Publications by authors named "Patrick Axon"

Background And Objectives: Surveillance studies offer sparse knowledge of predictors of future growth in sporadic vestibular schwannomas (VS).Our aim was identification of these risk factors. We propose a scoring system to estimate the risk of growth in sporadic vestibular schwannoma.

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Objectives: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the rate of taste disturbance following cochlear implantation.

Methods: The review was designed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Included studies psychophysically measured taste.

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Article Synopsis
  • New diagnostic criteria for NF2-related schwannomatosis were established in 2022, leading to an updated prevalence study in the UK, which focused on the rate of de novo NF2 cases.
  • A total of 1,084 living NF2 patients were identified, indicating a prevalence of 1 in 61,332, with a striking 72% of cases being de novo, many of which were mosaic.
  • The findings also revealed that nonsense variants were most common (24.8%), while missense variants had a higher familial association (56%), emphasizing the importance of patient databases for accurate genetic counseling.
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  • * Participants used one of four hearing apps in controlled conditions and then three times at home, revealing strong correlations with PTA results for two of the apps.
  • * Most participants found the apps easy to use, and a significant percentage expressed a willingness to use them for ongoing hearing monitoring, suggesting that smartphone audiometry can be a viable remote assessment tool.
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Objective: This study aimed to assess degree of audiovestibular handicap in patients with vestibular schwannoma.

Methods: Audiovestibular handicap was assessed using the Hearing Handicap Inventory, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and Dizziness Handicap Inventory. Patients completed questionnaires at presentation and at least one year following treatment with microsurgery, stereotactic radiosurgery or observation.

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Objective: Meningiomas invading the intracranial venous sinuses may cause intracranial venous hypertension, papilledema, and visual compromise. Sinus resection and graft reconstructions, however, add significant complexity to tumor surgery, with the potential for increased morbidity. In this study, the authors explored whether venous sinus stenting might provide an alternative means of controlling venous hypertension that would be sustainable over the long term.

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Background: Vestibular schwannoma (VS) is the most common benign tumour arising in the lateral skull base. Reported incidence rates of VS vary across geographical locations and over time. There is scarce updated evidence over the past decade on the epidemiology and mode of presentation of VS.

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  • The study aimed to determine the rate of postoperative meningitis following cochlear implantation in patients with inner ear malformations (IEMs) using meta-analysis.
  • A total of 38 studies were analyzed, revealing 10 cases of meningitis among 1300 malformed ears, resulting in an overall rate of 0.12%.
  • The research found that the risk of developing meningitis post-surgery in patients with IEMs is very low, especially noting that most cases were linked to intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid leaks.
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Recognition of similarities between chronic fatigue syndrome and idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) has raised suggestions that they might be connected, with chronic fatigue syndrome representing a mild version of IIH, sharing many of its symptoms, but without the signature features of elevated intracranial pressure that characterize the complete syndrome. A further development of this idea factors in the effects of a cerebrospinal fluid leak, a known complication of IIH, to explain cases where symptoms seem out of proportion to the apparent physiological disturbance. Cranial venous outflow obstruction has been proposed as the pathological substrate.

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Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of, and risk factors associated with electrode migration (EM) in cochlear implant (CI) recipients.

Design: Historical cohort study of all CIs performed between 1 January 2018 and 1 August 2021 in a single tertiary adult and paediatric CI centre in the UK.

Main Outcome Measures: The primary aim is to determine the prevalence of electrode migration, comparing intraoperative surgeon report and examination of a routine plain radiograph performed 2 weeks after surgery.

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  • The study examines the safety of radiation treatment for benign tumors in patients with NF2-related schwannomatosis, finding an increased risk of subsequent malignancies or malignant progression in those who received radiation compared to untreated patients.
  • Out of 1345 NF2 patients studied, 266 received radiation, leading to a malignancy rate of approximately 6%, as opposed to less than 1% in those not treated with radiation.
  • The findings suggest that NF2 patients should not receive radiation as the first treatment option for benign tumors due to the associated risks and should be informed about the significant risk of developing new malignancies.
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  • This study assesses the rate of postoperative meningitis in patients who receive cochlear implants (CIs) through a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing literature.
  • A total of 116 studies were included, revealing that out of 58,940 patients, there were 112 cases of meningitis, resulting in an estimated incidence rate of 0.07%.
  • The findings suggest that meningitis is a rare complication following CIs, with lower rates than earlier studies, especially in patients who received preventive measures like vaccinations and antibiotics.
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Objective: To investigate the value of scalp surface potentials to identify and manage partial short circuits to ground in cochlear implant electrodes.

Design: A retrospective review of patients with suspected partial short circuits.

Main Outcome Measure: Electrical output of individual electrodes was measured using scalp surface potentials for patients reporting a change in hearing function.

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Objective: To analyse the 2 and 5-year outcomes of a cohort of patients with newly diagnosed vestibular schwannoma patients.

Study Design: Longitudinal cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary skull base referral unit.

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Purpose: Primary: To determine the rate of occult cervical metastases in primary temporal bone squamous cell carcinomas (TBSSC). Secondary: to perform a subgroup meta-analysis of the risk of occult metastases based on the clinical stage of the tumour and its risk based on corresponding levels of the neck.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of papers searched through Medline, Cochrane, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science up to November 2021 to determine the pooled rate of occult lymph node/parotid metastases.

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Objective: To review the outcomes of cochlear implants (CI) in patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) in a large cohort, and identify factors associated with poor hearing benefit.

Study Design: Fifteen-year retrospective national observational case series.

Setting: United Kingdom regional NF2 multidisciplinary teams.

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Objective: The growth characteristics of vestibular schwannomas (VSs) under surveillance can be studied using a Bayesian method of growth risk stratification by time after surveillance onset, allowing dynamic evaluations of growth risks. There is no consensus on the optimum surveillance strategy in terms of frequency and duration, particularly for long-term growth risks. In this study, the long-term conditional probability of new VS growth was reported for patients after 5 years of demonstrated nongrowth.

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Objective: To determine outcomes following cochlear implantation (CI) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Databases Reviewed: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of science, Cochrane Library, and Clinicaltrial.gov.

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Introduction: The prevalence of hearing loss and its consequences is increasing as the elderly population grows. As the guidelines for cochlear implantation (CI) expand, the number of elderly CI recipients is also increasing. We report complication rates, survival duration, and audiological outcomes for CI recipients aged 80 years and over and discuss the cost utility of CI in this age group.

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Objective: To evaluate the cochlear implant (CI) assessment pathway for children referred through the newborn hearing screening programme (NHSP) and identify potential reasons for delay in CI surgery at a large UK centre.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of electronic notes of children referred through NHSP from 2016 to 2019. Key points in the assessment pathway from referral to switch-on were assessed.

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Objective: To determine if cochlear implantation without removal of inner ear schwannomas (IES) is an effective treatment option for Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) patients. To determine how the presence of an intracochlear schwannoma might impact cochlear implant (CI) outcomes and programming parameters.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review.

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 Cystic vestibular schwannomas (VS) in contrast to solid VS tend to have accelerated growth, larger volume, rapid/atypical presentation, lobulated/adherent surface, and unpredictable course of the cranial nerves. Cystic VS are surgically challenging, with worse clinical outcomes and higher rate of subtotal resection (STR).  We retrospectively analyzed postoperative outcomes of 125 patients with cystic VS, operated between years 2005 and 2019 in our center.

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Spontaneous intracranial hypotension describes the clinical syndrome brought on by a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. Orthostatic headache is the key symptom, but others include nausea, vomiting, and dizziness, as well as cognitive and mood disturbance. In severe cases, the brain slumps inside the cranium and subdural collections develop to replace lost CSF volume.

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