Celebrating the golden anniversary of anterior skull base surgery: reflections on the past 50 years and its historical evolution.

With its inception nearly half a century ago through the pioneering work of Dandy, McLean, and Smith, anterior skull base (ASB) surgery is a relatively young discipline. It became a distinct entity in 1963 when Ketcham popularized the combined transcranial transfacial approach for en bloc resection of tumors of the paranasal sinuses extending into the anterior cranial fossa. However, because these procedures resulted in major morbidities and mortalities, alternative modes of treatment were sought.

In-office vasovagal response after rhinologic manipulation.

Background: Advances in endoscopic sinus surgery have led to a greater number of in-office procedures away from the traditional operating room setting. Rhinologists acting independently of anesthesiologists must be prepared for potential complications, such as vasovagal response (VVR), that may arise during in-office rhinologic manipulations. In this study, we review our experience with this condition and discuss risk factors and a management algorithm for in-office VVR.

Gender disparities in scholarly productivity within academic otolaryngology departments.

Objective: To examine whether there are gender disparities in scholarly productivity within academic otolaryngology departments, as measured by academic rank and the h-index, a published, objective measure of research contributions that quantifies the number and significance of papers published by a given author.

Study Design And Setting: Analysis of bibliometric data of academic otolaryngologists.

Methods: Faculty listings from academic otolaryngology departments were used to determine academic rank and gender.

High-resolution computed tomography analysis of the frontal sinus ostium: a pilot study.

Purpose: Identification and exposure of the frontal sinus recess (FSR) during endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) are challenging due to the variable anatomy, the narrow opening of the frontal sinus ostium (FSO), and the proximity of vital anatomic structures. Hence, a strong understanding of frontal sinus anatomy is required to prevent intracranial entry. Consistent and easily identifiable landmarks and measurements could assist safe entry into the FSO.

In-Office Jones tube exchange using the Seldinger technique.

Conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy (CDCR) with Jones tube placement is usually performed as a primary procedure for severe stenosis or obstruction of both upper and lower canaliculi of the lacrimal drainage pathway, or occasionally, after unsuccessful dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR). Jones tube obstruction is quite common, and often requires removal of the obstructed tube and replacement or exchange of the tube in the operating room. This procedure is typically performed under general anesthesia, and is associated with the risks of general anesthesia, a significant investment of time, and the cost of the operating suite.

Impact of fellowship training on research productivity in academic otolaryngology.

Objectives/hypothesis: Assessment of scholarly productivity as measured by research output is a key component of decisions regarding appointment and advancement in academic otolaryngology. An increasing number of graduating residents are pursuing postresidency fellowships, and evaluation of research productivity among these subspecialists is important in determining their role in academic otolaryngology departments. The h-index is a reliable indicator of research productivity, as it takes into account both quantity and relevance of research contributions.

Assessment of frontal lobe sagging after endoscopic endonasal transcribriform resection of anterior skull base tumors: is rigid structural reconstruction of the cranial base defect necessary?

Objectives/hypothesis: The endoscopic endonasal transcribriform approach (EETA) is a viable alternative option for resection of selected anterior skull base (ASB) tumors. However, this technique results in the creation of large cribriform defects. Some have reported the use of a rigid substitute for ASB reconstruction to prevent postoperative frontal lobe sagging.

Sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinoma: systematic review of survival and treatment strategies.

Objective: This study reviews the published outcomes related to sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinoma (SNACC). Clinical presentation, radiographic diagnosis, pathology, treatment, and management outcomes of this uncommon disease are reported. Data Sources PubMed database.

Readability assessment of the American Rhinologic Society patient education materials.

Background: The extensive amount of medical literature available on the Internet is frequently accessed by patients. To effectively contribute to healthcare decision-making, these online resources should be worded at a level that is readable by any patient seeking information. The American Medical Association and National Institutes of Health recommend the readability of patient information material should be between a 4th to 6th grade level.

Double flap technique for reconstruction of anterior skull base defects after craniofacial tumor resection: technical note.

Background: Successful reconstruction of large anterior skull base (ASB) defects after craniofacial resection of malignant skull base tumors is paramount for preventing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistulas. The vascularized pedicled pericranial flap (PCF) has been the gold standard for repairing ASB defects after transbasal transcranial approaches. However, flap necrosis and delayed CSF leaks can occur after adjuvant radiation therapy.

Triple-layer reconstruction technique for large cribriform defects after endoscopic endonasal resection of anterior skull base tumors.

Background: Endoscopic endonasal transcribriform (EET) resection of anterior skull base (ASB) tumors results in large defects that may extend the entirety of the cribriform plate. Endoscopic repair of these cribriform defects can often be challenging. We describe our reconstruction technique for large ASB defects after EET resection of ASB tumors.

Readability analysis of healthcare-oriented education resources from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Objectives/hypothesis: Deficient health literacy remains a widespread public issue. As such, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends that all patient resources should be written around a sixth-grade level. The authors evaluate healthcare-oriented resources specified for patient use on the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) Web site in order to identify potential areas of improvement and highlight those sections that may serve as paradigms for future revisions.

Readability assessment of online urology patient education materials.

Purpose: The National Institutes of Health, American Medical Association, and United States Department of Health and Human Services recommend that patient education materials be written at a fourth to sixth grade reading level to facilitate comprehension. We examined and compared the readability and difficulty of online patient education materials from the American Urological Association and academic urology departments in the Northeastern United States.

Materials And Methods: We assessed the online patient education materials for difficulty level with 10 commonly used readability assessment tools, including the Flesch Reading Ease Score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, Gunning Frequency of Gobbledygook, New Dale-Chall Test, Coleman-Liau index, New Fog Count, Raygor Readability Estimate, FORCAST test and Fry score.

Is NIH funding predictive of greater research productivity and impact among academic otolaryngologists?

Objectives/hypothesis: The h-index is an accurate and reliable indicator of scholarly productivity that takes into account relevance, significance, and influence of research contributions. As such, it is an effective, objective bibliometric that can be used to evaluate academic otolaryngologists for decisions regarding appointment and advancement. In this study, we evaluate the impact of NIH funding on scholarly productivity in otolaryngology.

Readability assessment of online thyroid surgery patient education materials.

Background: Published guidelines recommend written health information be written at or below the sixth-grade level. We evaluate the readability of online materials related to thyroid surgery.

Methods: Thyroid surgery materials were evaluated using Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Flesch Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), Gunning Frequency of Gobbledygook (GFOG), and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG).

Readability assessment of online patient education materials from academic otolaryngology-head and neck surgery departments.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the readability of online patient education materials among academic otolaryngology departments in the mid-Atlantic region, with the purpose of determining whether these commonly used online resources were written at a level readily understood by the average American.

Methods: A readability analysis of online patient education materials was performed using several commonly used readability assessments including the Flesch Reading Ease Score, the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, Gunning Frequency of Gobbledygook, the New Dale-Chall Test, the Coleman-Liau Index, the New Fog Count, the Raygor Readability Estimate, the FORCAST test, and the Fry Graph.

Results: Most patient education materials from these programs were written at or above an 11th grade reading level, considerably above National Institutes of Health guidelines for recommended difficulty.

Incidental vestibular schwannomas: a review of prevalence, growth rate, and management challenges.

With the relatively recent increase in the use of MRI techniques, there has been a concurrent rise in the number of vestibular schwannomas (VSs) detected as incidental findings. These incidental VSs may be prevalent in up to 0.02%-0.

Salvage endoscopic nasoseptal flap repair of persistent cerebrospinal fluid leak after open skull base surgery.

Purpose: Persistent cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea after open skull base surgery can be challenging to manage due to the risk of meningitis, brain abscess, surgical morbidity associated with revision craniotomy, and the lack of available healthy autologous tissue after failure of a pericranial flap. Given the recent success of the vascularized pedicled nasoseptal flap (PNSF) for reconstruction after endoscopic skull base surgery, we have adopted this technique as a salvage method to treat recalcitrant CSF rhinorrhea after previous open skull base surgery in order to avoid revision craniotomy. To our knowledge, use of the PNSF in this setting has not been previously described in the literature.

Readability assessment of patient education materials on major otolaryngology association websites.

Objective: Various otolaryngology associations provide Internet-based patient education material (IPEM) to the general public. However, this information may be written above the fourth- to sixth-grade reading level recommended by the American Medical Association (AMA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). The purpose of this study was to assess the readability of otolaryngology-related IPEMs on various otolaryngology association websites and to determine whether they are above the recommended reading level for patient education materials.

Norman Dott, Gerard Guiot, and Jules Hardy: key players in the resurrection and preservation of transsphenoidal surgery.

Developed over a century ago, the transsphenoidal approach to access lesions of the pituitary gland and sella turcica has transformed the field of neurosurgery, largely due to the work of Oskar Hirsch and Harvey Cushing. Furthermore, its use and modification in the early 1900s was perhaps one of Cushing's greatest legacies to skull base surgery. However, Cushing, who had worked relentlessly to improve the transsphenoidal route to the pituitary region, abandoned the approach by 1929 in his pursuit to master transcranial approaches to the suprasellar region.

Hermann Schloffer and the origin of transsphenoidal pituitary surgery.

A little over a century ago, in 1907, at the University of Innsbruck, Hermann Schloffer performed the first transsphenoidal surgery on a living patient harboring a pituitary adenoma. Schloffer used a superior nasal route via a transfacial lateral rhinotomy incision. This was perhaps his greatest academic contribution to neurosurgery.

Giant suprasellar Rathke's cleft cyst mimicking craniopharyngioma: implications for a spectrum of cystic epithelial lesions of ectodermal origin.

Cystic epithelial lesions such as Rathke's cleft cysts (RCCs) and craniopharyngiomas may be difficult to distinguish on a clinical, radiographic, and sometimes histopathological basis. We describe a case of a giant 6.5 cm suprasellar cystic lesion that was presumed to be a craniopharyngioma based on the neuroimaging findings.

The use of the h-index in academic otolaryngology.

Objective/hypothesis: The h-index is an objective and easily calculable measure that can be used to evaluate both the relevance and amount of scientific contributions of an individual author. Our objective was to examine how the h-index of academic otolaryngologists relates with academic rank.

Study Design: A descriptive and correlational design was used for analysis of academic otolaryngologists' h-indices using the Scopus database.

Readability assessment of internet-based patient education materials related to facial fractures.

Objective/hypothesis: Various professional societies, clinical practices, hospitals, and health care-related Web sites provide Internet-based patient education material (IPEMs) to the general public. However, this information may be written above the 6th-grade reading level recommended by the US Department of Health and Human Services. The purpose of this study is to assess the readability of facial fracture (FF)-related IPEMs and compare readability levels of IPEMs provided by four sources: professional societies, clinical practices, hospitals, and miscellaneous sources.

Readability analysis of internet-based patient information regarding skull base tumors.

Readability is an important consideration in assessing healthcare-related literature. In order for a source of information to be the most beneficial to patients, it should be written at a level appropriate for the audience. The National Institute of Health recommends that health literature be written at a maximum level of sixth grade.