A Scoping Review of Mental Practice in Athletes: How can Surgeons Learn?

Introduction: Mental imagery is a dynamic mental state involving the cognitive visualization and rehearsal of motor movements or positions without overt motor output. Mental imagery is known to have numerous benefits for skill acquisition within athletic performance and is often incorporated into elite athletic training programs. The literature on the effects of mental imagery in surgery, which shares many of the high-performance qualities of elite athletics, remains limited.

Time-Driven Activity Based Costing of an Annual Canadian Cochlear Implant Program.

Objective: To define the cost necessary to run an adult cochlear implant (CI) program, including assessment, subsequent implantation, and follow from the Canadian provincial government perspective.

Study Design: Time-driven activity based costing (TDABC) of a CI program.

Setting: Adult provincial CI referral center.

IGF-1 Mediated Neuroprotective Effects of Olfactory-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Auditory Hair Cells.

Importance: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the capability of providing ongoing paracrine support to degenerating tissues. Since MSCs can be extracted from a broad range of tissues, their specific surface marker profiles and growth factor secretions can be different. We hypothesized that MSCs derived from different sources might also have different neuroprotective potential.

Content Validity of a High-Fidelity Surgical Middle Ear Simulator: A Randomized Prospective International Multicenter Trial.

Objective: After demonstration of face validity of a surgical middle ear simulator (SMS) previously, we assessed the content validity of the simulator with otolaryngology residents.

Study Design: Multicenter randomized prospective international study.

Setting: Four academic institutions.

Intratympanic corticosteroids for Ménière's disease.

Background: Ménière's disease is a condition that causes recurrent episodes of vertigo, associated with hearing loss and tinnitus. Corticosteroids are sometimes administered directly into the middle ear to treat this condition (through the tympanic membrane). The underlying cause of Ménière's disease is unknown, as is the way in which this treatment may work.

Surgical Coaching: Patient Perspectives Regarding Surgeon Coaches in the Operating Room.

Background: Surgical coaching programs have been introduced as platforms for ongoing professional development amongst independently practicing surgeons. While there is a plethora of evidence regarding the effectiveness of surgical coaching for practicing staff surgeons, patients' opinions regarding surgical coaching are largely unknown.

Objectives: To determine patients' baseline attitudes and opinions about the hypothetical situation of their treating surgeon having a surgical coach present during their upcoming operation, and to determine patients' baseline knowledge and prior exposure to surgical coaching.

Risk of Stroke and Myocardial Infarction After Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Meta-Analysis.

Objectives/hypothesis: The pathophysiology of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is still unknown, but labyrinthine artery infarction has been proposed. The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review and conduct a meta-analysis assessing the risk of developing stroke and myocardial infarction after presentation with ISSNHL.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted using Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Libraries.

Use of auditory evoked potentials with electrical stimulation at the round window niche pre-operatively on a brain-injured patient: A case study.

Objectives: To highlight the effectiveness of using PS testing in conjunction with electrically evoked auditory evoked potentials (eAEPs) to help guide treatment plans in patients with limited behavioural responses.

Methods: Case report on a 59-year-old male with traumatic brain injury. Electrophysiological measurements in conjunction with PS were performed.

American Neurotology Society, American Otological Society, and American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Foundation Guide to Enhance Otologic and Neurotologic Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

: This combined American Neurotology Society, American Otological Society, and American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation document aims to provide guidance during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) on 1) "priority" of care for otologic and neurotologic patients in the office and operating room, and 2) optimal utilization of personal protective equipment. Given the paucity of evidence to inform otologic and neurotologic best practices during COVID-19, the recommendations herein are based on relevant peer-reviewed articles, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 guidelines, United States and international hospital policies, and expert opinion. The suggestions presented here are not meant to be definitive, and best practices will undoubtedly change with increasing knowledge and high-quality data related to COVID-19.

The Effect of Unilateral Vestibular Loss on Standing Balance During Postural Threat.

Objective: Vestibular deficit patients have an increased fall risk and fear of falling. Postural threat, known to increase balance-related fear and anxiety, influences vestibular gains during quiet standing in young healthy adults. The current study examined whether there is a similar relationship for peripheral unilateral vestibular loss (UVL) patients in comparison to age-matched healthy controls (HC).

Guidance for otolaryngology health care workers performing aerosol generating medical procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a predilection for infecting the mucosa of the upper and lower airways. Otolaryngologists and supporting health care workers (HCWs) are particularly at high risk of becoming infected while treating patients as many in-office procedures and surgeries are Aerosol Generating Medical Procedures (AGMP). Based on a review of the literature and various guidelines, recommendations are made to mitigate the risk to health care workers of becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2 while providing clinical care.

Cost-effectiveness of School Hearing Screening Programs: A Scoping Review.

Objective: School hearing screening is a public health intervention that can improve care for children who experience hearing loss that is not detected on or develops after newborn screening. However, implementation of school hearing screening is sporadic and supported by mixed evidence to its economic benefit. This scoping review provides a summary of all published cost-effectiveness studies regarding school hearing screening programs globally.

Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of Cognitive and/or Behavioral Therapies (CBT) for Tinnitus.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of cognitive and/or behavioral therapies in improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL), depression, and anxiety associated with tinnitus.

Data Sources: EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Registry were used to identify English studies from database inception until February 2018.

Study Selection: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing cognitive and/or behavioral therapies to one another or to waitlist controls for the treatment of tinnitus were included.

The prognostic value and pathophysiologic significance of three-dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (3D-FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The underlying pathophysiology of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is still unknown. However, an increasing number of observational studies report intralabyrinthine signal alterations in patients with ISSNHL using three-dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (3D-FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These findings warrant a meta-analysis.

Construct Validation of a Printed Bone Substitute in Otologic Education.

Unlabelled: : Patient safety demands enhancements in training. Graduated cadaveric bone exposure is fundamental to otologic training. Printed bone models (PBM) provide a low-cost, anatomically consistent adjunct to cadaveric materials in trainee skill acquisition.

Subjective and objective vestibular changes that occur following paediatric cochlear implantation: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Cochlear implantation can result in post-operative vestibular dysfunction of unknown clinical significance. The objective of this study was to characterize the presence, magnitude, and clinical significance of vestibular dysfunction that occurs after pediatric cochlear implantation.

Data Sources: The databases Embase, Medline (OvidSP), and PubMed were used.

Differential Recovery in Early- and Late-Onset Delayed Facial Palsy Following Vestibular Schwannoma Resection.

Background: Delayed facial palsy (DFP) after resection of vestibular schwannomas (VS) is worsening of facial nerve function after an initially normal postoperative result.

Objective: To characterize different types of DFP, compare recovery rates, and review of series of outcomes in patients following resection of VS.

Methods: Between 2001 and 2017, 434 patients (51% female) with VS underwent resection.

Vestibular Neuritis: Recent Advances in Etiology, Diagnostic Evaluation, and Treatment.

Purpose of Chapter: This chapter highlights the recent advances in etiology, diagnostic evaluation, and management of vestibular neuritis (VN). Recent Findings: The viral hypothesis has been strengthened with new evidence as the main etiology of VN. Recent evidence indicates that bedside oculomotor findings play a critical role in differentiating VN from stroke.

Post-Traumatic Dizziness: Clinical and Medicolegal Aspects.

Subjective complaints of dizziness after mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury are common. Alterations in the mode of injury have changed the presentation symptoms. Evolutions in neuroimaging challenge conventional concepts regarding lack of evidence of injury following mild head trauma and provide hope for elucidating the site of lesion in patients with post-traumatic balance symptoms.

Shared decision making and decisional conflict in the Management of Vestibular Schwannoma: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Patients with vestibular schwannomas (VS) are faced with complex management decisions. Watchful waiting, surgical resection, and radiation are all viable options with associated risks and benefits. We sought to determine if patients with VS experience decisional conflict when deciding between surgery or non-surgical management, and factors influencing the degree of decisional conflict.

The olfactory mucosa: a potential source of stem cells for hearing regeneration.

The olfactory mucosa contains cells that enable it to generate new neurons and other supporting cells throughout life, allowing it to replace cells of the mucosa that have been damaged by exposure to various insults. In this article, we discuss the different types of stem cell found within the olfactory mucosa and their properties. In particular, the mesenchymal-like cells found within the lamina propria will be reviewed in detail.

Otolaryngology-Related Disorders in Underserved Populations, Otolaryngology Training and Workforce Considerations in North America.

In North America, underserved and vulnerable populations experience poorer health outcomes despite greater per capita health care expenditures. Biologic, behavioral, and socioeconomic factors lead to more advanced disease presentation that may necessitate disparate treatment. Additionally, vulnerable populations are more likely to obtain care from low-volume providers, and are more likely to receive inappropriate care.

Health care professionals' neckties as a source of transmission of bacteria to patients: a systematic review.

Background: There is growing concern that neckties worn by health care professionals may contribute to infections contracted in health care settings. We evaluated the evidence for health-care-associated infections resulting from neckties and whether the evidence is sufficient to warrant a tieless policy in Canada.

Methods: We performed a systematic review to determine whether neckties worn by health care professionals colonize harmful pathogenic bacteria and whether they contribute to the spread of infection to patients in the inpatient or outpatient setting.