Clinical Outcomes of Endoscopic Butterfly Inlay Cartilage Myringoplasty.

OBJECTIVE: To review a 3-year case series of endoscopic butterfly inlay cartilage myringoplasty performed by a single surgeon (W.S.K.) and analyze the clinical surgical outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Tertiary care academic center. PATIENTS: We enrolled 60 ears with tympanic membrane (TM) perforation, receiving endoscopic inlay butterfly myringoplasty between 2019 and 2022. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: We reviewed patients' demographics, size and location of TM perforation, operation time, complications, and postoperative pain evaluated by the numerical rating scale (NRS). We analyzed the graft uptake success rate in 5 weeks and the perforation closure rate in 4 months after surgery. We also compared the air-bone gap (ABG) before and after the surgery. RESULTS: Among the 60 ears included, the mean age was 57.0 years, and 78.3% (47 of 60) had small perforations. The average operation time was 48.9 ± 11.5 minutes, and the postoperative NRS was 2.0 ± 1.6. The immediate graft uptake success rate evaluated at postoperative 5 weeks was 96.7% (58 of 60), with myringitis occurring in three ears. Except for 11 patients lost to follow-up, the perforation closure rate evaluated at postoperative 4 months was 100% (49 of 49). The mean ABG significantly improved from preoperative status (8.87 ± 5.51 dB HL) to postoperative 4 months (6.22 ± 6.03 dB HL) (p = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: A single surgeon's success rate for endoscopic butterfly inlay cartilage myringoplasty was almost 100%. This surgical procedure is safe and effective, with a high graft success rate.

Factors Affecting the Surgical Outcome in Nasal Septal Perforation Repair.

OBJECTIVE: Nasal septal perforation (NSP) repair is challenging surgery considered in patients with symptomatic NSP intractable to conservative treatments. This study aimed to assess the success rate and identify factors affecting the surgical outcome of NSP by analyzing consecutive series of NSP repairs by a single surgeon. METHODS: We enrolled 84 patients diagnosed with NSP and who underwent surgical repair of NSP by a single surgeon (Y.J.J.) between November 2007 and July 2022. Medical records were retrospectively reviewed regarding variables involving preoperative symptoms, rhinologic history, etiology, surgical techniques, and the outcome of surgery. In addition, features of NSP were objectively evaluated using computed tomography scans. RESULTS: The overall success rate of NSP repair was 64.3% (54 of 84). Nasal obstruction (79.8%), crusting (34.5%), and epistaxis (27.4%) were frequent preoperative symptoms. Iatrogenic injury from previous nasal surgery (70.2%) was the most common cause. The average size of NSP on preoperative CT was 9.53 ± 6.68 mm. Patients with incomplete NSP closure had significantly larger perforations (12.21 ± 7.92 mm) than those with successful closure (8.04 ± 5.41 mm) preoperatively (P = .005). Patients with smoking history (OR = 2.971, 95% CI 1.170-7.548, P = .020) and NSP repair with combined rhinoplasty (OR = 3.811, 95% CI 1.401-10.370, P = .007) were more likely to experience incomplete closure. Patients whose perforations were reinforced with interposition graft were more likely to result in successful repair (OR = 6.752, 95% CI 2.496-18.262, P < .001). The bilaterality of mucosal flap coverage, surgical approach, types of mucosal flap and interposition graft, perforation shape, mucosal thickness around perforation, and distance from the nasal floor were not significantly related to the surgical outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Significant factors affecting the outcome of NSP repair were patient's smoking status, combined rhinoplasty, application of interposition graft, and perforation size.

Anatomical Features of Children With Mondini Dysplasia: Influence on Cochlear Implantation Performance.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the long-term auditory performance after cochlear implantation (CI) and identify anatomical features of Mondini dysplasia associated with post-CI outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Tertiary care academic center. PATIENTS: We enrolled 49 ears with Mondini dysplasia who underwent CI with more than 7 years of follow-up and age at CI- and sex-matched control group with radiologically normal inner ears. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The development of auditory skills after CI was evaluated using word recognition scores (WRSs). The anatomical features were measured based on temporal bone computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, involving the width of the bony cochlear nerve canal (BCNC), cochlear basal turn, enlarged vestibular aqueduct, cochlear height, and diameter of the cochlear nerve (CN). RESULTS: CI in ears with Mondini dysplasia showed comparable benefits and improvement of auditory performance to controls during the 7 years of follow-up. In Mondini dysplasia, four (8.2%) ears showed narrow BCNC (<1.4 mm) with poorer WRS (58 ± 17%) than those with normal-sized BCNC, which had WRS (79 ± 10%) comparable to that of the control group (77 ± 14%). In Mondini dysplasia, the maximum ( r = 0.513, p < 0.001) and minimum ( r = 0.328, p = 0.021) CN diameters had positive correlations with post-CI WRS. The maximum CN diameter ( ß = 48.347, p < 0.001) and BCNC width ( ß = 12.411, p = 0.041) were significant factors that influence the post-CI WRS in multiple regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative anatomical evaluation, especially BCNC status and CN integrity, may serve as predictive markers for post-CI performance.

Distinct subsets of innate lymphoid cells in nasal polyp.

BACKGROUND: Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) contribute to the pathogenesis of eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNPs). However, the role of other subsets of ILCs and the differentiation of ILCs in CRSwNPs is not well understood. This study aimed to characterize the ILC subsets and evaluate the differentiation of ILCs from ILC precursors (ILCPs) in NP tissue. METHODS: ILC subsets and ILCPs were evaluated by flow cytometry in fresh sinonasal mucosa from patients with CRSwNPs and control subjects. Subsets were compared based on clinical variables and immunological features of the patients. Sorted ILCPs (Lin-CD127+CD117+CD45RA+IL1R1+) were cultured with cytokines. RESULTS: The frequency of ILC1s and IFN-γ-producing ILC1s increased in non-eosinophilic NPs, whereas that of ILC2s and IL-5-producing ILC2s increased in eosinophilic NPs, particularly in patients with comorbid asthma. The frequency of ILC1s and IFN-γ-producing ILC1s, and frequency of ILC2s and IL-5-producing ILC2s positively correlated with that of neutrophils and eosinophils, respectively. The proportion of IFN-γ-producing ILC1s positively correlated with clinical severity and levels of IFN-γ and IL-8. The proportion of IL-5-producing ILC2s positively correlated with levels of IL-5, CCL24, and total IgE. ILCPs were identified in NP tissue and differentiated into IFN-γ-producing or IL-5-producing ILCs in response to increased IL-12 and IL-18 or IL-25 and IL-33 in non-eosinophilic NPs and eosinophilic NPs, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: ILC1s and ILC2s may be associated with neutrophilic and eosinophilic inflammation in CRSwNPs, respectively. In addition, ILCPs located in the sinus mucosa could differentiate into IFN-γ- or IL-5-producing cells in response to local cytokine stimuli.

Risk Stratification of Dysphagia After Surgical Treatment of Hypopharyngeal Cancer.

Objective: Hypopharyngeal cancer is managed by either surgical resection or radiation therapy-based treatment. In choosing the treatment modality, the patient's swallowing function should be considered to achieve optimal treatment outcomes. This study aimed to stratify the risk factors predictive of postoperative dysphagia in hypopharyngeal cancer. Study Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Tertiary referral center. Methods: We enrolled 100 patients who were diagnosed with hypopharyngeal cancer and underwent curative surgery between January 2010 and December 2019, and retrospectively reviewed their medical records. Results: Postoperative dysphagia occurred in 29 patients (29%) who required a tracheostomy tube or percutaneous gastrostomy tube for feeding or preventing aspiration; additionally, the overall survival rate was lower in those patients than in those without dysphagia. The univariate analysis revealed that postoperative dysphagia was associated with clinical T stage (p = 0.016), N stage (p = 0.002), and surgical resection extent of the larynx and pharynx (p < 0.001). Patients who underwent total laryngectomy with total/partial pharyngectomy were more likely to have dysphagia than those in the larynx-preserving pharyngectomy groups (odds ratio [OR] = 3.208, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.283-8.024, p = 0.011). Concerning the posterior pharyngeal wall (PPW), which has an important role in swallowing, patients who underwent resection of ≥1/2 of the PPW were more likely to have dysphagia (OR = 7.467, 95% CI 1.799-30.994, p = 0.003). Conclusions: Surgical resection extent was proportionally associated with dysphagia in hypopharyngeal cancer patients. Patients with smaller lesions but no laryngeal invasion had better postoperative swallowing function than patients with larger lesions or laryngeal involved lesions. Preserving the larynx and hypopharyngeal mucosa (especially the PPW) as much as possible can help preserve postoperative swallowing function.

Diagnostic Accuracies of Laryngeal Diseases Using a Convolutional Neural Network-Based Image Classification System.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: There may be an interobserver variation in the diagnosis of laryngeal disease based on laryngoscopic images according to clinical experience. Therefore, this study is aimed to perform computer-assisted diagnosis for common laryngeal diseases using deep learning-based disease classification models. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study with retrospective data METHODS: A total of 4106 images (cysts, nodules, polyps, leukoplakia, papillomas, Reinke's edema, granulomas, palsies, and normal cases) were analyzed. After equal distribution of diseases into ninefolds, stratified eightfold cross-validation was performed for training, validation process and remaining onefold was used as a test dataset. A trained model was applied to test sets, and model performance was assessed for precision (positive predictive value), recall (sensitivity), accuracy, F1 score, precision-recall (PR) curve, and PR-area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (PR-AUC). Outcomes were compared to those of visual assessments by four trainees. RESULTS: The trained deep neural networks (DNNs) outperformed trainees' visual assessments in discriminating cysts, granulomas, nodules, normal cases, palsies, papillomas, and polyps according to the PR-AUC and F1 score. The lowest F1 score and PR-AUC of DNNs were estimated for Reinke's edema (0.720, 0.800) and nodules (0.730, 0.780) but were comparable to the mean of the two trainees' F1 score with the best performances (0.765 and 0.675, respectively). In discriminating papillomas, the F1 score was much higher for DNNs (0.870) than for trainees (0.685). Overall, DNNs outperformed all trainees (micro-average PR-AUC = 0.95; macro-average PR-AUC = 0.91). CONCLUSIONS: DNN technology could be applied to laryngoscopy to supplement clinical assessment of examiners by providing additional diagnostic clues and having a role as a reference of diagnosis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 131:2558-2566, 2021.