Inter-rater reliability in diagnosis and treatment of type one laryngeal cleft: A blinded observational study.

INTRODUCTION: Type one laryngeal cleft (T1LC) has been implicated as a major contributor to aspiration in non-syndromic pediatric dysphagia. Despite an increasing incidence, there remains controversy in diagnosis and treatment algorithms. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the inter-rater reliability (IRR) for the diagnosis and treatment of T1LC. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted to identify children evaluated for a T1LC from 2016 to 2017 at a single tertiary care center. The microlaryngoscopy video recordings depicting palpation of the interarytenoid region with a right-angle probe were reviewed. These recordings were shown to blinded pediatric otolaryngologists and each surgeon's determination of the presence or absence of a T1LC as well as recommended treatment (observation, injection laryngoplasty, or endoscopic cleft repair) was recorded and compared against the other blinded surgeons. Fleiss's kappa was calculated to evaluate IRR in both diagnosis and treatment. RESULTS: Eight pediatric otolaryngologists were included in the study with a mean post-training experience of 15 years (range 1-35 years). The inter-rater percent agreement in diagnosis of our patient population was 28.6% (range 3.7-71%) with a kappa value of 0.31 (p < 0.0001). In regard to management, the inter-rater percent agreement in treatment was 11.4% (range 0-35%) with a kappa value of 0.14 (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: This study highlights the challenges and variation that exists among surgeons in diagnosing and managing potential T1LC. Further standardizing the endoscopic examination and treatment algorithm may reduce diagnostic and treatment discordance.

The Role of Antioxidants in the Treatment of Congenital CMV-Related Hearing: A Case-Control Study.

OBJECTIVE: Antioxidants have been used as a therapeutic measure for several causes of hearing loss, and this study aims to examine the use of antioxidants in children with congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV)-related hearing loss. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Academic pediatric hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A retrospective chart review of pediatric patients with cCMV-related hearing loss treated with and without antioxidants (vitamins A, C, and E and magnesium, known as ACE-Mg) was completed. The primary end point was the mean change in hearing thresholds for the right and left ears after therapy. An evaluation of the mean change in thresholds was evaluated at the following frequencies: 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, and 4000 Hz. A 2-sample t test and multiple linear regression were used to evaluate the data. RESULTS: A total of 78 children with cCMV-related hearing loss were included in the study, of whom 10 were treated with antioxidants. The average amount of time in which antioxidants were taken was 387 days. When comparing cases and controls, there was no differences in the mean change of hearing thresholds at each frequency for both the right and left ears (P > .05). Length of antioxidant therapy and age at which therapy was initiated had no effect on hearing scores (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Oxidative stress plays a role in the pathogenesis of cCMV-related hearing loss. ACE-Mg is a safe adjuvant therapy for the treatment of hearing loss in children; however, this study demonstrates no hearing-related benefit from ACE-Mg antioxidant therapy.