Perforated esophageal intervention focus (PERF) study: a multi-center examination of contemporary treatment.

The treatment of esophageal perforation (EP) remains a significant clinical challenge. While a number of investigators have previously documented efficient approaches, these were mostly single-center experiences reported prior to the introduction of newer technologies: specifically endoluminal stents. This study was designed to document contemporary practice in the diagnosis and management of EP at multiple institutions around the world and includes early clinical outcomes. A five-year (2009-2013) multicenter retrospective review of management and outcomes for patients with thoracic or abdominal esophageal perforation was conducted. Demographics, etiology, diagnostic modalities, treatments, subsequent early outcomes as well as morbidity and mortality were captured and analyzed. During the study period, 199 patients from 10 centers in the United States, Canada, and Europe were identified. Mechanisms of perforation included Boerhaave syndrome (60, 30.1%), iatrogenic injury (65, 32.6%), and penetrating trauma (25, 12.6%). Perforation was isolated to the thoracic segment alone in 124 (62.3%), with 62 (31.2%) involving the thoracoabdominal esophagus. Mean perforation length was 2.5 cm. Observation was selected as initial management in 65 (32.7%), with only two failures. Direct operative intervention was initial management in 65 patients (32.6%), while 29 (14.6%) underwent esophageal stent coverage. Compared to operative intervention, esophageal stent patients were significantly more likely to be older (61.3 vs. 48.3 years old, P < 0.001) and have sustained iatrogenic mechanisms of esophageal perforation (48.3% vs.15.4%). Secondary intervention requirement for patients with perforation was 33.7% overall (66). Complications included sepsis (56, 28.1%), pneumonia (34, 17.1%) and multi-organ failure (23, 11.6%). Overall mortality was 15.1% (30). In contemporary practice, diagnostic and management approaches to esophageal perforation vary widely. Despite the introduction of endoluminal strategies, it continues to carry a high risk of mortality, morbidity, and need for secondary intervention. A concerted multi-institutional, prospectively collected database is ideal for further investigation.

Retrospective comparison of the effects of filgrastim and pegfilgrastim on the pace of engraftment in auto-SCT patients.

The high doses of chemotherapy used for the preparatory regimens before autologous blood or marrow stem cell transplantation leave patients at risk for neutropenic complications. The administration of filgrastim post transplant reduces the time to neutrophil recovery and therefore has become a standard practice at many institutions. In 2006, we implemented a practice change from filgrastim to pegfilgrastim. We present data on 164 consecutive patients (82 patients who received filgrastim compared with 82 patients who received pegfilgrastim) who received an auto-SCT between January 2006 and November 2007. Patients who received pegfilgrastim had faster engraftment (9.6 days compared with 10.9 days, P<0.0001), a lower incidence of febrile neutropenia (59% compared with 78%, P=0.015), as well as shorter hospital stay, fewer days of treatment with i.v. antibiotics (6.3 days compared with 9.6 days, P=0.006), and fewer radiographic tests, which translated to an estimated total cost savings of over $8000 per patient. Overall, there were no differences in toxicity with these two agents. We conclude that a single dose of pegfilgrastim is a safe and efficacious alternative to daily injections of filgrastim and can be a cost-effective approach in auto-SCT patients.

The role of FDG-PET imaging and involved field radiotherapy in relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

We examined the role of fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and the addition of involved field radiotherapy (IFRT) as potential modifiers of salvage therapy. From January 2000 to June 2007, 83 patients with chemosensitive relapsed or primary refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) underwent FDG-PET scans following second-line chemotherapy before high-dose therapy with autologous stem cell rescue (HDT/ASCR). We evaluated the prognostic value of having a negative FDG-PET scan before HDT/ASCR and whether IFRT improved the outcomes. Median follow-up was 45 months, and the 3-year PFS, disease-specific survival (DSS) and OS were 72, 80 and 78%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that a positive FDG-PET scan had worse PFS (hazard ratio=(HR) 3.4; P=0.014), DSS (HR=7.7; P=0.001) and OS (HR=5.4; P=0.001), and that patients not receiving IFRT had worse PFS (HR=2.7; P=0.03) and DSS (HR=2.8, P=0.059). Patients who received IFRT had better local control with fewer relapses within prior involved sites compared with those that did not receive IFRT (P=0.006). These outcomes confirm the important prognostic value of FDG-PET scans before undergoing HDT/ASCR. It also suggests that the role of IFRT should be evaluated further.

Evaluation of pharyngeal and laryngeal structure and function in patients with oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum.

OBJECTIVE: This study described the occurrence and expression of pharyngeal and laryngeal anomalies in a population of patients with oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum (OAVS). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study using chart review, physical examination, and endoscopic evaluation of the pharynx and larynx, and perceptual and aerodynamic evaluation of speech for assessment of vocal tract function. SETTING: Academic tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Chart review of 41 patients with a diagnosis of OAVS and clinical evaluation of 23 of the patients identified in the initial chart review, ranging in age from 9 months to 17 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data from chart review pertaining to airway and speech symptoms. Physical examination and endoscopic studies of pharyngeal and laryngeal structure and function and perceptual and aerodynamic evaluation of speech, resonance, and voice. RESULTS: Chart review showed a high occurrence of indicators of pharyngeal and laryngeal abnormalities such as velopharyngeal inadequacy and airway obstruction. Clinical evaluations documented a variety of abnormalities in pharyngeal and laryngeal structure and function as well as impairment in speech articulation, resonance, and voice. Presence and severity of pharyngeal and laryngeal abnormalities were not correlated with the severity of expression of the spectrum based on mandibular morphology. CONCLUSIONS: Oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum appears to be associated with a high occurrence of structural and functional abnormalities of the pharynx and larynx that may contribute to increased risk of airway obstruction, communication impairment, and morbidity.

Use of the tunable dye laser to delay McFarlane skin flaps.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the argon tunable dye laser, used in a noncutting, hemocoagulative mode, improves skin flap survival as effectively as a surgical delay procedure. DESIGN: A physiologic, controlled trial was completed with three groups: acute control skin flaps, surgical delay skin flaps, and experimental laser delay skin flaps. The outcome variable was percentage of skin flap survival. SUBJECTS: Forty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats. INTERVENTIONS: McFarlane skin flaps were raised in all groups. The first group had no delay procedure, the second had the standard surgical delay, and the third group was lased at the periphery of the flap 2 weeks before raising the acute flap. RESULTS: The acute control group had survival of 85.7% +/- 1.5% (mean +/- SE) of skin flaps; surgical control group, 94.4% +/- 0.7%; laser delay group, 96.5% +/- 0.1%. The survival of the experimental group was better than the acute control group and was not different from the surgical delay group by the Scheffé multiple comparison test. CONCLUSIONS: This research may lead to a technique to reproduce the benefits of the delay phenomenon without the risks and cost of a surgical procedure.

Comparison of tunable dye and KTP lasers in nonsurgical delay of cutaneous flaps.

PROBLEM: Reproducing the benefits of the delay phenomenon without the risks and costs of a surgical procedure has long been a goal of skin flap physiologists. After the success of the suture-delay technique and argon tunable dye laser in improving survival in McFarlane skin flaps, important questions remained: (1) will laser delay be effective in dermal flaps, (2) can induction of collateral blood flow be documented, and (3) is the KTP laser, which is generally more available to otolaryngologists, more effective than the argon tunable dye laser. METHODS: The KTP and argon tunable dye lasers were compared by use of the laser-delay technique, with two outcome measures - blood flow and survival. The laser-delay procedure was accomplished with the laser in a noncutting mode in an attempt to coagulate cutaneous vessels at the periphery of a planned skin flap. The objective was to induce collateralization and improve skin flap survival. Patterns of blood flow were tested by use of the base occlusion test. Flap survival of an acute control flap group was compared with that of the laser delay groups. RESULTS: Blood flowing to the distal flap area originated from the base of the flap area after laser delay. Flap survival of the laser delay groups was significantly improved over that of the control group. CONCLUSION: Both lasers were able to effectively induce collateralization and improve flap survival.

Merkel cell tumor of the head and neck. Five new cases with literature review.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) of the skin is an uncommon, but highly aggressive neoplasm with a marked propensity for local and distant metastasis. Despite the fact that more than half of the 600 cases of MCC reported in the literature involved primary sites in the head and neck, MCC has rarely been discussed in otolaryngology publications. We present five new cases of MCC of the head and neck and summarize 89 additional cases from the literature in which detailed treatment and survival data were given. Our findings again emphasize the difficulty in making the initial histopathologic diagnosis of MCC and demonstrate the necessity of early diagnosis and multimodality treatment.

The effects of the Rice infant sensorimotor stimulation treatment on the development of high-risk infants.

The Rice Infant Sensorimotor Stimulation (RISS) treatment was given to 15 premature infants to determine effects on neurophysiological development. The mothers of the infants were trained to administer the treatment for 15 minutes, 4 times a day, for 1 month, beginning the day the infant arrived home from the hospital. When each infant in the study (15 experimental and 14 control) was 4 months postnatal age, he/she was examined by a pediatrician, a psychologist, and a pediatric nurse who had no knowledge of which infant was experimental or control. The results indicated the experimental infants made significant gains in neurological development (p less than .001), weight gain (p less than .04), and mental development (p less than .05). The findings of this research indicate that early and systematic stimulation of the nerve pathways of the skin and of the vestibular nerve cells can accelerate growth and development of premature infants.