Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and the Auditory System: An Overview of the Mechanisms, Clinical Presentations, and Current Diagnostic Modalities.

The acute and long-term consequences of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are far reaching. Though it may often be overlooked due to the now expansive field of research dedicated to understanding the consequences of mTBI on the brain, recent work has revealed that substantial changes in the vestibulo-auditory system can also occur due to mTBI. These changes, termed "labyrinthine" or "cochlear concussion," include hearing loss, vertigo, and tinnitus that develop after mTBI in the setting of an intact bony labyrinthine capsule (as detected on imaging). In the review that follows, we focus our discussion on the effects of mTBI on the peripheral structures and pathways of the auditory and vestibular systems. Although the effects of indirect trauma (e.g., noise and blast trauma) have been well-investigated, there exists a profound need to improve our understanding of the effects of direct head injury (such as mTBI) on the auditory and vestibular systems. Our aim is to summarize the current evidentiary foundation upon which labyrinthine and/or cochlear concussion are based to shed light on the ways in which clinicians can refine the existing modalities used to diagnose and treat patients experiencing mTBI as it relates to hearing and balance.

Cogan Syndrome: A Case Study and Review of the Literature.

Cogan syndrome is an autoimmune disease characterized by vestibular symptoms, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and inflammatory ocular manifestations, which may be accompanied by systemic vasculitis. We herein present the case of a patient with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss who presented with pain over her cochlear implantation incision site. She was later found to have evidence of ocular disease and underlying vasculitis leading to a diagnosis of Cogan syndrome.

A proposed association between subjective nonpulsatile tinnitus and migraine.

Objective: Tinnitus is defined as the perception of sound in the absence of an external source. We propose the hypothesis that migraine can cause exacerbation of tinnitus in some patients. Methods: English literature from PubMed has been reviewed. Results: Studies have reported a high prevalence of cochlear symptoms in patients with migraine headaches and up to 45% of tinnitus patients have been shown to concomitantly suffer from migraine. Both conditions are thought to stem from central nervous system disturbances, involving disruption of the auditory and trigeminal nerve pathways. One proposed mechanism of this association is the modulation of sound sensitivity by trigeminal nerve activation of the auditory cortex during migraine attacks, resulting in tinnitus fluctuation in some patients. Increased brain and inner ear vascular permeability resulting from trigeminal nerve inflammation, can also cause observed headache and auditory symptoms. Tinnitus and migraine also share a number of symptom triggers including stress, sleep disturbances, and dietary factors. These shared features may help explain promising results of migraine therapies for the treatment of tinnitus. Conclusion: Given the complex association between tinnitus and migraine, further investigation is needed to identify the underlying mechanisms and determine the optimal treatment strategies for managing migraine-related tinnitus patients.

Selective Neural Electrical Stimulation of an Injured Facial Nerve Using Chronically Implanted Dual Cuff Electrodes.

Facial nerve (FN) injury can lead to debilitating and permanent facial paresis/paralysis (FP), where facial muscles progressively lose tone, atrophy, and ultimately reduce to scar tissue. Despite considerable efforts in the recent decades, therapies for FP still possess high failure rates and provide inadequate recovery of muscle function. In this pilot study, we used a feline model to demonstrate the potential for chronically implanted multichannel dual-cuff electrodes (MCE) to selectively stimulate injured facial nerves at low current intensities to avoid stimulus-induced neural injury. Selective facial muscle activation was achieved over six months after FN injury and MCE implantation in two domestic shorthaired cats (Felis catus). Through utilization of bipolar stimulation, specific muscles were activated at significantly lower electrical currents than was achievable with single channel stimulation. Moreover, interval increases in subthreshold current intensities using bipolar stimulation enabled a graded EMG voltage response while maintaining muscle selectivity. Histological examination of neural tissue at implant sites showed no appreciable signs of stimulation-induced nerve injury. Thus, by selectively activating facial musculature six months following initial FN injury and MCE implantation, we demonstrated the potential for our neural stimulator system to be safely and effectively applied to the chronic setting, with implications for FP treatment.

Obesity as a Risk Factor for Postoperative Adverse Events in Skull Base Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the implications of obesity on postoperative adverse events following skull base surgery. METHODS: The 2005-2017 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database was queried for adverse events in skull base surgery cases. Patients were stratified by body mass index (BMI) into normal weight (18.5 ≤ BMI < 25), overweight (25 ≤ BMI < 30), and obese (BMI ≥ 30) cohorts. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of overweight or obese BMI with various 30-day postoperative adverse events. RESULTS: A total of 2305 patients were included for analysis, of which 732 (31.8%) and 935 (40.6%) were overweight or obese, respectively. The mean age was 53.8 ± 15.3 years and 1214 (52.7%) patients were female. Obese patients were younger (P = .033) and possessed higher frailty (P < .001) and ASA scores (P < .001). Operation times and lengths of hospitalization were not significantly different across patient cohorts (all P > .05). On propensity score-adjusted multivariable analysis, only bleeding (OR = 0.42, P < .001) and deep vein thrombosis (OR = 6.46, P = .015) were significantly associated with obesity. There were no significant differences in rates of readmission, reoperation, or mortality between normal weight and obese patients (all P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Obesity was associated with decreased postoperative bleeding and increased deep vein thromboses. Obese patients were otherwise at no higher risk for medical or surgical complications. Elevated BMI did not confer an increased risk for readmission, reoperation, or death. Thus, patient obesity should not be a major determinant in offering skull base surgery in individuals who would otherwise benefit from treatment.

Electric hearing and tinnitus suppression by noninvasive ear stimulation.

While noninvasive brain stimulation is convenient and cost effective, its utility is limited by the substantial distance between scalp electrodes and their intended neural targets in the head. The tympanic membrane, or eardrum, is a thin flap of skin deep in an orifice of the head that may serve as a port for improved efficiency of noninvasive stimulation. Here we chose the cochlea as a target because it resides in the densest bone of the skull and is adjacent to many deep-brain-stimulation structures. We also tested the hypothesis that noninvasive electric stimulation of the cochlea may restore neural activities that are missing in acoustic stimulation. We placed an electrode in the ear canal or on the tympanic membrane in 25 human adults (10 females) and compared their stimulation efficiency by characterizing the electrically-evoked auditory sensation. Relative to ear canal stimulation, tympanic membrane stimulation was four times more likely to produce an auditory percept, required eight times lower electric current to reach the threshold and produced two-to-four times more linear suprathreshold responses. We further measured tinnitus suppression in 14 of the 25 subjects who had chronic tinnitus. Compared with ear canal stimulation, tympanic membrane stimulation doubled both the probability (22% vs. 55%) and the amount (-15% vs. -34%) of tinnitus suppression. These findings extended previous work comparing evoked perception and tinnitus suppression between electrodes placed in the ear canal and on the scalp. Together, the previous and present results suggest that the efficiency of conventional scalp-based noninvasive electric stimulation can be improved by at least one order of magnitude via tympanic membrane stimulation. This increased efficiency is most likely due to the shortened distance between the electrode placed on the tympanic membrane and the targeted cochlea. The present findings have implications for the management of tinnitus by offering a potential alternative to interventions using invasive electrical stimulation such as cochlear implantation, or other non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation methods.

Selective Facial Muscle Activation with Acute and Chronic Multichannel Cuff Electrode Implantation in a Feline Model.

OBJECTIVES: Facial paralysis is a debilitating condition with substantial functional and psychological consequences. This feline-model study evaluates whether facial muscles can be selectively activated in acute and chronic implantation of 16-channel multichannel cuff electrodes (MCE). METHODS: Two cats underwent acute terminal MCE implantation experiments, 2 underwent chronic MCE implantation in uninjured facial nerves (FN) and tested for 6 months, and 2 underwent chronic MCE implantation experiments after FN transection injury and tested for 3 months. The MCE were wrapped around the main trunk of the skeletonized FN, and data collection consisted of EMG thresholds, amplitudes, and selectivity of muscle activation. RESULTS: In acute experimentation, activation of specific channels (ie, channels 1-3 and 6-8) resulted in selective activation of orbicularis oculi, whereas activation of other channels (ie, channels 4, 5, or 8) led to selective activation of levator auris longus with higher EMG amplitudes. MCE implantation yielded stable and selective facial muscle activation EMG thresholds and amplitudes up to a 5-month period. Modest selective muscle activation was furthermore obtained after a complete transection-reapproximating nerve injury after a 3-month recovery period and implantation reoperation. Chronic implantation of MCE did not lead to fibrosis on histology. Field steering was achieved to activate distinct facial muscles by sending simultaneous subthreshold currents to multiple channels, thus theoretically protecting against nerve damage from chronic electrical stimulation. CONCLUSION: Our proof-of-concept results show the ability of an MCE, supplemented with field steering, to provide a degree of selective facial muscle stimulation in a feline model, even following nerve regeneration after FN injury. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A.

Trends and patterns of neurotology drug prescriptions on a nationwide insurance database.

OBJECTIVE: To examine neurotologists' 2013 to 2016 Medicare Part-D data and evaluate commonly prescribed medications, longitudinal changes in prescribing patterns, presumed associated pathologies, and cost distribution across United States. METHODS: Comprehensive prescription data of Part-D-participating neurotologists was quiered from the 2013 to 2016 Medicare Part-D database. Outcome variables consisted of the 25 most commonly prescribed + refilled medications, cost distribution per medication, presumed associated pathologies, and standardized prescription cost across United States. RESULTS: Of the 594 available U.S. neurotologists, 336 (57%) were found in the Medicare Part-D database. In 2016, total prescription costs were $4 483 268 with an averaged $13 343 ± $18 698 per neurotologist. The three most frequently filled drugs were fluticasone propionate, ciprofloxacin, and triamterene-hydrochlorothiazide. From 2013 to 2016, the greatest change in prescription pattern was observed with azelastine (+188%), montelukast sodium (+104%), mupirocin (+63%), and mometasone (-91%), whereas the greatest change in relative drug cost distribution was seen in ofloxacin, (+695.7%) neomycin-polymyxin-hydrocortisone (+262.1%), and mometasone (-83%). Triamterene-hydrochlorothiazide, prednisone, montelukast, amoxicillin-clavulanate, azelastine, spironolactone, and mupirocin had statistically significant increases in average number of prescriptions per physician, whereas ofloxacin and mometasone had significant decreases. Medications presumably treating Eustachian tube dysfunction, Meniere's disease, and vestibular migraine had the greatest percent changes across years. Cost distribution of four drugs increased upwards of 100%. Geographic analysis demonstrated that Southern and Midwest regions had higher standardized prescription costs. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to analyze neurotologists' trends in prescribing patterns, regional prescription cost distributions, and commonly treated pathologies. This can lead to better standardization of prescribing patterns and cost in the future.

Association between modified frailty index and surgical outcomes in intradural skull base surgery.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of preoperative frailty on short-term outcomes following intradural resection of skull base lesions. The 2005-2017 ACS-NSQIP database was queried for 30-day post-operative outcomes of patients undergoing intradural resection of the skull base, extracted by CPT codes 61601, 61606, 61608, and 61616. Five-item modified frailty index (mFI) was calculated based on the history of diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, chronic hypertension, and functional status. A total of 701 patients (58.8% female, 72.0% white) were included with a mean age of 51.8 ± 14.7 years. Compared to patients with mFI = 0 (n = 403), patients with mFI ≥ 1 (n = 298) were more likely to have higher rates of reoperation (13.4% vs. 8.7%, p = 0.045), medical complications (20.5% vs. 9.2%, p < 0.001), surgical complications (13.8% vs. 8.4%, p = 0.024), discharge to non-home facility (DNHF) (24.8% vs. 13.3%, p < 0.001), and prolonged length of hospitalization (7.3 ± 6.8 days vs. 5.6 ± 5.0, p = 0.003). Moreover, mFI = 1-3 was also associated with higher BMI, non-white race, high ASA, and older age (all p < 0.05). Upon adjusting for age, BMI, race, ASA score, and surgical site, multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that higher mFI (treated as a continuous variable) was associated with higher odds of medical complications (OR = 1.630, CI = 1.153-2.308, p = 0.006), surgical complications (OR = 1.594, CI = 1.042-2.438, p < 0.031), and LOS ≥ 10 days (OR = 1.609, CI = 1.176-2.208, p = 0.003). In conclusion, the 5-item mFI can be an independent predictor of several important short-term surgical outcomes following intradural resection of skull base lesions, warranting further investigations into its clinical utility.

A Web-Based Deep Learning Model for Automated Diagnosis of Otoscopic Images.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a multiclass-classifier deep learning model and website for distinguishing tympanic membrane (TM) pathologies based on otoscopic images. METHODS: An otoscopic image database developed by utilizing publicly available online images and open databases was assessed by convolutional neural network (CNN) models including ResNet-50, Inception-V3, Inception-Resnet-V2, and MobileNetV2. Training and testing were conducted with a 75:25 breakdown. Area under the curve of receiver operating characteristics (AUC-ROC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were used to compare different CNN models' performances in classifying TM images. RESULTS: Our database included 400 images, organized into normal (n = 196) and abnormal classes (n = 204), including acute otitis media (n = 116), otitis externa (n = 44), chronic suppurative otitis media (n = 23), and cerumen impaction (n = 21). For binary classification between normal versus abnormal TM, the best performing model had average AUC-ROC of 0.902 (MobileNetV2), followed by 0.745 (Inception-Resnet-V2), 0.731 (ResNet-50), and 0.636 (Inception-V3). Accuracy ranged between 0.73-0.77, sensitivity 0.72-0.88, specificity 0.58-0.84, PPV 0.68-0.81, and NPV 0.73-0.83. Macro-AUC-ROC for MobileNetV2 based multiclass-classifier was 0.91, with accuracy of 66%. Binary and multiclass-classifier models based on MobileNetV2 were loaded onto a publicly accessible and user-friendly website (https://headneckml.com/tympanic). This allows the readership to upload TM images for real-time predictions using the developed algorithms. CONCLUSIONS: Novel CNN algorithms were developed with high AUC-ROCs for differentiating between various TM pathologies. This was further deployed as a proof-of-concept publicly accessible website for real-time predictions.

A National Evaluation of Food Insecurity in a Head and Neck Cancer Population.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To determine the food security status of patients with a history of head and neck cancer and compare to other types of cancer. STUDY DEIGN: A retrospective analysis using the National Health Interview Series. METHODS: The National Health Interview Series (NHIS) for the calendar years 2014 to 18 was used to elicit food security status (secure, marginally secure/not secure) among adult patients with a history of throat/pharynx head and neck cancer (pHNC), thyroid cancer, and colon cancer. The relationship between food security and the primary site was compared and subanalyses were performed according to sex, race, and ethnicity. RESULTS: The study population included 199.0 thousand patients with pHNC, with 17.7% (95% confidence interval, 10.5%-28.1%) of pHNC patients reporting their food security status as marginally secure or not secure. Food insecurity was significantly higher among pHNC patients when compared to thyroid cancer (insecurity 10.7%, [7.7%-14.7%]) and colon cancer patients (10.1%, [7.8%-13.2%]). Among pHNC patients, there was no significant difference in rates of food insecurity when stratified by gender, race, or ethnicity. However, black individuals were more likely to have food insecurity with a history of thyroid or colon cancer (P < .042) and Hispanics were more likely to have food insecurity with a history of thyroid cancer (P = .005). CONCLUSIONS: Food insecurity disproportionally affects patients with a history of pHNC, though there is less demographic variability when compared to other cancer primary sites. Food security assessments should be part of the tailored approach to survivorship management in head and neck cancer. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 131:E1539-E1542, 2021.

Adjuvant Migraine Medications in the Treatment of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To examine the hearing outcomes of patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) treated with oral and intratympanic (IT) steroid only or a combination of steroid and migraine treatment. Our hypothesis was that adjuvant migraine medications may improve outcomes in SSNHL. METHODS: A retrospective chart review at a tertiary otology center was conducted to identify patients with SSNHL who received oral steroid and IT dexamethasone injection(s) with or without migraine medications (a combination of nortriptyline and topiramate). RESULTS: A total of 47 patients received oral steroid and IT dexamethasone injection(s) only, and 46 patients received oral steroid and IT dexamethasone injection(s) as well as migraine lifestyle changes plus a combination of nortriptyline and topiramate. There were no significant differences in demographics and baseline audiometric data between the two groups. Both groups demonstrated improvements in pure tone average (PTA) and hearing thresholds at 250 Hz and 8000 Hz posttreatment. However, compared to steroid-only group, the adjuvant migraine medications group had significantly greater improvements in hearing thresholds at the lower frequencies (250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 Hz). Patients in the latter cohort also had greater improvement in PTA (P = .01) and received fewer IT injections (P = .04) PTA improvement of ≥ 10 dB was observed in 36 patients (78%) in the adjuvant migraine medications group and 22 patients (46%) in the control group (P < .001). CONCLUSION: In multimodal treatment of SSNHL, supplementing oral and IT steroid with migraine medications may result in greater improvements in lower frequency hearing thresholds and PTA. Furthermore, adjuvant migraine treatment can lead to decrease in number of IT injections, thus reducing procedure-related risks and complications. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 131:E283-E288, 2021.

Treatment Analysis and Overall Survival Outcomes of Patients With Bilateral Vestibular Schwannoma.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical presentation, treatment breakdown, and overall survival (OS) outcomes of patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2)-associated bilateral vestibular schwannoma (NVS). METHODS: The 2004 to 2016 National Cancer Database was queried for patients with a diagnosis of VS. The "Laterality" code was used to stratify patients into sporadic unilateral vestibular schwannoma (UVS) and NVS. RESULTS: Of the 33,839 patients with VS, 155 (0.46%) were coded for NVS with an average age and tumor size of 37.4 ±â€Š20.5 years and 23.5 ±â€Š18.2 mm. Patients underwent observation (45.3%), surgery (29.3%), and radiotherapy (20.0%), and had a 5.8% 5-year mortality rate. Compared with UVS, NVS was negatively associated with receiving surgery (40.2% versus 29.3%, p = 0.02) while watchful observation was more prevalent (30.1% versus 45.3%, p = 0.001). In NVS, undergoing surgery was associated with larger tumor size (34.5 ±â€Š21.2 versus 17.8 ±â€Š13.3 mm, p = 0.001) and shorter diagnosis-to-treatment time (49.1 ±â€Š60.6 versus 87.0 ±â€Š78.5 d, p = 0.02), radiotherapy was associated with older age (44.4 ±â€Š18.9 versus 35.2 ±â€Š20.6 yr, p = 0.02) and longer diagnosis-to-treatment time (85.9 ±â€Š77.9 versus 53.9 ±â€Š65.5 d, p = 0.04), and observation was associated with smaller tumor size (17.8 ±â€Š15.9 versus 28.0 ±â€Š19.2 mm, p = 0.01). Kaplan-Meier log-rank analysis demonstrated similar 10-year OS between NVS and UVS patients (p = 0.58) without factoring the earlier age of presentation. Furthermore, there were no temporal changes in presentation/management of NVS, and OS was not dependent on the received treatment (p = 0.30). CONCLUSIONS: With younger age, larger tumors, and more conservative management, NVS's OS was not treatment-dependent and was similar to sporadic UVS, though the latter should not be interpreted as similar life expectancies due to the much earlier presentation.

The Relationship Between Vestibular Migraine and Motion Sickness Susceptibility.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationship between vestibular migraine (VM) and motion sickness (MoS) susceptibility and their comorbidity in a large student population, and to assess whether experiencing MoS is associated with higher susceptibility for VM. METHODS: Surveys including Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire (MSSQ) and questions assessing migraine-related symptoms as well as family history of motion sickness and migraine headache were distributed to the university undergraduate students through Facebook and email. Diagnosis of definite VM (dVM) was based on the criteria of the International Classification of Headache Disorders. RESULTS: Of 277 survey responders, 148 (53%) were found to be susceptible to MoS in which 74 (50%) met the criteria for dVM. Only childhood MSSQ score was significantly higher in participants with dVM compared with those without dVM (25.78 ±â€Š15.89 versus 20.77 ±â€Š14.28, p = 0.04); however, its significance faded out by regression analysis. Multivariate logistic regression showed having 1st degree relative with migraine headache (p = 0.02), neck stiffness (p = 0.001), and sinus pain, facial pressure, or headache with wind exposure (p = 0.02) to be independently associated with presence of dVM in MoS subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Though participants with MoS and dVM had significantly greater rates of migraine-related symptoms and family history of migraine headache compared with those with MoS only, childhood and adulthood MSSQ scores were similar. This and the high prevalence of dVM in our MoS cohort may suggest an existing association between MoS susceptibility and VM.

Prediction of vestibular schwannoma recurrence using artificial neural network.

OBJECTIVES: To compare two statistical models, namely logistic regression and artificial neural network (ANN), in prediction of vestibular schwannoma (VS) recurrence. METHODS: Seven hundred eighty-nine patients with VS diagnosis completed an online survey. Potential predictors for recurrence were derived from univariate analysis by reaching the cut off P value of .05. Those nine potential predictors were years since treatment, surgeon's specialty, resection amount, and having incomplete eye closure, dry eye, double vision, facial pain, seizure, and voice/swallowing problem as a complication following treatment. Multivariate binary logistic regression model was compared with a four-layer 9-5-10-1 feedforward backpropagation ANN for prediction of recurrence. RESULTS: The overall recurrence rate was 14.5%. Significant predictors of recurrence in the regression model were years since treatment and resection amount (both P < .001). The regression model did not show an acceptable performance (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.64; P = .27). The regression model's sensitivity and specificity were 44% and 69%, respectively and correctly classified 56% of cases. The ANN showed a superior performance compared to the regression model (AUC = 0.79; P = .001) with higher sensitivity (61%) and specificity (81%), and correctly classified 70% of cases. CONCLUSION: The constructed ANN model was superior to logistic regression in predicting patient-answered VS recurrence in an anonymous survey with higher sensitivity and specificity. Since artificial intelligence tools such as neural networks can have higher predictive abilities compared to logistic regression models, continuous investigation into their utility as complementary clinical tools in predicting certain surgical outcomes is warranted.

False-Positive Cholesteatomas on Non-Echoplanar Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate false-positive findings on non-echoplanar (non-EPI) diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) in patients under surveillance post-cholesteatoma surgery. STUDY DESIGN, SETTING, SUBJECTS, AND METHODS: A retrospective review was performed on patients diagnosed with cholesteatoma who underwent surgical resection and were then followed by serial non-EPI DWI using half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin echo (HASTE) sequence. All patients had at least two annual follow-up imaging studies. RESULTS: False-positive findings were identified in four patients. The size of the suspected lesions was 4 to 12 mm. Otoendoscopy was used during all primary cases and Argon laser was used in one case. In all cases, the entire cholesteatoma was removed, and no residual disease was detected at the end of the procedures. One patient underwent revision surgery but only cartilage graft was found in the area of concern. All patients had stable or resolved hyperintense areas in the subsequent HASTE sequences. CONCLUSION: False positive findings can occur with non-EPI DWI MRI and patients need to be counseled accordingly before revision surgery. Decreasing intensity and dimension of a suspected lesion and a positive finding in an area other than the location of the initial cholesteatoma may favor a false positive. If a false positive finding is suspected when the surgeon is confident of complete resection of the cholesteatoma, an MRI can be repeated in 6 to 12 months to assess changes in the dimension and intensity of the area of concern. Cartilage grafts may cause restricted diffusion on DWI sequences.

The changing landscape of vestibular schwannoma diagnosis and management: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the current state of the diagnosis and management of vestibular schwannoma (VS) as well as treatment trends, and to evaluate the role of treatment setting and various specialists in treatment plan. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with VS completed a voluntary and anonymous survey. The questionnaires were distributed through Acoustic Neuroma Association website, Facebook page, and e-mail newsletters from January to March 2017. RESULTS: In total, 789 VS patients completed the survey. Of those, 414 (52%) underwent surgery; 224 (28%) underwent radiotherapy; and 121 (15%) were observed. General otolaryngologists diagnosed 62% of responders, followed by primary care (11%) and neurotologists (10%). Patients who underwent surgery were significantly younger and had larger tumors compared to those treated with radiation or observation. The ratio of patients having nonsurgical versus surgical resection changed from 1:2 to 1:1 for the periods of 1979 through 2006 versus 2007 through 2017, respectively. Neurosurgeons (40%) and neurotologists (38%) were the most influential in treatment discussion. Neurotologists (P < 0.001) and general otolaryngologists (P = 0.04) were more influential than neurosurgeons for the decision process in patients with smaller tumors. Patients treated at academic versus nonacademic private institutions reported similar tumor sizes (P = 0.27), treatment decisions (P = 0.09), and decision satisfaction (P = 0.78). CONCLUSION: There is a continuing trend toward nonsurgical management, with approximately half of the patients opting for nonsurgical management. In this cohort, the patients commonly presented with otologic symptoms and otolaryngologists made the most diagnoses. Neurotologists and neurosurgeons were the most influential in treatment discussion. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA Laryngoscope, 130:482-486, 2020.

Epidemiology and gender differences in pediatric recreational and firearms noise exposure in the USA.

OBJECTIVE: We aim to identify contemporary noise exposures and hearing protection use among U.S. children in a large, population-based study. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of the 2014 National Health Interview Series was performed. Results from in-person interviews of families with children under 18 years of age in all 50 states were queried. Potentially harmful exposures to loud sounds and patterns of hearing protection use in the last 12 months were analyzed after representative sample weights were applied. RESULTS: Among 73.4 million children, 18.4% (9.1 ± 0.4 million) (boys: 23.2%, girls: 13.5%; P < 0.001) were exposed to firearms noise, and 28.2% (20.7 ± 0.6 million) (boys: 30.5%, girls: 25.8%; P < 0.001) to firecrackers and other explosive sounds. Exposure to recreational "very-loud" noise exposure was more common (7.9%; 5.8 ± 0.3 million), consisting of music players (46.5%), fireworks (44.8%), lawnmowers (42.6%), and firearms (32.5%). However, only 17.1% of boys and 15.6% of girls, totaling 16.4% of all children, always used hearing protection during noise exposures. CONCLUSION: Children in the United States are commonly exposed to firearms and recreational loud noises. Hearing protection is infrequently used, and gender disparities in patterns of exposure and use of hearing protection are prevalent. Those children and families at risk should be identified via public health initiatives and appropriately counseled by healthcare providers. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA Laryngoscope, 130:541-545, 2020.