Validation of the Paediatric Hearing Impairment Caregiver Experience (PHICE) Questionnaire.

Introduction: The paediatric hearing impairment caregiver experience (PHICE) questionnaire is a 68-item instrument that assesses the stress experienced by caregivers of children with hearing impairment (HI). While the questionnaire has been validated in the United States, it may need to be modified for use in the Singapore context due to the differing healthcare system, costing and culture related to caregiving for children with HI. This study aims to modify and validate the PHICE questionnaire to increase its relevance and ease of use in Singapore.

Development of a novel biodegradable drug-eluting ventilation tube for chronic otitis media with effusion.

Objectives/hypothesis: To develop a novel drug-eluting biodegradable ventilation tube (VT), to evaluate in vitro sustained release and antibacterial adherence of ofloxacin-loaded biodegradable VT on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and to evaluate in vivo biodegradation of VT in guinea pig ears.

Study Design: A randomized animal study.

Methods: In vitro drug release and degradation of ofloxacin-loaded VT were studied in water for 3 months.

Vibrant Soundbridge middle ear implantations: experience at National University Hospital Singapore.

Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) has been recommended for both adults and children with all types of hearing loss. The aim of this study was to evaluate the objective and subjective benefits with VSB and the difference in benefits for patients with different types of hearing loss. A retrospective case review was conducted on seven consecutive patients who had received VSB implantations at the National University Hospital of Singapore from March 2006 to November 2009.

Nasal eschar: a warning sign of potentially fatal invasive fungal sinusitis in immunocompromised children.

Most invasive fungal sinusitis occurs in immunocompromised adult patients. We present the case study of a 12-year-old boy diagnosed with acute myeloblastic leukemia undergoing chemotherapy. He developed a progressive darkening discoloration over the dorsum of the nose that turned into an eschar.

A fully degradable tracheal stent: in vitro and in vivo characterization of material degradation.

We report on the testing of materials for a fully degradable tracheal stent. Such a stent has several advantages over currently used permanent stents made of metal or silicone polymers. However, the mode of degradation in the trachea is expected to be different from a fully submerged device, because of the uniqueness of the tracheal environment.

Simultaneous Vibrant Soundbridge Implantation and 2nd Stage Auricular Reconstruction for Microtia with Aural Atresia.

Aural atresia and severe microtia are associated malformations that result in problems with hearing and cosmesis, associated speech and language difficulties and diminished self-esteem. In cases where middle ear ossiculoplasty and aural atresia canalplasty are expected to give poor hearing outcomes that would eventually require the use of hearing aids, bone anchored hearing aids or active middle ear implants may be better options. This case report describes a simultaneous Vibrant Soundbridge implantation and 2(nd) stage auricular reconstruction with rib graft cartilage for an 11-year-old boy with grade III microtia and aural atresia 8 months after the 1(st) stage reconstruction.

A multidisciplinary approach to paediatric hearing loss: programme at the centre for hearing intervention and language development, National University Hospital, Singapore.

The objective is to describe the multidisciplinary management programme at the National University Hospital (NUH) in Singapore for children with hearing impairment (HI). Over 99.95% of babies born at NUH have hearing tested with both otoacoustic emission and automated auditory brainstem response tests by 6 weeks of age.

Pediatric hearing impairment caregiver experience: impact of duration of hearing loss on parental stress.

Objectives: Caregivers of children who are deaf/hard of hearing have been reported to have greater stress than caregivers of children with normal hearing. The time of diagnosis is a particularly stressful time and stress levels may change over time based on varying needs at different life events. Thus, we hypothesized that stress experienced by caregivers evolves over time and is impacted by the duration since the diagnosis of hearing loss.

Role of fine-needle aspiration cytology in the evaluation of parotid tumours.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of fine-needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of parotid tumours.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted to examine the preoperative cytological and final histological results of patients who underwent parotidectomies at our institution.

Results: Sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing malignant and benign tumours were 80%, 100%, and 98.

A diagnostic paradigm for childhood idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss.

Objective: Our objective was to determine the diagnostic yield of laboratory testing, radiological imaging, and GJB2 mutation screening in a large cohort of patients with differing severities of idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL).

Design And Setting: We undertook a retrospective study of patients presenting with SNHL at our institution from 1993 to 2002.

Results: Laboratory testing had an extremely low yield.

Complications of metallic stents in the pediatric airway.

Objective: Our aim was to present our experience with complications caused by placement of metallic stents in the pediatric airway.

Design And Setting: We conducted a retrospective study of the medical records of patients with complications resulting from metallic stent placement, managed by the senior authors between 1993 and 2002.

Results: Nine children had complications associated with the placement of metallic airway stents.

Refining the DFNB17 interval in consanguineous Indian families.

We previously mapped the DFNB17 locus to a 3-4 cM interval on human chromosome 7q31 in a large consanguineous Indian family with congenital profound sensorineural hearing loss. To further refine this interval, 30 new highly polymorphic markers and 8 SNPs were analyzed against the pedigree. Re-analysis in the original DFNB 17 family and additional data from a second unrelated consanguineous family with congenital deafness found to map to the interval, limited the area of shared homozygosity-by-descent (HBD) to approximately 4 megabase (Mb) between markers D7S2453 and D7S525.

Pseudocyst of the auricle: a histologic perspective.

Objective: The aim of the study is to describe the histologic spectrum in the pseudocyst of the auricle and to identify any consistent histologic features of this condition.

Study Design: A prospective study was performed in which the tissue specimen from patients with pseudocyst of the auricle treated at the Department of Otolaryngology, Singapore General Hospital during a 1-year period was sent for histology.

Methods: Consecutive patients with pseudocyst of the auricle who were treated had their tissue specimen sent for histology.

Head and neck trauma in hospitalized pediatric patients.

Background: The study goal was to determine the presentation of head and neck trauma (HNT) in hospitalized pediatric subjects. Study design and setting Retrospective review of 257 subjects admitted to a level I pediatric trauma center.

Results: The male/female ratio of the subjects was 2.

A rare case of combined type I and II first branchial sinus.

The authors report a rare case of first branchial sinus with combined Work's type I and type II characteristics. Instead of a sinus opening in the neck, this sinus opened above the angle of the jaw in the face. The facial nerve was significantly more superficial to the tympanomastoid suture line than normal.

Genotypic and phenotypic correlations of DFNB1-related hearing impairment in the Midwestern United States.

Objective: To determine the genotypic and phenotypic correlations of hearing impairment (HI) in a midwestern US population related to autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss locus 1 (DFNB1).

Design: A retrospective review.

Setting: Tertiary care children's hospital.

Parotid gland surgery: 4-year review of 118 cases in an Asian population.

Background: To determine the presentation and management of parotid lesions requiring excision in a largely Chinese Asian population.

Methods: Retrospective study of 118 consecutive parotidectomies.

Results: Thirty-seven percent were Warthin's tumor (WT), 33% pleomorphic adenoma (PA), 21% other benign disease (OBD), and 9% malignant tumor (MT).