Thyroid Dysfunction in Ménière's Disease: A Comprehensive Review.

INTRODUCTION: The precise etiology of Ménière's disease (MD) remains unknown; however, given the association of MD with serum antibodies and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex, several studies have proposed a relationship between MD and thyroid disorders. Similarly, multiple hypotheses exist regarding the metabolic disturbances of fluctuating thyroid hormone as a potential contributing agent in the development of MD. METHODS: A total of 171 abstracts were identified and screened by 2 independent reviewers. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 8 studies were selected for final analysis. Due to heterogeneity of clinical data, meta-analysis was not feasible. RESULTS: The prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease and hypothyroidism in MD varied significantly from 1 to 38%. Notable bias was introduced given the lack of standardization of diagnostic criteria across studies. Articles that described autoimmune thyroid-specific antibodies and HLA types also presented inconclusive results. Multiple studies noted a potential etiologic role of hypothyroidism in MD, which was often confounded by thyroxine supplementation. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a potential correlation in the medical literature between thyroid disorders and MD, there is currently no definitive causal relationship. Although most of the present medical literature focuses on autoimmunity, dysregulated thyroid hormone levels may also be implicated in the association of MD with thyroid disorders.

Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications in Craniomaxillofacial Trauma and Head and Neck Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. Our review serves as a safety resource based on the current literature and is aimed at providing best-practice recommendations. Specifically, this article is focused on considerations in the management of craniomaxillofacial trauma as well as reconstructive procedures after head and neck oncologic resection. METHODS: Relevant clinical data were obtained from peer-reviewed journal articles, task force recommendations, and published guidelines from multiple medical organizations utilizing data sources including PubMed, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, and Google search queries. Relevant publications were utilized to develop practice guidelines and recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: The global COVID-19 pandemic has placed a significant strain on health care resources with resultant impacts on patient care. Surgeons operating in the head and neck are particularly at risk of occupational COVID-19 exposure during diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and must therefore be cognizant of protocols in place to mitigate exposure risk and optimize patient care.

Autoincudotomy as an uncommon etiology of conductive hearing loss: Case report and review of literature.

Ossicular pathology is a recognized etiology of conductive hearing loss. Ossicular pathology includes 2 main categories, that is, ossicular chain fixation and ossicular discontinuity. Ossicular discontinuity can be congenital or acquired. Auto-incudotomy is an uncommon form of acquired ossicular discontinuity that usually occurs as a sequel of spontaneous expulsion of cholesteatoma. Typically, it manifests with conductive hearing loss without evidence of cholesteatoma. In this report, we presented CT imaging finding of a 34-year-old male with tympanic membrane perforation and defective long process of the incus (auto-incudotomy) with minimal middle ear granulation tissue and adhesions, sequela of cholesteatoma. Radiologists should pay attention for evaluation of ossicles especially in patients presented with conductive hearing loss.

Headache Diagnosis in Children and Adolescents.

Pediatric headache is a common medical complaint managed across multiple subspecialties with a myriad of unique factors (clinical presentation and disease phenotype) that make accurate diagnosis particularly elusive. A thorough understanding of the stepwise approach to headache disorders in children is essential to ensure appropriate evaluation, timely diagnosis, and efficacious treatment. This work aims to review key components of a comprehensive headache assessment as well as discuss primary and secondary headache disorders observed in children, with a particular focus on clinical pearls and "red flag" symptoms necessitating ancillary diagnostic testing.

Predictive Patient Factors for Poor Outcomes Following Stapedotomy for Otosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess patient-related risk factors associated with poor outcomes following stapedotomy for otosclerosis. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Academic tertiary care center. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of 107 patients with otosclerosis who underwent stapedotomy between 2013 and 2020. Demographics, comorbidities, and smoking history were obtained. Preoperative and postoperative audiogram data, including air-bone gap (ABG), and complications were collected. Data were analyzed using t test and Fischer's exact test for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. RESULTS: Among 107 patients, 29.5% were smokers and 70.1% non-smokers. Overall, the average ABG-gain 3-months postoperatively was 20.2 dB, and intraoperative and postoperative complications were 3.74 and 13.1%, respectively. Those with a history of otologic procedures had a lower mean ABG gain at 3 months compared with those without previous otologic surgery (14.4 dB versus 20.4 dB, p = 0.018). The average ABG gain at 3-months was not significantly different between those with current, former, or no smoking history, respectively (13.5 versus 18.1 versus 20.6, p = 0.08). Current smokers had 4.5 times greater odds of complications compared with non-smokers, although not statistically significant (95% CI 0.9-22.8, p = 0.1912). CONCLUSION: Age and history of otologic procedures as independent risk factors did impact hearing outcomes among our patient cohort; however, smoking history did not. Future prospective studies are required to further investigate complication rates by various modifiable risk factors, such as smoking status, body mass index (BMI), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) use, for stapedotomy surgeries.

Middle Ear Viral Load Considerations in the COVID-19 Era: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the available medical literature to investigate the viral load in the middle ear and mastoid cavity and the potential risk of exposure to airborne viruses during otologic surgery. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, MEDLINE, and Cochrane databases. STUDY SELECTION: This review was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Protocol. DATA EXTRACTION: Using the Boolean method and relevant search term combinations for terms "mastoid," "middle ear," "virus," "exposure" "COVID-19" "SARS-CoV-2." PubMed, MEDLINE, and Cochrane databases were queried. A total of 57 abstracts were identified and screened by two independent reviewers. Following inclusion and exclusion criteria, 18 studies were selected for the final analysis. DATA SYNTHESIS: Due to the heterogeneity of clinical data, a meta-analysis was not feasible. RESULTS: Rhinovirus, followed by respiratory syncytial virus are reported to be the most prevalent viruses in MEF samples but formal statistical analysis is precluded by the heterogeneity of the studies. Drilling was identified to have the highest risk for aerosol generation and therefore viral exposure during otologic Surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The medical literature has consistently demonstrated the presence of nucleic acids of respiratory viruses involving the middle ear, including SARS-CoV2 in a recent postmortem study. Although no in vivo studies have been conducted, due to the likely risk of transmission, middle ear and mastoid procedures, particularly involving the use of a drill should be deferred, if possible, during the pandemic and enhanced personal protective equipment (PPE) used if surgery is necessary.

Meningocele of the Internal Auditory Canal Requiring Facial-Nerve Decompression.

In this case report, we present the case of a 14-month-old boy with a history of left facial palsy which developed at a very young age. CT of the temporal bone revealed a cystic lesion of the left petrous apex, and sedated auditory testing revealed a profound hearing loss on the same side. Following his first episode of left facial palsy, his symptoms nearly fully resolved and he was lost to follow-up. However, he was seen 5 months later due to recurrent and sudden left-sided facial paralysis. MRI was performed due to suspicion of an epidermoid cyst. The patient was subsequently taken to the operating room for facial-nerve decompression. Intraoperatively, no obvious cystic lesion was identified. Tissue biopsied from the internal auditory canal demonstrated benign glial tissue and fibrous tissue consistent with a meningocele.

Improving Microscopic Imaging in Otology and Neurotology.

OBJECTIVE: Due to the microscopic nature of otologic surgery, photographic image quality suffers from an inherent inability to maintain all the planes of surgery in focus under binocular microscopy. Our goal was to perform simple editing techniques to create improved imaging for educational and research purposes in the field of Otology and Neurotology. PATIENTS/DESIGN: The study was a proof of concept performed with series of cases including patients undergoing transmastoid and transcanal otologic surgery over time period of December 1, 2018 to March 1, 2019 at an academic medical center. The Zeiss OPMI Pentero 800 operating microscope was used with a camera capturing 2.1 megapixel, 1098 × 1080 resolution images. INTERVENTION: We created a systematic protocol for capturing images of multiple focal lengths during each surgery. With the image-editing technique of focus-stacking, multiple images of varying focal length, were spliced together to produce high-quality and high-fidelity composite images rendered using the Adobe Photoshop (San Jose, CA). OUTCOMES: Subjective comparisons of pre and post photo-edited photographs. RESULTS: Composite, focus-stacked images with comparison to unedited microscopic pictures are reviewed in the manuscript. CONCLUSION: We describe a simple and objectively practical method for improving the quality of medical imaging in the field of Otology/Neurotology. To achieve this enhanced image quality, a relatively expeditious and reliable photographic protocol can be used for image capturing and editing, requiring little to no additional training for a physician in the field.

Primary Papillary Thyroid Cancer of a Thyroglossal Duct Cyst.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma in a thyroglossal duct cyst is very rare. We present the case of a teenage boy with a large thyroglossal duct cyst containing papillary thyroid carcinoma. There was no evidence of carcinoma within the thyroid gland, making this an important case of primary thyroglossal duct cyst carcinoma.