Cochlear Implantation for Single-Sided Deafness in Pediatric Patients: A Critical Assessment of Usage Rate.

Objective: To assess the usage rate of pediatric patients undergoing cochlear implantation (CI) for single-sided deafness (SSD).

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary care pediatric referral center.

The impact of cochlear implantation on speech and language outcomes in children with asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss.

Introduction: Cochlear implantation (CI) is considered in children with asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss (ASHL), or severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss in one ear, and better hearing contralaterally. The benefits of a CI in these children are not well established. This study investigated the impact of unilateral CI on speech and language outcomes in pediatric patients with ASHL.

Electrocochleography Observations in a Series of Cochlear Implant Electrode Tip Fold-Overs.

Objective: Tip fold-over is a rare but serious complication of cochlear implant (CI) surgery. The purpose of this study was to present intraoperative electrocochleography (ECochG) observations in a series of CI electrode tip fold-overs.

Patients: Five pediatric subjects undergoing CI surgery through a round window (RW) approach with a perimodiolar electrode array, who were diagnosed with either auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder or enlarged vestibular aqueduct.

Timing of newborn hearing screening in the neonatal intensive care unit: implications for targeted screening for congenital cytomegalovirus infection.

Objective: To determine when infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) have the first hearing screen performed, and thus inform targeted testing for cytomegalovirus (CMV)-related hearing loss.

Study Design: Retrospective review of electronic health records of infants admitted to a Level 4 outborn NICU and had a first hearing screen performed from 8/2016-8/2018.

Result: Among 1498 infants, 546 (36%) had a first hearing screen performed at age >21 days when a positive CMV PCR test cannot distinguish congenital from postnatal CMV acquisition.

The otolaryngologist's and anesthesiologist's collaborative role in a pandemic: A large quaternary pediatric center's experience with COVID-19 preparation and simulation.

There has been a rapid global spread of a novel coronavirus, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which originated in Wuhan China in late 2019. A serious threat of nosocomial spread exists and as such, there is a critical necessity for well-planned and rehearsed processes during the care of the COVID-19 positive and suspected patient to minimize transmission and risk to healthcare providers and other patients. Because of the aerosolization inherent in airway management, the pediatric otolaryngologist and anesthesiologist should be intimately familiar with strategies to mitigate the high-risk periods of viral contamination that are posed to the environment and healthcare personnel during tracheal intubation and extubation procedures.

Audiometric findings in children with unilateral enlarged vestibular aqueduct.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of bilateral hearing loss in children with unilateral enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) at a single institution.

Methods: A retrospective case review was performed at a tertiary care pediatric referral center involving children with radiologic findings of unilateral EVA and normal labyrinthine anatomy of the contralateral ear diagnosed via CT and/or MRI. The main outcome measure of interest is the number of patients with unilateral EVA who were diagnosed with bilateral hearing loss.

Pediatric lateral graft tympanoplasty A review of 78 cases.

Objectives: The optimal timing and technique for repairing chronic tympanic membrane (TM) perforations in pediatric patients remains controversial. The objectives are to determine the surgical and hearing outcomes of pediatric lateral graft tympanoplasty at a tertiary teaching hospital.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted for pediatric lateral graft tympanoplasties performed for chronic TM perforations by a single surgeon over a four-year period.

Parent perspectives on multidisciplinary pediatric hearing healthcare.

Introduction: Family-centered healthcare demands that families provide input regarding the care of their children. Very little is known, however, about how families perceive their experience in different types of multidisciplinary team models, and specifically, in the multidisciplinary setting currently utilized in many pediatric hearing clinics.

Methods: Quantitative and qualitative parent survey responses were collected and analyzed in a tertiary care pediatric medical center after a one-day multidisciplinary assessment clinical appointment.

The use of botulinum toxin for pediatric cricopharyngeal achalasia.

Objectives: Cricopharyngeal achalasia is an uncommon cause of feeding difficulties in the pediatric population, and is especially rare in infants. Traditional management options include dilation or open cricopharyngeal myotomy. The use of botulinum toxin has been preliminarily reported for cricopharyngeal achalasia in children as a modality for diagnosis and management.

The use of botulinum toxin for pediatric cricopharyngeal achalasia.

Objectives: Cricopharyngeal achalasia is an uncommon cause of feeding difficulties in the pediatric population, and is especially rare in infants. Traditional management options include dilation or open cricopharyngeal myotomy. The use of botulinum toxin has been preliminarily reported for cricopharyngeal achalasia in children as a modality for diagnosis and management.

Clinical, radiographic, and audiometric predictors in conservative management of vestibular schwannoma.

Objective: Vestibular schwannomas (VS) can be managed by observation. The goals were to examine clinical, radiographic, and audiometric variables at presentation and during observation that may predict which patients fail conservative management.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed of 202 patients who elected observation primarily.

Aesthetic considerations in mandibular reconstruction.

As free tissue transfer methods have improved, vascular bone grafting has become state of the art for reconstruction of mandibular defects. Prior studies have focused on flap survival and functional outcomes. The reconstructive surgeon should also strive to attain lofty aesthetic goals for this group of patients.