Effects of Lifestyle Modification on Vestibular Migraine.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate effects of lifestyle modification on symptoms of dizziness and headache in patients diagnosed with definite vestibular migraine. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective within-participants repeated-measures study. SETTING: Otolaryngology tertiary care. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-eight adults with definite vestibular migraine who were willing to be treated without pharmacological intervention. INTERVENTIONS: Information and instructions were provided on lifestyle modification; participants were instructed to improve restful sleep, exercise, eat at regulated mealtimes, and avoid dietary triggers. Participants were asked to maintain the modifications for at least 60 days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Two self-report inventories were used pre- and post-intervention to evaluate participants' perceived dizziness handicap and headache disability using the Dizziness Handicap Inventory and Headache Disability Inventory, respectively. Questions were also used to evaluate the extent to which participants reported compliance with lifestyle factors pre- and post-intervention. RESULTS: Significant improvement was observed after the lifestyle intervention with mean improvements in Dizziness Handicap Inventory and Headache Disability Inventory of 14.3 points. As a group, improvement in restful sleep was related to improvement in both dizziness and headache symptoms. At the individual participant level, 39% and 18% of participants reported significant reduction in dizziness handicap and headache disability, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Lifestyle modifications are an effective intervention for symptoms of dizziness and headache in participants with definite vestibular migraine. Participants who reported a larger increase in restful sleep were more likely to also report larger improvements in dizziness handicap and headache disability. Effect sizes using the current intervention were comparable or better than some reported pharmacological interventions but less than others. Our lifestyle modification intervention produced significant improvement in dizziness for a larger percentage of individual participants and in headache for a similar percentage of participants compared to data reported with other lifestyle modification interventions. Lifestyle modifications, especially restful sleep, have the potential to reduce the impact of vestibular migraine on patients' lives, with limited risk.Clinical Trials Registration: NCT03979677.

Cultural determinants of food attitudes in anosmic patients.

The decrease in food enjoyment is a major factor why patients suffer from depression when having anosmia, or total loss of smell. While we have some knowledge about how food preferences and attitudes change with dysosmia, these findings are limited because other factors such as culture are not factored in. It is likely that the culture in which an anosmic patient identifies with will influence how their smell loss impacts their relationship with food. This study examined the current attitudes within the United States and Germany towards foods, focusing on the comparison between anosmic patients (N = 53) and those with a healthy sense of smell (N = 121). A survey was used to collect free responses for liking on a variety of foods (N = 15) that were also rated for their overall liking. Additionally, individuals rated and ranked their liking for sensory attributes in relation to their enjoyment of food. Free responses were classified into categories and subcategories, the frequency of those responses were then compared across groups. The patient population of each culture gave lower importance to aroma and flavor; however, the U.S.A. patient population showed a larger decrease from their healthy counterparts. Furthermore, anosmic patients from the U.S.A. showed less overall liking towards the food stimuli compared to their healthy counterparts, while no such effect observed among the German population. Reasons to enjoy a food were largely explained by the culture, and patients within a culture took on different compensation strategies which we use to explain their effectiveness.

Development and Preliminary Findings of the Dizziness Symptom Profile.

OBJECTIVES: Dizziness, vertigo, and unsteadiness are common complaints of patients who present to primary care providers. These patients often are referred to otology for assessment and management. Unfortunately, there are a small number of specialists to manage these patients. However, there are several dizziness disorders that can be successfully managed by primary care providers if the disorder is properly identified. To assist in the identification of several of the most common dizziness disorders, we developed the dizziness symptom profile (DSP). The DSP is a self-report questionnaire designed to generate one or more differential diagnoses that can be combined with the patient's case history and physical examination. DESIGN: This report describes three investigations. Investigations 1 and 2 (i.e., exploratory and confirmatory investigations, N = 514) describe the development of the DSP. Investigation 3 (N = 195) is a validation study that describes the level of agreement between the DSP completed by the patient, and, the differential diagnosis of the otologist. RESULTS: The final version of the DSP consists of 31 items. Preliminary findings suggest that the DSP is in agreement with the differential diagnoses of ear specialists for Meniere's disease (100% agreement), vestibular migraine (95% agreement), and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (82% agreement). CONCLUSIONS: Early results suggest that DSP may be useful in the creation of differential diagnoses for dizzy patients that can be evaluated and managed locally. This has the potential to reduce the burden on primary care providers and reduce delays in the diagnosis of common dizziness and vertigo disorders.

Clinical experience with the application of distraction osteogenesis for airway obstruction.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term success of mandibular distraction osteogenesis in patients with mandibular airway obstruction syndrome (MAOS), defined as obstructive sleep apnea, swallowing abnormalities, and failure to thrive in the presence of micrognathia, glossoptosis, gastroesophageal or laryngeal reflux, and microaspiration. This is a cross-sectional study at the International Craniofacial Institute in the Medical City Hospital, Dallas, TX. From January 1997 to July 2008, a group of 81 patients were examined for MAOS using medical history and physical examination. They all met the criteria for a multidisciplinary team evaluation consisting of upper airway endoscopy, swallowing evaluations, standard overnight polysomnography, and radiologic evaluations of the airway and craniofacial structures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the 81 patients examined, Pierre Robin Sequence was diagnosed in 65; micrognathia and glossoptosis without cleft palate, in 13; and micrognathia as a component of a craniofacial syndrome (Treacher Collins syndrome), in 3. A total of 45 patients were documented to have gastroesophageal or laryngeal reflux.Only 41 patients had yet to receive any treatment at the time of evaluation; 40 patients presented with a tracheotomy.Of the 41 untreated patients, 14 responded to conservative treatment; Pierre Robin syndrome was diagnosed in all of them, and they did not require mandibular distraction or other surgical procedure to improve the MAOS.Bilateral distraction osteogenesis of the mandible was performed in 67 patients; 27 were younger than 6 months at the beginning of the distraction, and 40 were older than 6 months (mean age at distraction, 1.2 yr). Of this group, 26 patients did not have any prior surgical treatment, and 41 patients already had a tracheotomy. The distraction devices used were internal in 33 (49.26%) and external in 34 (50.74%) of 67 patients. The distraction protocol consisted of a 24-hour latency period and then a 1-mm/d activation period. The mean activation period was 19.4 days (range, 10-27 d), the mean consolidation period was 73 days, and the mean length of distraction was 22 mm (range, 10-32 mm). RESULTS: Tracheostomy was prevented in 25 (96%) of 26 patients, and decannulation after distraction was possible in 38 (92%) of 41 patients. Success, defined as decannulation within 1 year of the start of distraction or prevention of tracheostomy in a patient otherwise deemed as a candidate, was found in 63 (94%) of 67 patients. Oral feedings have been resumed in 61 (91%) of 67 patients.Complications observed were mostly related to pin site infections requiring antibiotics. Device failure was experienced in 2 (3%) of 66 internal devices and in 7 (10.2%) of 68 external devices.Distraction osteogenesis of the mandible provides an excellent treatment for mandibular airway obstruction in patients younger than 6 years who do not respond to conservative measures and allows for early decannulation in patients who previously underwent tracheotomy.