulatory surgery in the day is possible was 4:00 PM but responses varied depending the availability of technical resources. Bleeding or hematoma occurred most frequently between the third and fourth postoperative day whatever the surgical procedure. A strong agreement and consensus was obtained concerning the nasal packing, septal contention and their schedule of removal which were not a contraindication of day-case. Also 75% of participants were agreeing with a therapeutic education program to improve the performance of postoperative care and decrease readmission rates. A relative agreement without consensus were obtained for the distance between the day-case unit and home, the role of surgery duration and the impact of anticoagulant and/or antiplatelet drugs in overnight admission and readmission rates. CONCLUSION: Practice varies widely owing to local organization constraints and the availability of a dedicated day-case unit seems to be the main limiting factor.

Higher Body Mass Index Is Associated with Subjective Olfactory Dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: Morbidly obese patients demonstrate altered olfactory acuity. There has been no study directly assessing Body Mass Index (BMI) in patients with olfactory dysfunction. Our purpose was to compare BMI in a group of patients with subjective olfactory dysfunction to those without subjective olfactory complaints. METHODS: Retrospective matched case-control study. Sixty patients who presented to a tertiary care otolaryngology center with subjective smell dysfunction over one year were identified. Neoplastic and obstructive etiologies were excluded. Demographics, BMI, and smoking status were reviewed. Sixty age, gender, and race matched control patients were selected for comparison. Chi-square testing was used. RESULTS: 48 out of 60 patients (80%) in the olfactory dysfunction group fell into the overweight or obese categories, compared to 36 out of 60 patients (60%) in the control group. There was a statistically significant difference between the olfactory dysfunction and control groups for this stratified BMI (p = 0.0168). CONCLUSION: This study suggests high BMI is associated with olfactory dysfunction. Prospective clinical research should examine this further to determine if increasing BMI may be a risk factor in olfactory loss and to elucidate what role olfactory loss may play in diet and feeding habits of obese patients.

Hemilaryngectomy for glottic carcinoma after radiation therapy failure.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy and safety of vertical hemilaryngectomy (VHL) for the treatment of early glottic carcinoma recurrent after radiation therapy (RT). DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Major referral center. PATIENTS: Forty patients were identified who underwent VHL for T1 or T2 glottic carcinoma between July 1975 and March 1991, and all were included in this study. Twenty-two patients had received full-course RT before VHL, and 18 patients underwent primary VHL. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The local control rates were determined for T1 and T2 tumors in each group, along with actuarial survival rates and complications. RESULTS: Local control of tumor for VHL after RT failure was 85% for T1 tumors, 78% for T2 tumors, and 82% overall. Three of four of the local failures in this group occurred in patients who had contraindications to VHL. Total laryngectomy for treatment of local failures in this group increased the local control rate to 93% for T1 tumors, 89% for T2 tumors, and 91% overall. Local control rates for the primary VHL group were 90% for T1 tumors, 75% for T2 tumors, and 83% overall. Total laryngectomy for treatment of local recurrences increased local control to 87% for T2 tumors and 89% overall. Five-year actuarial survival was 85% for each group. Delayed tracheal decannulation occurred more frequently in the patients who had undergone RT. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the oncologic safety and effectiveness of VHL for the surgical treatment of recurrent early glottic carcinomas after RT, with minimal increased morbidity.

Computed tomography--guided needle biopsy of head and neck lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of computed tomography (CT)-guided needle biopsies of head and neck lesions. DESIGN: All CT-guided needle biopsies of head and neck lesions performed between September 1994 and February 1999 were included. Cytopathologic and histologic records, along with patient clinical records, were reviewed. SETTING: A tertiary care medical center. PATIENTS: Patients referred for evaluation of lesions inaccessible to routine methods of needle biopsy. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients underwent 42 CT-guided biopsies. There were included 12 lesions in or adjacent to the skull base and 9 lesions around the pharyngoesophageal or laryngotracheal complex; the other lesions were located in the deep lobe of the parotid gland (n = 7), deep neck area (n = 12), and thyroid gland (n = 2). Diagnostic cytologic biopsy specimens were obtained in 38 (91%) of 42 needle biopsy procedures. The results were supported histologically and/or clinically in 36 cases (95%). Eighteen patients underwent open surgical procedures. Histologic confirmation was found in 86% of cases. Nineteen patients (51%) avoided an open surgical procedure: 11 with benign disease and 8 with recurrent malignancy. There were no false-positive or false-negative results, and no complications were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Computed tomography-guided needle biopsy is a safe and reliable minimally invasive technique for the diagnosis of poorly accessible or deep-seated lesions of the head and neck. Diagnostic needle biopsies allow improved preoperative planning and patient counseling in surgical patients and avoidance of open surgical procedures in patients with benign disease or recurrent malignant neoplasms.

Changes in myosin expression in denervated laryngeal muscle.

The effects of chronic denervation on the myosin heavy chain (MyHC) content and muscle fiber type composition of rat laryngeal muscles are described. The posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA) and thyroarytenoid (TA) muscles were removed 3 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after recurrent laryngeal nerve sectioning. Myofibrillar adenosine triphosphatase staining of cryostat sections was performed, and fiber type percentages were determined. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to separate MyHC isoforms, and densitometry was subsequently used for quantitative analysis. Unoperated animals served as controls. In the PCA muscle, denervation resulted in a progressive reduction in type I MyHC (the slow-contracting isoform) to an almost complete loss at 6 months, with a concomitant increase in type II MyHCs (fast-contracting isoforms, excluding type IIL). Type IIL MyHC (laryngeal-specific isoform) remained relatively constant up to 6 months after denervation. The myosin expression in the TA muscle, which contained only type II MyHCs, remained relatively constant with denervation. Changes in fiber type composition of the muscles described from tissue staining correlated with MyHC content. These findings in laryngeal muscle confirm the dependence of type I MyHC expression upon neural input, as has been found previously in limb skeletal muscles. Since the expression of all MyHCs except the IIL was modified after denervation in the PCA muscle, it is possible that the IIL isoform is maintained by factors that differ from those in the other skeletal myosins.

Atypical myosin heavy chain in rat laryngeal muscle.

The myosin content of rat posterior cricoarytenoid and thyroarytenoid muscles was described by means of histochemical, immunohistochemical, and electrophoretic techniques. Laryngeal muscles were dissected and frozen, together with other muscles (extraocular, diaphragm, extensor digitorum longus, and soleus) for comparative purposes, then sectioned serially and stained: 1) histochemically for myofibrillar adenosine triphosphatase reactivity and 2) immunohistochemically for myosin heavy chain (MHC) content with six different antibodies. Other portions of the muscle samples were electrophoresed by a glycerol sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis technique that separates the MHC protein into its specific isoforms. In electrophoretic comparison to limb muscles, the laryngeal muscles contained an additional MHC band we designated as type IIL (type II laryngeal) MHC. On histochemical and immunohistochemical staining, no fibers from the thyroarytenoid muscle and few fibers from the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle could be classified according to the standard fiber type categories established for limb muscles (types I, IIA, IIB, and IIX). These laryngeal muscle fibers appear to represent an atypical fiber type.

CSF leaks: correlation of high-resolution CT and multiplanar reformations with intraoperative endoscopic findings.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Skull base defects can result in CSF leaks, with meningitis as a potential complication. Surgeons are now routinely repairing these leaks via a nasal endoscopic approach. Accurate preoperative imaging is essential for surgical planning. A variety of imaging regimens have been employed, including axial and direct coronal CT, CT cisternography with iodinated contrast, radionuclide cisternography, and MR imaging. Now that multidetector helical CT is available, the purpose of this study was to determine how well coronal and sagittal multiplanar reformatted (MPR) images generated from a high-resolution axial dataset correlate with intraoperative findings in a group of patients with clinically proved CSF leaks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed imaging findings and surgical records of 19 patients who presented to our tertiary care institution during a 2.5-year period with clinically proved CSF leak. Patients underwent preoperative imaging with high-resolution helical CT (section collimation, 10 patients with 0.625-mm and 9 patients with 1.25-mm images), with MPR images processed by a neuroradiologist at a workstation. Two neuroradiologists, blinded to the intraoperative findings, determined the location and size of the skull base defects. All patients underwent endoscopic evaluation by an experienced sinonasal otolaryngologist, who confirmed the site of the CSF leak by direct inspection and measured the corresponding osseous defect. CT was considered accurate if it correctly localized the CSF leak and was within 2 mm of the endoscopic measurement. RESULTS: At endoscopy, 22 leaks of CSF were identified in 18 of 19 patients. CT correctly predicted the site of the leak in 20 (91%) of 22 cases and was accurate (within 2 mm of the endoscopic measurement) in 15 (75%) of 20 cases preoperatively localized. The CT measurement of the skull base defect differed from the endoscopic size in 5 (25%) of 20 cases, ranging from 7.4 mm below to 13 mm above the intraoperative measurement. When analysis was limited to the subgroup of 10 patients who had 0.625-mm axial images, the accuracy was improved, and of the 11 CSF leaks described at CT, all were verified at endoscopy. In addition, the submillimeter CT accurately measured the size of the osseous defect in 9 (82%) of 11 cases. In the remaining 2 (18%) of 11 cases, CT minimally overestimated the size of the osseous defect by only 3 mm. CONCLUSION: Axial images, and coronal, sagittal, and oblique MPR images generated from high-resolution axial CT performed well preoperatively, localizing the skull base defect responsible for the CSF leak. However, active manipulation of the axial dataset at a workstation is crucial in identifying and correctly describing these lesions. When submillimeter collimation is available, measurement of the osseous defects are accurate most of the time.

Malleable registration mask: application of a novel registration method in image guided sinus surgery.

Image-guided systems are becoming more widely used in endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery. All systems require initial registration to correlate the CT scan images to the patient's anatomy. Multiple registration techniques can be used. The ideal technique is one that is easy, reproducible, and provides the most accurate registration in the least amount of time. This study used an optical-based image-guided system (LandmarX) to test a unique mask registration technique and (compared it to a previously used anatomic registration technique. Twenty-one patients were scanned with the mask and underwent surgery. Registration was performed using both the registration mask and the anatomic landmarks. Mean registration error and time were recorded. Results are reported for 20 patients. Mean registration error for the mask technique was 0.96 mm and took a mean of 41 seconds. Anatomic registration error using five or six points resulted in a mean initial error of 2.08 mm and took 31.2 seconds. Mean final anatomic registration error was 1.53 mm, requiring reregistration of a mean of 4.6 points, and took 106 seconds. Statistically significant differences were obtained between the two techniques with regard to registration error and time to final registration. We found that the registration mask technique is a more reliable technique in ease, accuracy, and time of registration. This technique should be especially beneficial to the less experienced image-guided surgeon.

Empiric trial of high-dose omeprazole in patients with posterior laryngitis: a prospective study.

UNLABELLED: The optimal management of patients suspected with gastroesophageal reflux-related posterior laryngitis is unclear. History, physical examination, and ambulatory pH monitoring all have significant limitations in identifying patients who will respond to antireflux therapy. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the merit of empiric omeprazole therapy in patients with posterior laryngitis. METHODS: Twenty-two patients (11 men/11 women, median age 58 yr) with newly diagnosed posterior laryngitis were enrolled. All had persistent laryngeal symptoms for at least 1 month. An empiric trial of omeprazole at 40 mg q.h.s. was given for 8 wk. Four laryngeal symptoms (hoarseness, throat burning/pain, throat clearing, and cough) and four esophageal symptoms (heartburn, regurgitation, dysphagia, and odynophagia) were scored from 0 to 3. Symptom scores were obtained before, 4 wk after, and 8 wk after the start of omeprazole. Patients were classified as responders if they were symptom free or satisfied with results. Omeprazole was stopped in the responders to look for relapse. Ambulatory pH monitoring was performed in patients who did not respond. RESULTS: One patient discontinued omeprazole and withdrew from the study. In the remaining 21 patients, the total laryngeal and esophageal symptom scores significantly improved after empiric omeprazole. Fourteen patients (67%) were classified as responders. Eight patients (38%) had a relapse when omeprazole was stopped. Six patients (29%), interestingly, did not relapse and did not require long-term antireflux therapy. Seven patients (33%) were classified as nonresponders. Ambulatory pH monitoring was abnormal in four of the five patients who agreed to have this test. Increasing the dose of omeprazole to 40 mg b.i.d. provided no additional benefit in the nonresponders. CONCLUSIONS: Empiric omeprazole therapy is a reasonable, initial approach to patients with suspected gastroesophageal reflux-related posterior laryngitis. A significant number of patients do well with a short course of antireflux therapy. Additionally, a third of the patients may not completely respond to intensive medical therapy despite the fact that reflux is documented.

Meningiomas of the paranasal sinuses.

Extracranial meningiomas are rare tumors, comprising approximately 2% of all meningiomas. Previously reported sites include the orbit, parapharyngeal space, and rarely, the paranasal sinuses. A retrospective chart review of patients with meningiomas was performed over the last 25 years, and three patients were identified with meningiomas involving the paranasal sinuses. The locations included the frontal sinus, the ethmoid sinus, and the sphenoid sinus. Presenting symptoms included facial pain and nasal obstruction; two patients noted facial swelling. Diagnosis was established via endoscopic transnasal biopsy in two patients. Computed tomographic (CT) guided biopsy was utilized to confirm the diagnosis in the third patient. Surgical extirpation was successfully performed with tumors arising from the ethmoid and frontal sinuses. The patient with neoplasm in the sphenoid sinus underwent radiation therapy. Extracranial meningiomas of the paranasal sinuses are rare tumors that may present a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. We present three cases and discuss the clinical presentation, radiographic findings, diagnostic evaluation, and treatment options.

Amyloidoma of the neck: case report and review of the literature.

We present a case report of reactive amyloidoma of the neck in a patient with chronic calcaneal osteomyelitis. Localized deposits of amyloid may occur throughout the upper aerodigestive tract, but are rarely observed in the soft tissues of the neck. This is the first report in the literature of localized head and neck amyloidosis secondary to a chronic inflammatory or infectious process. A clinicopathologic review of amyloidosis is presented with particular attention to its head and neck manifestations.