Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome and mixed bilateral hypoacousia case report.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RTS) in association with mixed bilateral hypoacousia. PATIENT: A 10-year-old boy presented at a private otology practice center in Bogotá, Colombia, with signs and symptoms of RTS. In addition, the patient presented with mixed bilateral conductive hypoacousia, predominantly in the left ear with a 40- to 50-dB conductive component, caused by middle ear malformations and fixation of the ossicular chain and stapes footplate. INTERVENTION: The patient underwent a left exploratory tympanotomy and then a stapedotomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Computed tomography, genetic evaluation, and audiologic testing. RESULTS: Postoperative recovery was normal. There was closure of the conductive gap (< or =10 dB) with improvement of subjective hearing. CONCLUSION: We presented a case of a patient with RTS and bilateral mixed hypoacousia who underwent a stapedotomy with a final improvement in his hearing performance. We consider it important to report and describe the simultaneous presence of these pathologic findings and to be able to analyzeif these otologic findings are coincidental or truly associated with RTS.

Comparison of endoscopic laser resection versus radiation therapy for the treatment of early glottic carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Radiation therapy (RT) and transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) are established treatments for early glottic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Similar oncologic outcomes have been reported with both modalities, leading physicians to consider other factors when making clinical recommendations. One such factor is voice-related quality of life. This investigation sought to characterize differences in self-reported voice outcomes in patients undergoing RT or TLM for the treatment of Tis or T1a glottic SCC. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of all individuals who received either RT or TLM for the treatment of Tis or T1a glottic SCC between 2004 and 2009 at the London Regional Cancer Program. The primary outcome measure was voice-related quality of life, as assessed by the Voice-Related Quality of Life questionnaire (V-RQOL). Secondary outcomes included local control, overall survival, and laryngectomy-free survival. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients were eligible for this study; 34 received RT and 23 received TLM. Forty (70.2%) of the 57 patients completed the V-RQOL. No statistically significant difference in total V-RQOL score was observed between the RT and TLM cohorts (p  =  .228). There was, however, a trend toward higher scores (ie, less voice disability) in the physical function domain of the V-RQOL for the RT group (90.0%) compared to the TLM group (80.2%) (p  =  .05). No significant differences were observed in recurrence or overall survival between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Both oncologic outcomes and self-rated voice-related quality of life are similar in patients treated with RT and TLM for early glottic carcinoma.