Prevalence of chronic otitis media with effusion in a pediatric tracheotomy population: a retrospective review.

The prevalence of chronic otitis media with effusion (COME) was investigated in a 4-year retrospective study of a pediatric tracheotomy population followed in the outpatient Tracheotomy-Ventilation Clinic of Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. After exclusions, 83 patients comprised the study population. In a given patient, COME was defined by the presence of middle ear effusion in more than 50% of ear evaluations during the 4-year study period, or tympanostomy tube placement. The prevalence of COME was 60% in the study population as a whole. Special population groups had prevalence as follows: 90% in craniofacial anomaly patients, 79% in chronically ventilated patients, and 48% in nonventilated patients. Chronically ventilated patients had a statistically significant higher prevalence of COME than the nonventilated group (P < 0.025). These data indicate that COME is a prevalent condition in the pediatric tracheotomy population.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the head and neck: the University of Iowa experience.

The evaluation of a patient with a mass in the head and neck may require the consideration of lymphoma in the process of differential diagnosis. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a well-described heterogeneous group of lymphoid malignancies characterized by a natural history ranging from indolent to aggressive growth. Little has been written, however, concerning the specific features of this disease in the head and neck. Between 1974 and 1984, 287 patients were treated for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma presenting in the head and neck. A multivariant analysis of these cases forms the basis of this report. All case material was reviewed and classified according to the working formulation of the National Cancer Institute and the Ann Arbor Classification System for lymphomas. Sites of initial presentation, methods of diagnosis, choice of therapy and subsequent response to treatment were related to the manifestations of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the head and neck. Of particular interest to the head and neck surgeon is the constellation of presenting signs and symptoms which point one to the possibility of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Pierre Robin sequences: secondary respiratory difficulties and intrinsic feeding abnormalities.

OBJECTIVE: There is considerable variation in opinion regarding the optimal management of patients with Pierre Robin sequence (PRS). No single method of airway intervention or feeding strategy is universally appropriate and effective. This study was performed to examine methods used for airway and feeding management and to identify specific problems encountered. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study of 252 patient charts between 1989 and 1997 at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. METHODS: Patient information was collected regarding perinatal history, genetics evaluation, and airway and feeding evaluations and intervention. A group of 47 patients was determined as having PRS. RESULTS: Secondary respiratory difficulties, defined as respiratory abnormalities in addition to the expected PRS obstruction, were identified in 23% of patients. Also, intrinsic feeding abnormalities not associated with airway obstruction were identified in 11% of patients. Analysis by Fisher's Exact Test revealed patients with a syndromic diagnosis to have a significantly higher rate for tracheotomies and gastrostomy tube placement (P = .041, and P = .0004, respectively). Syndromic patients were also found to have significantly lower Apgar scores and longer hospital stays. Positioning techniques, tongue-lip adhesion, and tracheotomy were also employed effectively with specific indications and specific difficulties that need to be considered. CONCLUSION: Patients with PRS require thorough airway and feeding evaluation. Those with additional syndromic diagnoses demonstrate higher rates of more invasive interventions. Patients with PRS must undergo individualized approaches with consideration of multiple factors for successful management.

Avoidance of primary post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage in a teaching program.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of primary post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage in a teaching institution by using a uniform technique, including a 3-minute relaxation of retraction before case termination and the use of bismuth subgallate. DESIGN: Case series. SETTING: Tertiary care academic pediatric center. PATIENTS: A 7-year retrospective study was performed by using the medical records of 1286 children without a bleeding abnormality who underwent tonsillectomy (with or without adenoidectomy). A uniform technique, proposed to reduce hemorrhage, was used for 705 children and was not used for 581 children. RESULTS: No episodes of primary hemorrhage (onset < or = 24 hours after surgery) occurred, and the incidence of delayed hemorrhage (onset >24 hours after surgery) was 1.1% in the study group. The primary hemorrhage rate of the study group was significantly lower (P = .007) than the rate for the reference group (0.0% vs 1.0%), as was the total hemorrhage rate (1.1% vs 4.1%) and the delayed hemorrhage rate (1.1% vs 3.1%). CONCLUSION: A uniform technique including the use of bismuth subgallate and reassessment of the tonsillar fossae after a 3-minute observation period reduces the incidence of primary tonsillar hemorrhage in a teaching institution setting.

Laryngotracheal reconstruction in canines: fixation of autologous costochondral grafts using polylactic and polyglycolic acid miniplates.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the feasibility of a new method of laryngotracheal reconstruction (LTR) that uses a bioabsorbable plating system consisting of polylactic and polyglycolic acid and provides some advantages over currently used methods. DESIGN AND INTERVENTIONS: Anterior subglottic stenosis was created in 10 beagles that then underwent LTR using an autologous costochondral graft. External laryngotracheal framework and cartilage grafts were secured using a sheet and screws made from a copolymer composed of polylactic and polyglycolic acid. Animals were humanely killed at 40, 60, and 90 days, and specimens were submitted for pathological examination. Histologic analysis included evaluation for inflammatory reaction, polylactic and polyglycolic acid incorporation into cartilage, cartilage necrosis, cartilage remodeling, and graft epithelialization. RESULTS: All animals underwent LTR after creation of a subglottic stenosis without episodes of airway compromise. After LTR, all airways were returned to prestenosis diameter without significant complication, and all animals were immediately extubated after surgery without difficulty. After the animals were killed, distraction of the stenotic cricoid area was demonstrated in 100% of the cases. Significant necrosis was noted in 2 of 10 grafts grossly; however, histologic analysis demonstrated significant areas of viable cartilage, areas of cartilage remodeling, and good epithelialization despite graft necrosis. Complete epithelialization of grafts was noted in the other 8 specimens. CONCLUSIONS: Using a canine model, we demonstrated a bioabsorbable plating system that offers an effective method for LTR. This model has the advantages of providing external support to the operated laryngeal and tracheal framework, elimination of the difficulties of suture placement, and potential future failure while offering rigid external fixation of a cartilage graft.

Submucous cleft palate: diagnostic methods and outcomes of surgical treatment.

The following statements summarize our interpretation of the literature regarding submucous cleft palate: Incidence and Diagnosis of Submucous Cleft Palate 1. In surveys of classic stigmata of submucous cleft palate among the general population, the incidence has been reported to be 0.02 to 0.08 percent. In the larger of these series, the incidence of velopharyngeal inadequacy among patients identified to have submucous cleft palate was 1 to 9. The incidence of occult submucous cleft palate is not known, since these patients will only be detected during the evaluation of patients who present with velopharyngeal inadequacy. 2. The diagnosis of submucous cleft palate is made by identification of the classic stigmata on physical examination. The diagnosis of occult submucous cleft palate is only pursued if the patient has velopharyngeal inadequacy. 3. For consistency in evaluating and reporting data, patients with an overt cleft of the secondary palate that extends beyond the uvula should be reported as having a cleft palate, and not a submucous cleft palate, even if a submucous cleft exists in a portion of the palate anterior to the overt cleft. 4. The true incidence of otitis media with effusion in the presence of submucous cleft palate has yet to be determined using a prospective study. Surgical Treatment of Velopharyngeal Inadequacy in Patients with Submucous Cleft Palate 1. The technique that has most consistently been documented to result in a significant correction of velopharyngeal inadequacy is the pharyngeal flap. There is recent evidence from one large center supporting the efficacy of the Furlow Z-plasty in selected patients with submucous cleft palate. Both these procedures appear to be most effective in patients with good lateral pharyngeal wall motion. 2. If a pharyngeal flap is performed as the primary procedure to act as an obturator against which the lateral pharyngeal walls appose for closure, we do not see the need for adjunctive palatal procedures. The dynamic component of velopharyngeal competence following such a pharyngeal flap consists of lateral wall motion, which is not enhanced by further surgical manipulation of the palate. However, a pharyngeal flap may be performed as an adjunctive procedure to a palatal pushback in order to provide lining for the resultant defect in the nasal mucosa. 3. The present literature does not support "prophylactic" operations on patients who present with the physical stigmata of submucous cleft palate prior to reaching an age at which it can be demonstrated by perceptual speech assessment that velopharyngeal inadequacy remained refractory to speech therapy. A significant number of patients will never develop velopharyngeal inadequacy; therefore, surgery would be unnecessary. In addition, objective data regarding the outcomes of different surgical techniques cannot be gathered if patients with submucous cleft palate are operated on without having had velopharyngeal inadequacy documented prior to those operations. 4. In order to objectively compare the outcomes of different surgical techniques, any future studies should be prospective and utilize uniform means of assessment. As minimum criteria, these would include preoperative and postoperative perceptual speech assessments performed by a trained speech pathologist and preoperative nasopharyngoscopy and multiview videofluoroscopy. The latter two studies should be repeated postoperatively only in those patients who have persistent velopharyngeal inadequacy.

A prospective evaluation of the prevalence of submucous cleft palate in patients with isolated cleft lip versus controls.

Although there is an established relationship between cleft lip and overt cleft palate, the relationship between isolated cleft lip and submucous cleft palate has not been investigated. To test the hypothesis that patients with isolated cleft lip have a greater association with submucous cleft palate, a double-armed prospective trial was designed. A study group of 25 consecutive children presenting with an isolated cleft lip, with or without extension through the alveolus but not involving the secondary palate, was compared with a control group of 25 children with no known facial clefts. Eligible patients were examined for the presence of physical criteria associated with classic submucous cleft palate, namely, (1) bifid uvula, (2) absence of the posterior nasal spine, and (3) zona pellucida. Nasoendoscopy was subsequently performed just after induction of general anesthesia, and the findings were correlated with digital palpation of the palatal muscles. Patients who did not satisfy all three physical criteria and in whom nasoendoscopy was distinctly abnormal relative to the control group were classified as having occult submucous cleft palate. Classic submucous cleft palate was found in three study group patients (12 percent), all of whom had flattening or a midline depression of the posterior palate and musculus uvulae on nasoendoscopy and palpable diastasis of the palatal muscles under general anesthesia. An additional six study group patients (24 percent) had similar nasoendoscopic criteria and palpable diastasis of the palatal muscles; they were classified as having occult submucous cleft palate. No submucous cleft palate was identified in the control group. Seventeen patients in the study group had an alveolar cleft with a 53 percent (9 of 17) prevalence of submucous cleft palate. In the present study, classic submucous cleft palate in association with isolated cleft lip was 150 to 600 times the reported prevalence in the general population. All children with an isolated cleft lip should undergo peroral examination and speech/resonance assessment no later than the age of 3 years. Any child with an isolated cleft lip with velopharyngeal inadequacy or before an adenoidectomy should be assessed by flexible nasal endoscopy to avoid missing an occult submucous cleft palate.

Stress velopharyngeal incompetence in an adolescent trumpet player.

The youngest reported patient with stress velopharyngeal incompetence is presented. The patient's symptoms responded to rest with a possible contribution from palatal exercise. Surgical correction would appear to best be reserved for the professional musician with this unusual condition.

Posterior cephalometric radiographic analysis in obstructive sleep apnea.

Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between posterior facial cephalometric measures and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). We used a consecutive sample of 60 patients with OSAS who underwent upright lateral cephalograms, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), and preoperative and postoperative polysomnography. Successful responders to UPPP were arbitrarily defined as having a respiratory disturbance index reduced to fewer than 20 events per hour. Standard cephalometric measurements were used. Posterior facial height measures were constructed, based on a plane perpendicular to the Frankfort horizontal placed at hyoidale. The total and lower airway lengths were shorter and posterior mandibular height was longer in UPPP responders compared to nonresponders (p < or = .05). There was no difference between the two groups by standard cephalometric measurements. Responders and nonresponders to UPPP have significant differences in posterior airway measures that are not reflected in standard cephalometric measures. Airway length likely is a critical factor in OSAS and surgical response.

Pediatric deep space neck infections: the Medical College of Wisconsin experience.

A retrospective review was performed on 39 patients with deep space neck infection admitted to the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin over a nine year period. The signs and symptoms as well as issues of diagnosis and treatment were reviewed with attention to the use of computed tomography (CT) scans. Beta hemolytic streptococcus was the most commonly cultured organism followed by alpha hemolytic streptococcus. Sixteen patients underwent CT scans. Twelve were diagnosed with an abscess by CT scan. An abscess was confirmed in ten patients. Necrotic lymph nodes mimicked abscesses on CT scans and resulted in negative surgical findings. Airway obstruction occurred in 30% of the children in the study. Children under the age of 36 months had a significantly higher rate of airway obstruction upon presentation compared to older children (P < 0.05). There should be a high index of suspicion of upper airway compromise in children under the age of 36 months with a deep neck infection.

Gastroesophageal reflux complicating choanal atresia repair.

Four infants with bilateral congenital choanal atresia (CCA) underwent transpalatal (3) or transnasal (1) repairs. Postoperatively all four infants experienced gastroesophageal reflux (GER) with intermittent nasal reflux. GER was documented by GER radionuclide scanning in one patient and by dual nasopharyngeal and esophageal pH probe studies in the remaining three patients. The infants with documented GER required prolonged stenting and dilations for choanal restenosis and granulations. The literature emphasizes the importance of the technical repair for prevention of these complications; GER can be a significant complicating factor.

Changes in deglutition following tonsillectomy in neurologically impaired children.

Tonsillectomy for improvement of dysphagia in children is well recognized, but its effects upon deglutition in the neurologically impaired child have not been described. A review was performed of pre- and post-operative oral-pharyngeal motility (OPM) studies obtained on 15 children (aged 1-10 years; mean 4.6 years) with neurologically-based dysphagia who underwent tonsillectomy for upper airway obstruction (13) or recurrent tonsillitis (2). Each OPM study was rated independently by two trained observers for the presence or absence of 13 features of deglutition. Subjects served as their own control in comparative analysis. There was a mean improvement of 4.33 features of deglutition (mode: 4, range: -1(-)+7) following tonsillectomy. Of 10 children with pre-existing laryngeal penetration or aspiration, two had partial resolution and five had complete resolution following surgery. Post-operatively, two children developed new laryngeal penetration with one also having aspiration. The inter-observer reliability for the OPM study interpretation was 0.90. We conclude that tonsillectomy has a role in the neurologically impaired child with dysphagia, but a pre-operative OPM study is indicated to identify silent aspiration and to aid in necessary counseling for the possibility of a deterioration of deglutition following surgery.

Mediastinitis associated with foreign body erosion of the esophagus in children.

OBJECTIVE: Timely and experienced intervention for esophageal foreign bodies generally allows for removal with minimal morbidity. However, esophageal foreign bodies present a risk for esophageal perforation and subsequent mediastinitis, especially if the diagnosis of the foreign body is delayed. Although much has been written about the management of esophageal foreign bodies and their complications, little has been mentioned in recent literature about the specific complication of mediastinitis. This review was performed to examine our experience with this uncommon complication of esophageal foreign bodies. METHODS: A retrospective review of the esophageal foreign body database at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin from 1987 to 1997 was performed to identify patients with esophageal foreign bodies and subsequent mediastinitis. RESULTS: Four patients with esophageal perforation with associated mediastinitis secondary to retained esophageal foreign bodies were identified. Three of the four patients were treated with conservative measures consisting of foreign body removal, intravenous antibiotics and discontinuing of oral nutrition. These patients all achieved resolution of their mediastinitis and esophageal perforation with subsequent return to normal diets and no significant morbidity. One patient, with vascular erosion, required aggressive, invasive therapy. CONCLUSION: From review of this limited number of patients, in the absence of major vascular erosion, conservative methods of treating children with foreign body esophageal perforation and subsequent mediastinitis appears to be effective.

Comparative trial of acceptability of beclomethasone dipropionate and a new formulation of flunisolide.

A randomized, double-blind, crossover study of a new formulation of flunisolide nasal spray was performed comparing its acceptability and safety to that of aqueous beclomethasone dipropionate nasal spray. The single center study enrolled 100 adults with allergic rhinitis; of these, 99 provided valid data for analysis. Each study participant received a single dose of each study drug and assessed nasal burning/stinging and other adverse effects. Analysis of patient evaluations revealed no significant differences in nasal or pharyngeal irritation (P > .05); however, mild aftertaste was present with use of flunisolide (P = .059) compared with beclomethasone dipropionate. There was similar acceptance of both study drugs.

Prediction of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty response using cephalometric radiographs.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between facial cephalometric measures and response to uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of skeletal cephalometric measures obtained from a consecutive sample of 43 patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) who underwent body mass index (BMI) measures, UPPP, upright lateral cephalometric radiographs, and preoperative and postoperative polysomnography. Significant clinical effect by uvulopalatopharyngoplasty was arbitrarily defined as having a 50% reduction in the respiratory disturbance index (RDI). The cephalometric measurements used were based solely on skeletal landmarks. RESULTS: No skeletal measurement predicted response to UPPP for the entire study population. When the patients were classified on the basis of retrognathia, 33 were identified without retrognathia. In that group, posterior airway length was the greatest predictor of response to UPPP (P < or = .05; odds ratio, 83.2). The distance between hyoid and mandible and the maxillary-mandibular relationship were also predictive of response (P < or = .05). CONCLUSION: The skeletal anatomy supporting the airway directly impacts the response to UPPP. Prediction of response requires stratification by skeletal subtype.

Proximal pH-metry for diagnosis of upper airway complications of gastroesophageal reflux.

Otolaryngologic complications of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) are well described in adults, but this relationship has not been as carefully studied in children. We reviewed 26 dual pH-probe studies performed on 22 children with upper airway symptoms. The proximal probe was placed in the nasopharynx or hypopharynx. The distal probe was placed in the mid-proximal oesophagus. The proximal recording was considered normal if no episodes of pH < 4 were recorded. Indications for the studies were upper airway obstruction (UAO) and congenital choanal atresia (CCA). The age range was from 2 weeks to 47 months. The distal pH probe study was normal in 13 of 22 patients overall. Seventeen UAO patients had abnormal proximal pH probe studies. After treatment, 16 of 17 had improved airways. Twelve with UAO (67%) were premature and/or had developmental delay. Three CCA patients had abnormal proximal pH-probe studies and all improved after treatment. Four follow-up pH studies were normal or improved. GER-induced UAO is more frequent in infants or children with a history of prematurity or developmental delay. Proximal pH-metry is a useful technique to document the relationship between upper airway symptoms and GER. Patients with GER-induced UAO should undergo endoscopy to rule out simultaneous airway lesions.