Differences in Nasal Shapes and the Degree of Changes Over a Decade or More: A Paired Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated age-related differences in nasal morphometry and the degree of changes within an individual over at least a 10-year period by pairing previous and recent three-dimensional reconstructed computed tomography (CT) images. METHODS: Forty-eight adult Korean patients who underwent at least two CT scans of the nasal region with an interval of at least 10 years were selected. Patients were categorized into six subgroups according to sex and age (20-39 years, 40-49 years, and ≥50 years) at the time of initial imaging. Eight nasal parameters were measured on the initial and recent images, and paired comparisons between the two images were performed based on the data. The differences in the degree of change by age were also analyzed. RESULTS: Over an average image interval of 12 years, men exhibited an increase in the nasofrontal angle (3.2°±5.4°, P=0.041), profile nasal length (1.7±1.7 mm, P=0.002), and nasal bridge height (1.2±1.6 mm, P=0.002). Conversely, they showed a decrease in the nasofacial angle (-2.3°±2.9°, P=0.010). Women also demonstrated an increase in the nasofrontal angle (2.5°±5.2°, P=0.010), profile nasal length (1.4±1.9 mm, P<0.001), and nasal bridge height (1.3±1.6 mm, P<0.001). However, they exhibited a decrease in the nasofacial angle (-2.0°±2.1°, P<0.001), glabella angle (-9.1°±9.8°, P<0.001), and pyriform angle (-8.5°±10.1°, P<0.001). With the exception of the nasal bridge height (P=0.036) and pyriform angle (P=0.022), the degree of changes in most parameters did not show significant differences across age groups. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the aging nose exhibits a greater nasal length with inferior angulation of the nasal tip, with an increase in the nasofrontal angle, profile nasal length, and nasal bridge height, along with a decrease in the nasofacial angle. The degree of most nasal morphologic changes demonstrated no significant differences by specific age group.

Impact of dysplasia at resection margin on oncologic outcome after curative resection of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma: significance of high-grade dysplastic resection margin.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the oncologic outcomes among negative, close, positive, and dysplasia resection margins (RMs) with oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to investigate the impact of dysplastic RMs. METHODS: The 565 patients were retrospectively analyzed and divided into four groups according to RM. Dysplasia was classified into mild, moderate, and severe subgroups. RESULTS: RMs consisted of negative (62.1%), close (27.1%), positive (2.1%), and dysplastic (8.7%). In multivariate analysis, advanced T/N stages and positive RM were significant risk factors for overall survival, while dysplasia at the RM was not a significant risk factor for locoregional recurrence or overall survival. In subgroup analysis of patients with dysplastic margin, RM with severe dysplasia showed higher recurrence than mild and moderate dysplasia. CONCLUSIONS: Dysplastic RM was not a risk factor for recurrence and survival. Severe dysplasia RM should be carefully observed due to higher recurrence compared to other dysplasia RMs.

Improved Early Detection Models of Pharyngocutaneous Fistula after Total Laryngectomy.

Early detection of pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF) after total laryngectomy (TL) could prevent severe complications such as major vessel rupture. We aimed to develop prediction models for detecting PCF in the early postoperative period. We retrospectively analyzed patients (N = 263) who received TL between 2004 and 2021. We collected clinical data for fever (>38.0 °C) and blood tests (WBC, CRP, albumin, Hb, neutrophils, lymphocytes) on postoperative days (POD) 3 and 7, and fistulography on POD 7. Clinical data were compared between fistula and no fistula groups, and significant factors were selected using machine learning. Using these clinical factors, we developed improved prediction models for PCF detection. Fistula occurred in 86 (32.7%) patients. Fever was significantly (p < 0.001) more common in the fistula group, and ratios (POD 7 to 3) of WBC, CRP, neutrophils, and neutrophils-to-lymphocytes (NLR) were significantly higher (all p ≤ 0.001) in the fistula group than in the no fistula group. Leakage on fistulography was more common in the fistula group (38.2%) than in the no fistula group (3.0%). The area under curve (AUC) of fistulography alone was 0.68, but predictive models using a combination of fistulography, WBC at POD 7, and neutrophil ratio (POD 7/POD 3) showed better diagnostic performance (AUC of 0.83). Our predictive models may detect PCF early and accurately, which could reduce fatal complications following PCF.

Impact of Pulmonary Function on Voice Outcomes After Injection Laryngoplasty for Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis.

OBJECTIVES: Pulmonary function is closely associated with voice quality especially in patients with voice disorder including unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP). Injection laryngoplasty (IL) is the standard treatment for patients with UVFP. We investigated the subjective and objective voice outcomes according to pulmonary function test (PFT) before IL in patients with UVFP. METHOD: We retrospectively analyzed the patients who underwent IL for UVFP between 2004 and 2021 (N = 1201), and finally investigated 261 patients with PFT results before IL. The patients were classified into three groups according to results of PFT: normal (n = 189, 72%), mild (n = 40, 15%), and moderate (n = 32, 13%) obstructive pattern. Aspiration symptoms and subjective and objective voice parameters of voice handicap index (VHI), GRBAS score, maximal phonation time (MPT), Jitter, Shimmer, and noise to harmonic ratio (NHR) were compared between normal and abnormal (mild or moderate obstructive pattern) PFT groups. RESULTS: Age (68.0 ± 9.1 and 61.2 ± 12.6, respectively) was significantly higher and males were more common (84.7% and 57.7%, respectively) in abnormal PFT than in normal PFT. Aspiration showed significant improvement in all groups. The subjective and objective voice parameters significantly improved after IL in normal and mild obstruction groups, but MPT, Shimmer, and VHI did not significantly improve in the moderate obstruction group. The improvement in VHI-30 after IL was significantly higher in the normal group (20.0 ± 29.5) than in the mild (10.3 ± 32.8) or moderate (9.9 ± 33.2) obstruction group (P = 0.035). Improved amounts of MPT, Jitter, Shimmer, and NHR were not significantly different among the groups, but improvement of VHI was smallest in the moderate obstructive pattern group. CONCLUSION: Voice parameters showed significant improvement after IL in both normal and mild obstructive pattern groups, but MPT and VHI did not significantly improve in the moderate obstructive pattern group. In addition, patients with normal pulmonary function had marked improvement of subjective symptoms after IL in comparison with patients with abnormal pulmonary function.

Removal and Repositioning of a Piston Wire Prosthesis That Entered the Vestibule Secondary to Trauma in a Patient Who Underwent Stapedotomy.

Otosclerosis is a common cause of adult-onset hearing impairment, and stapedotomy is often performed as surgical treatment. Several studies have reported the complications of stapedotomy surgery; piston wire prosthesis (PWP) disruption or dislocation secondary to indirect force attributable to head trauma is described in many patients. Most PWPs that get displaced are slanted or are completely dislodged from the stapedotomy site and lodged within the middle ear. PWP dislocation into the vestibule is extremely rare. A 65-year-old woman who was involved in a traffic accident underwent computed tomography, which revealed a right-sided PWP in the vestibule. Two weeks after the accident, we observed conductive hearing loss associated with a large air-bone gap (ABG, 47 dB) accompanied by spontaneous nystagmus directed to the right without any change in nystagmus following changes in head or body position. She underwent endoscopic exploratory tympanotomy under general anesthesia, 23 days after the injury. We gently pulled the PWP from the vestibule and repositioned it at its original site with a length of 5.2 mm on the long process of the incus. Pure tone audiometry performed 8 months postoperatively showed a decrease in the ABG from 47 to 10 dB without any complications.

Effects of Sequentially Combined Arytenoid Adduction and Injection Laryngoplasty in Patients With Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis.

OBJECTIVES: Arytenoid adduction (AA) and injection laryngoplasty (IL) are major surgical options for the treatment of unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP). AA is a laryngeal framework surgery and IL is a soft-tissue augmentation procedure. Therefore, the effect of each intervention will not be substitutive but complementary to the other. METHODS: Patients who received AA and IL were enrolled (N = 43). Mean age was 60.1 ± 12.7 years. Objective and subjective voice parameters including maximum phonation time (MPT), jitter, shimmer, noise to harmonic ratio (NHR), grade of dysphonia (G), and voice handicap index (VHI)-30 were collected preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively. AA and IL were sequentially performed with time interval; 28 (65.1%) patients received IL first followed by AA (IL+AA group) and 15 (34.9%) had AA followed by IL (AA+IL group). Time interval between first and second procedures was 9.9 ± 14.6 months. RESULTS: MPT, jitter, shimmer, NHR, G and VHI-30 significantly improved by both first and second procedures (P < 0.001). When we evaluated IL+AA group and AA+IL group separately, the final outcomes of MPT, jitter, G, and VHI-30 between the two groups were not significantly different. When the overall effects of IL and AA were compared, MPT significantly improved with AA than with IL (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis, sequential AA and IL (or IL and AA) provided additional improvement of subjective and objective voice parameters. Final outcomes of the two combined procedures resulted in similar degree of voice improvement regardless of the order of procedure.

Temporal linear mode complexity as a surrogate measure of the effect of remifentanil on the central nervous system in healthy volunteers.

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT: • Remifentanil, an intravenous ultra short-acting opioid, depresses central nervous system activity with an increase in the delta band power, and causes beta activation after discontinuation, resulting in a rebound of the processed electroencephalographic parameters, including 95% spectral edge frequency, the canonical univariate parameter and electroencephalographic approximate entropy. • A sigmoid Emax model, in which the highest predicted values of processed electroencephalographic parameters are restricted to the baseline value, cannot describe a rebound of these parameters. • Electroencephalographic approximate entropy correlated well with the remifentanil blood concentration and demonstrated high baseline stability. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: • A combined effect and tolerance model effectively characterized the time course of the remifentanil effect on the central nervous system, including the rebound which occurred during recovery from the remifentanil effect. • Temporal linear mode complexity was comparable with approximate entropy as a univariate electroencephalographic descriptor of the effect of remifentanil on the central nervous system. AIMS Previously, electroencephalographic approximate entropy (ApEn) effectively described both depression of central nervous system (CNS) activity and rebound during and after remifentanil infusion. ApEn is heavily dependent on the record length. Linear mode complexity, which is algorithmatically independent of the record length, was investigated to characterize the effect of remifentanil on the CNS using the combined effect and tolerance, feedback and sigmoid E(max) models. METHODS The remifentanil blood concentrations and electroencephalographic data obtained in our previous study were used. With the recording of the electroencephalogram, remifentanil was infused at a rate of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 µg kg(-1) min(-1) for 15-20 min. The areas below (AUC(effect) ) or above (AAC(rebound) ) the effect vs. time curve of temporal linear mode complexity (TLMC) and ApEn were calculated to quantitate the decrease of the CNS activity and rebound. The coefficients of variation (CV) of median baseline (E(0)), maximal (E(max)), and individual median E(0) minus E(max) values of TLMC were compared with those of ApEn. The concentration-TLMC relationship was characterized by population analysis using non-linear mixed effects modelling. RESULTS: Median AUC(effect) and AAC(rebound) were 1016 and 5.3 (TLMC), 787 and 4.5 (ApEn). The CVs of individual median E(0) minus E(max) were 35.6, 32.5% (TLMC, ApEn). The combined effect and tolerance model demonstrated the lowest Akaike information criteria value and the highest positive predictive value of rebound in tolerance. CONCLUSIONS: The combined effect and tolerance model effectively characterized the time course of TLMC as a surrogate measure of the effect of remifentanil on the CNS.