Open laryngotracheal reconstruction for iatrogenic posterior glottic stenosis in adults: international multicenter experience.

OBJECTIVE: Posterior glottic stenosis (PGS) has a significant impact on breathing and quality of life, and remains a challenging condition to manage. Literature does not provide a single optimal approach. In this study we aim to assess post-operative outcomes of adult patients with acquired PGS treated with open laryngotracheal reconstruction (LTR) with autologous or cadaveric rib grafting. METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included adults who underwent open LTR for iatrogenic PGS (2015-2023) and were followed for 26 months on average. Data on comorbidities, surgical complications, and interventions following surgery were collected. RESULTS: Forty-three adult patients were included. Decannulation was successful in 76.7%, and 53.5% of patients required an endoscopic or open revision procedure for recurrent stenosis during the mean post-operative follow-up of 26 months. Patients with severe obesity (BMI ≥ 35), moderate to severe co-morbidity (ASA ≥ 3) or Chronic Kidney Disease were significantly more likely to fail decannulation after LTR. Diabetes Mellitus and ASA ≥ 3 were significant negative predictors for intervention-free survival. There were no significant differences in decannulation rate or intervention free survival between patients that had LTR with autologous (n = 26) versus cadaveric (n = 17) cartilaginous grafting. CONCLUSION: This study describes the largest consecutive multicenter cohort of adult PGS patients treated with open LTR. This technique significantly improves breathing outcomes in PGS, with minimal complications in selected patients with a healthy weight and few comorbidities. Patients with a BMI ≥ 35, ASA ≥ 3, Diabetes Mellitus or renal failure have less favorable outcomes, with respect to decannulation rates and intervention-free survival.

The future of artificial intelligence in facial plastic surgery.

The role of artificial intelligence is emergent in facial plastic surgery. It offers specialists a potentially precise and efficient method of understanding our technical skills and pathways, and their impacts on patient outcomes and error rates. Algorithms have given life to personalised pre-operative assessment, surgical planning and outcome simulation, and post-operative monitoring. Despite these benefits, limitations at this time include the ethical acquisition of large datasets, biases produced by human input and trust in novel technologies. Careful consideration should be given to the role artificial intelligence may play in shaping the patient-surgeon relationship in the near future.

IgG4-related disease of the mastoid: a rare presentation of a novel diagnosis.

IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an inflammatory condition characterised by infiltration of tissue by IgG4-positive plasma cells. This is the seventh reported case of IgG4-RD affecting the mastoid and informs clinicians in diagnosing patients affected by this rare condition.A woman in her 20s presented with unilateral otalgia, hearing loss and vertigo. She deteriorated despite antibiotic therapy and cross-sectional imaging revealed a destructive extra-axial lesion of the mastoid cells. Biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of IgG4-RD. She was successfully treated with prednisolone and azathioprine.Inflammatory conditions should be considered in patients with persistent middle ear symptoms after infection and malignancy are excluded. Delays in diagnosis can lead to irreversible mass effects and may occur as current diagnostic criteria exclude mastoid-specific features.IgG4-RD remains a rare diagnosis. To avoid significant effects on a patients' quality of life, prompt multidisciplinary treatment is vital alongside development of diagnostic criteria specific to otolaryngology.

Undergraduate perceptions on the educational value of a novel ENT e-Learning platform.

ENT is a consistently under-represented specialty in medical school curricula. With social distancing measures limiting face-to-face (FtF) teaching and clinical opportunities, we created an e-Learning platform to consolidate and improve knowledge on common ENT emergencies. Following invitation to medical students undergoing their rotation in ENT at University Hospital Wales (UHW) Cardiff, five focus groups were shown an e-Learning module and interviewed between June and July 2021. 13 medical students participated in total (9 female, 4 male, median age 22 years). These structured interviews were recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were analysed using the qualitative data analysis software NVivo (QSR International, UK). The modules were found to be concise, clinically relevant and beneficial to student confidence in recognising and managing ENT emergencies. While e-Learning will likely never replace face-to-face learning, it was perceived to be a beneficial resource both academically and practically- especially in the context of limited clinical opportunities.