Translabyrinthine versus Retrosigmoid Approach for Vestibular Schwannoma: A Systematic Review and An Updated Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Several approaches can be used in the surgical treatment of vestibular schwannoma (VS), and the best approach remains uncertain in the literature. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to compare the translabyrinthine approach (TLA) with the retrosigmoid approach (RSA) for VS in terms of postoperative complications.

Data Sources: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane.

The Role of Watertight Dural Closure in Supratentorial Craniotomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background And Objective: The idea of watertight dural closure (WTDC) seems extremely obvious to avoid complications such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak and infection, especially in spinal and posterior fossa surgeries. Nonetheless, several studies have shown that leaving the dura open is not associated with an increased risk of complications. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to compare non-WTDC and WTDC in patients undergoing supratentorial craniotomy regarding the risk of postoperative complications.

Case report: Mirror paraclinoid aneurysm associated with mirror clinoidal meningioma.

Introduction: Clinoidal meningiomas and paraclinoid aneurysms are individually uncommon, with the coexistence of mirror paraclinoid aneurysms and clinoidal meningiomas presenting an even rarer scenario. While the association between meningiomas and aneurysms is documented, the simultaneous presence of mirror lesions for both pathologies is not reported in the literature.

Clinical Presentation: We report a 62-year-old female with a three-month history of moderate bifrontal headaches.

EPG research and therapy: further developments.

Electropalatography (EPG) has been used in the past 50 years for studying the patterns of contact between the tongue and the palate during speech production in typical speakers and those with speech disorders due to different causes. At the 7th EPG Symposium in Japan that was held online on 24 January 2021 (see: https://epg-research.sakura.

Electropalatography (EPG) activities in Japan and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on EPG research and therapy: A report of presentations at the 7th EPG Symposium.

Background: At the 7th Electropalatography Symposium in Japan, held online on the 24 January 2021, a few speakers were invited to talk about how the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted their research and/or speech therapy that involved the use of electropalatography (EPG) as well as the procedures adopted in order to continue their work in a safe manner. The information on protective measures when using instrumental techniques in speech research and therapy may be useful for colleagues in research and the clinic.

Aims: The primary aims are: (1) to find out whether there are any published recommendations regarding protective measures for using EPG in research and clinic settings; (2) to discuss the impact of the pandemic and the corresponding restrictions and general protective measures directed (or advised) by local government and professional bodies at each stage of EPG work; and (3) to share experiences in using modified procedures for face-to-face EPG therapy sessions and combined EPG teletherapy.

A recent surge of fulminant and early onset subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) in the United Kingdom: An emergence in a time of measles.

Background: Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis (SSPE) is a fatal progressive neurological disorder following measles infection.

Methods: Cases were collated from Paediatric Neurology centres in the UK over 24 months from 2017 to 2019 and represent all cases referred to the National Viral Reference Department (VRD). Diagnosis was established with detection of a raised measles index, demonstrating intrathecal measles antibody production.

Intelligibility in Down syndrome: Effect of measurement method and listener experience.

Background: Speech intelligibility is a global indicator of the severity of a speech problem. It is a measure that has been used frequently in research and clinical assessment of speech. Previous studies have shown that factors, such as measurement method and listener experience, can influence speech intelligibility scores.

Clinical findings of 21 previously unreported probands with HNRNPU-related syndrome and comprehensive literature review.

With advances in genetic testing and improved access to such advances, whole exome sequencing is becoming a first-line investigation in clinical work-up of children with developmental delay/intellectual disability (ID). As a result, the need to understand the importance of genetic variants and its effect on the clinical phenotype is increasing. Here, we report on the largest cohort of patients with HNRNPU variants.

Surgical management of raised intracranial pressure secondary to otogenic infection and venous sinus thrombosis.

Purpose: This study reviews paediatric patients with raised intracranial pressure as a result of venous sinus thrombosis secondary to otogenic mastoiditis, requiring admission to the paediatric neuroscience centre at the University Hospital Wales, Cardiff. The consensus regarding the management of otogenic hydrocephalus in the published literature is inconsistent, with a trend towards conservative over surgical management. We reviewed our management of this condition over a 9-year period especially with regard to ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunting.

Perceptual and acoustic evaluation of speech production in Down syndrome: A case series.

People with Down syndrome (DS) can experience difficulties with speech production that can impact on speech intelligibility. In previous research, both perceptual and acoustic analysis has shown that people with DS can have difficulties with speech production in the areas of respiration, phonation, articulation, resonance and prosody. However, these studies have investigated various aspects of speech production separately.

Longitudinal Study of Expressive Language and Speech of Twins at 3 and 5 Years: Outgrowing a Twinning Effect.

Purpose This study examines the expressive language and speech of twins, relative to singletons, at 3 and 5 years, with the aim of determining if a twinning effect occurs during this developmental period. The possibility of twins outgrowing a twinning effect was investigated. Method A weighted population-based sample of 185 twins and 1,309 closely spaced singletons who participated in the Growing Up in Ireland study was analyzed.

Core Health Outcomes in Childhood Epilepsy (CHOICE): Development of a core outcome set using systematic review methods and a Delphi survey consensus.

Objective: Establishing a core set of outcomes to be evaluated and reported in intervention trials aims to improve the usefulness of health research. There is no established core outcome set (COS) for childhood epilepsies. The aim of this study was to select a COS to be used in evaluative research of interventions for children with rolandic epilepsy (RE).

Tongue-palate contact for nasal versus oral stops in speakers with repaired cleft palate.

Most previous studies of speech disorders associated with cleft palate have reported a higher incidence of errors for oral stops, fricatives and affricates compared to nasal stops. However, the results of a recent ultrasound study have raised the possibility that errors affecting nasal consonants might not be as rare as originally thought. A review of the electropalatography (EPG) literature on cleft palate speech has also shown that atypical tongue-palate contact patterns can occur during nasal consonants and that nasal and oral stops are often produced with similar atypical lingual gestures.

The dynamics of voiceless sibilant fricative production in children between 7 and 13 years old: An ultrasound and acoustic study.

This study reports on dynamic tongue shape and spectral characteristics of sibilant fricatives /s/ and /ʃ/ in Scottish English speaking children aged between 7 and 13 years old. The sequences /əCa/ and /əCi/ were produced by 40 children, with ten participants in each age group, and two-year intervals between successive groups. Productions of the same sequences by ten adults were used for comparison with the children's data.

Parent-mediated interventions for promoting communication and language development in young children with Down syndrome.

Background: Communication and language development are areas of particular weakness for young children with Down syndrome. Caregivers' interaction with children influences language development, so many early interventions involve training parents how best to respond to their children and provide appropriate language stimulation. Thus, these interventions are mediated through parents, who in turn are trained and coached in the implementation of interventions by clinicians.

Sleep and epilepsy: unfortunate bedfellows.

The relationship between sleep and seizure disorders is a particularly vicious cycle. Nocturnal seizures can interrupt sleep while a number of factors, including antiepileptics and sleep disorders that cause sleep fragmentation, can worsen seizures. Understanding and managing seizures and related sleep disturbance is therefore an important and treatable intervention target that could potentially improve children's sleep, but also their learning, mood, behaviour, seizures and parental quality of life.

Diagnosis of sporadic neurofibromatosis type 2 in the paediatric population.

Objective: Onset of symptoms in severe sporadic neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is typically within childhood; however, there is poor awareness of presenting features in young children, potentially resulting in delayed diagnosis and poorer outcome. We have reviewed presentation of sporadic paediatric NF2 to raise awareness of early features, highlighting those requiring further investigation.

Design: Patients diagnosed with NF2 at age ≤16 and seen between 2012 and 2015 were notified via the British Paediatric Neurology Surveillance Unit or identified through the English NF2 service.

Clinical features, course, and outcomes of a UK cohort of pediatric moyamoya.

Objective: To describe characteristics and course of a large UK cohort of children with moyamoya from multiple centers and examine prognostic predictors.

Methods: Retrospective review of case notes/radiology, with use of logistic regression to explore predictors of outcome.

Results: Eighty-eight children (median presentation age 5.

Tongue-Palate Contact Timing during /s/ and /z/ in English.

Although numerous studies have investigated supraglottal strategies for signalling voicing in fricatives, there is still no agreement about the precise characteristics of tongue-to-palate contact timing during voiced as opposed to voiceless fricatives. In this study we use electropalatography (EPG) to investigate articulatory and coarticulatory characteristics of tongue-to-palate contact timing during /s/ and /z/ in English. Five typically speaking participants, speakers of Southern British English, produced 500 trochaic words containing the intervocalic alveolar fricatives /s/ or /z/.

The effect of different speaker accents on sentence comprehension in children with speech sound disorder.

There is substantial evidence that a speaker's accent, specifically an unfamiliar accent, can affect the listener's comprehension. In general, this effect holds true for both adults and children as well as those with typical and impaired language. Previous studies have investigated the effect of different accents on individuals with language disorders, but children with speech sound disorders (SSDs) have received little attention.

Core Health Outcomes In Childhood Epilepsy (CHOICE): protocol for the selection of a core outcome set.

Background: There is increasing recognition that establishing a core set of outcomes to be evaluated and reported in trials of interventions for particular conditions will improve the usefulness of health research. There is no established core outcome set for childhood epilepsy. The aim of this work is to select a core outcome set to be used in evaluative research of interventions for children with rolandic epilepsy, as an exemplar of common childhood epilepsy syndromes.

The relationship between information carrying words, memory and language skills in school age children with specific language impairment.

The receptive language measure information-carrying word (ICW) level, is used extensively by speech and language therapists in the UK and Ireland. Despite this it has never been validated via its relationship to any other relevant measures. This study aims to validate the ICW measure by investigating the relationship between the receptive ICW score of children with specific language impairment (SLI) and their performance on standardized memory and language assessments.

Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) and developmental co-ordination disorder.

Background: Benign epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes (BECTS) is a common childhood epilepsy syndrome also known as Rolandic Epilepsy (RE). Neurocognitive phenotypes have been described with greater focus on attention, reading and language domains but there have been far fewer studies focusing on motor functioning. This study included measures of motor, language and cognition in order to investigate the range, degree and pattern of difficulties associated with BECTS in a case series of children, but with a particular emphasis on motor skills.