Patient-Reported Outcomes in Middle Ear and Active Transcutaneous Bone Conduction Hearing Implants.

Objective: This study used questionnaires to examine the patient-reported satisfaction with 2 hearing implant devices to determine the level of overall satisfaction with the devices, which, if any, factors predicted good or poor perceived outcomes, or whether there were any specific aspects of the devices where dissatisfaction was apparent.

Methods: A post-treatment questionnaire survey of 39 adult patients who had received a Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) or Bonebridge (BB) hearing implant, with at least 3 months of follow-up, was conducted using the Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI) and Hearing Device Satisfaction Scale (HDSS). Satisfaction scores were compared to pre- and post-operative audiologic outcomes.

Self-Evaluated Quality of Life and Functional Outcomes After Microsurgery, Stereotactic Radiation or Observation-Only for Vestibular Schwannoma of the Adult Patient: A Systematic Review.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of different management options on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in vestibular schwannoma patients.

Data Sources: A systematic search of the Cochrane Database, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness, and the Ovid Medline & EMBASE was performed. English and German language studies published between 1980 and 2015 were considered.

Assessing the threshold for vestibular schwannoma resection and the behavior of residual tumor.

Objectives: In vestibular schwannoma surgery postoperative facial nerve function is generally described as being related to tumor size, with 20 mm extrameatal diameter suggested as the threshold at which facial nerve function deteriorates. Near-total resection is accepted if the risk to nerve function becomes unacceptably high. We sought to review outcomes of vestibular schwannoma resection and follow residual tumor fragments.

Do high-speed drills generate high-frequency noise in mastoid surgery?

Background: The introduction of increasingly high speed drills for mastoid surgery has heightened the concern that cochlea damage may occur in both the operated and nonoperated ear. It has been observed clinically that this damage could be associated with frequencies above 8,000 Hz and that, to observe these changes, high-frequency audiometry should be performed. Previous studies have investigated noise transmission to the cochlea at frequencies below 4,000 Hz only.

15-Year review of laryngeal and oral dysplasias and progression to invasive carcinoma.

The objective of this study is to identify a management or follow-up strategy for patients with laryngeal and oral dysplasia. A chart review of all patients with laryngeal and oral dysplasia over a 15-year period was performed. All patients were followed for a minimum period of 5 years from initial diagnosis of oropharyngeal or laryngeal dysplasia.

Surgical techniques for the treatment of nasal valve collapse: a systematic review.

Objectives/hypothesis: To critically evaluate the surgical treatment strategies for nasal valve collapse.

Methods: A systematic review of studies to treat nasal valve collapse, using surgical methods, from 1970 to 2008. A search of EBM reviews, MEDLINE, and EMBASE was performed using the following search terms: "nasal valve collapse" AND "alar collapse," "nasal valve insufficiency," "alar insufficiency," and "functional rhinoplasty.

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma: spontaneous resolution.

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is a rare, benign tumor that occurs most often in adolescent males. Common practice is to excise the tumor with open or endoscopic surgery. We report the case of a 17-year-old male who presented in 1995 with a mass filling the left posterior nasal cavity.

Spinal infarction following coronary artery bypass grafting.

Spinal infarction is an extremely rare complication of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), almost invariably associated with use of the intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP). We present the case of a 63-year-old lady who developed paraplegia, secondary to spinal infarction, following CABG in whom the IABP was not used and no other predisposing factors were present.