Cochlear Implantation With Sporadic Inner Ear Schwannomas: Outcomes in 106 Patients From an International Multi-Institutional Study.

Objective: To evaluate cochlear implant speech perception among patients with sporadic inner ear schwannoma who underwent ipsilateral implantation.

Study Design: Retrospective multi-institutional cohort study.

Setting: Eleven tertiary academic medical centers across Germany, Denmark, and the United States.

Associations of Microvascular Risk Factors with Sporadic Vestibular Schwannoma Outcomes Following Stereotactic Radiosurgery.

Objective: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is increasingly used for small-to-medium-sized sporadic vestibular schwannoma (VS) and is associated with good tumor control and low-risk of adverse radiation-associated events. The exact mechanism of VS tumor control is unknown but may relate to microvascular hyalinization and resultant tumoral ischemia. This study examined associations of microvascular risk factors with outcomes following SRS.

Hearing preservation in pediatric cochlear implantation.

Purpose Of Review: Pediatric cochlear implantation has evolved considerably over the past three decades to include more patients at earlier ages with greater degrees of residual hearing. As an extension, a significant focus of research over the past decade has surrounded preservation of existing acoustic hearing.

Recent Findings: Multiple studies published within the last 5 years demonstrate aidable acoustic hearing preservation in 60-90% of pediatric patients, with 40-60% experiencing complete hearing preservation following cochlear implantation.

Repeat Radiosurgery for Sporadic Vestibular Schwannoma After Primary Radiosurgical Failure: An International Multi-institutional Investigation.

Objective: To describe outcomes of patients with sporadic vestibular schwannoma (VS) who underwent repeat stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) after primary SRS failure.

Study Design: Multi-institutional historical cohort study.

Setting: Five tertiary care referral centers.

Continuous white noise exposure during sleep and childhood development: A scoping review.

Background: White noise machines are widely used as a sleep aid for young children and may lead to poor hearing, speech, and learning outcomes if used incorrectly.

Objective: Characterize the potential impact of chronic white noise exposure on early childhood development.

Methods: Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched from inception through June 2022 for publications addressing the effects of chronic noise exposure during sleep on early development in animals and children.

Salvage Microsurgery Following Failed Primary Radiosurgery in Sporadic Vestibular Schwannoma.

Importance: Management of sporadic vestibular schwannoma with radiosurgery is becoming increasingly common globally; however, limited data currently characterize patient outcomes in the setting of microsurgical salvage for radiosurgical failure.

Objective: To describe the clinical outcomes of salvage microsurgery following failed primary stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) among patients with sporadic vestibular schwannoma.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a cohort study of adults (≥18 years old) with sporadic vestibular schwannoma who underwent salvage microsurgery following failed primary SRS/FSRT in 7 vestibular schwannoma treatment centers across the US and Norway.

Temporal bone management in external and middle ear carcinoma.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose of this review is to outline the temporal bone management of external and middle ear carcinoma. The review will outline the current evidence involved in deciding which surgical approach to take, as well as new advances in auditory rehabilitation and immunotherapy.

Recent Findings: Traditional surgical approaches include lateral temporal bone resection, subtotal temporal bone resection and total temporal bone resection.

Natural History of Serviceable Hearing During Active Surveillance of Nongrowing Sporadic Vestibular Schwannoma Supports Consideration of Initial Wait-and-Scan Management.

Objective: The treatment paradigm of vestibular schwannoma (VS) focuses on preservation of neurologic function, with small tumors increasingly managed with active surveillance. Often, tumor size and hearing outcomes are poorly correlated. The aim of the current work was to describe the natural history of hearing among patients with nongrowing VS during observational management.

Neuroimaging Characteristics of Hearing Loss in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging.

Objective: To investigate the association between standard pure tone and speech audiometry with neuroimaging characteristics reflective of aging and dementia in older adults.

Study Design: Prospective population-based study.

Setting: Single tertiary care referral center.

Perceptions Surrounding Cochlear Implants Among At-Risk and Qualifying Older Adults in the United States.

Objective: Limited evidence to date has examined public perceptions of cochlear implants among adult hearing aid users with moderate to profound hearing loss. The current work was conceived with the chief objective of characterizing the perceptions surrounding cochlear implants among the prospective candidate pool.

Study Design: National cross-sectional survey study.

Rationale for the Development of a Novel Clinical Grading Scale for Postoperative Facial Nerve Function: Results of a Multidisciplinary International Working Group.

Objective: The objective of the current study was to present the results of an international working group survey identifying perceived limitations of existing facial nerve grading scales to inform the development of a novel grading scale for assessing early postoperative facial paralysis that incorporates regional scoring and is anchored in recovery prognosis and risk of associated complications.

Study Design: Survey.

Setting: A working group of 48 multidisciplinary clinicians with expertise in skull base, cerebellopontine angle, temporal bone, or parotid gland surgery.

Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board Audiogram Screening Comparative Analysis.

Introduction: The Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board (DoDMERB) plays a pivotal role in the assessment of medical fitness for aspiring military officers. A crucial component of this process is the screening audiogram, designed to evaluate hearing capabilities. However, recent observations of high disqualification rates following screening audiograms led to concerns about their accuracy.

National Trends in Cochlear Implantation Across the Department of the Defense: A Case for Inclusion as a General Otolaryngology Core Competency.

Objective: With ongoing national expansions in cochlear implantation (CI) candidacy criteria, more patients qualify for CI today than ever before. Among US veterans and military service members, the prevalence of qualifying degrees of hearing loss secondary to occupational noise exposure exceeds the general population. The primary aim of the current work was to evaluate CI trends across the military health system.

Cognitive Performance, Sociodemographic Factors, Pure-Tone Audiometry, and their Association with Speech Discrimination: A Prospective Population-Based Study of 1,061 Older Adults.

Objective: Hearing loss is increasingly recognized as a chronic disease state with important health sequelae. Although considered a central component of routine audiometric testing, the degree to which various patient factors influence speech discrimination is poorly characterized to date. The primary objective of the current work was to describe associations of cognitive performance, sociodemographic factors, and pure-tone audiometry with speech discrimination in older adults.

Stratifying Risk of Future Growth Among Sporadic Vestibular Schwannomas.

Objective: In certain cases, clinicians may consider continued observation of a vestibular schwannoma after initial growth is detected. The aim of the current work was to determine if patients with growing sporadic vestibular schwannomas could be stratified by the likelihood of subsequent growth based on initial growth behavior.

Study Design: Slice-by-slice volumetric tumor measurements from 3,505 serial magnetic resonance imaging studies were analyzed from 952 consecutively treated patients.

Developing a Social Media Ontology Across Otolaryngology and its Subspecialties.

Objective: To determine how social media is used in the dissemination of new information within otolaryngology, and to emphasize the importance of standardizing Twitter hashtag use.

Methods: Based on the 2019 SCImago journal rankings, the Twitter posts from the accounts of the top three journals covering each otolaryngology subspecialty were reviewed from August 1, 2020 to May 1, 2021. Twitter posts from the primary otolaryngology-related academic societies were also reviewed during this timeframe.

Incidence of Cochlear Implantation Among Adult Candidates in the United States.

Objectives: To investigate the associations of age and year of cochlear implantation (CI) with CI incidence among adults 20 years and older residing in the US.

Study Design: Deidentified cochlear implant data were acquired from prospective patient registries from two cochlear implant manufacturers (Cochlear Americas and Advanced Bionics), which supply an estimated 85% of cochlear implants in the US. Population estimates for severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss by age group were extracted from Census and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data.

Quality of Life in Sporadic Vestibular Schwannoma.

The focus of management in sporadic vestibular schwannoma has dramatically evolved over the last 100 years. The centrality of quality of life (QoL) is being underscored by an ongoing epidemiologic shift toward an older patient demographic that is being diagnosed with smaller tumors and often with few associated symptoms. Two disease-specific QoL instruments have been developed for sporadic vestibular schwannoma: the Penn Acoustic Neuroma Quality of Life Scale in 2010, and more recently, the Mayo Clinic Vestibular Schwannoma Quality of Life Index in 2022.