A Prospective Multicenter Study Examining the Relationship Between Thyroid Cancer Treatment Outcomes and the Presence of Autoimmune Thyroiditis.

There is some controversy on the potential relationship between autoimmune processes and clinicopathologic features as well as prognosis of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), and the evidence is limited by its largely retrospective nature. We examined the relationship between the presence of autoimmune thyroiditis (AT) and 1-year thyroid cancer treatment outcomes in a large multicenter study using prospectively collected data. We included data from consecutive DTC patients enrolled in the Italian Thyroid Cancer Observatory (ITCO) database (NCT04031339).

Audiological assessment with Matrix sentence test of percutaneous vs transcutaneous bone-anchored hearing aids: a pilot study.

Purpose: The study evaluated if there were differences between two types of bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHA), percutaneous vs transcutaneous implants in terms of audiological and psychosocial outcomes.

Methods: Eleven patients were enrolled. Inclusion criteria were: patients with conductive or mixed hearing loss in the implanted ear with a bone conduction pure-tone average (BC PTA) of the hearing threshold at 500, 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hz ≤ 55 dB HL, aged > 5 years.

Extended wear hearing aids: a comparative, pilot study.

Purpose: The study evaluated if there were differences between three types of hearing aids, Lyric extended wear (EW), receiver-in-the-ear canal (RITE), completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids in terms of audiological and psychosocial outcomes.

Methods: Fifteen patients were selected.

Inclusion Criteria: Pure-Tone Average (PTA) air conduction range of hearing threshold at 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz from 15 dB HL to 75 dB HL.

Minimal Extrathyroidal Extension in Predicting 1-Year Outcomes: A Longitudinal Multicenter Study of Low-to-Intermediate-Risk Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (ITCO#4).

The role of minimal extrathyroidal extension (mETE) as a risk factor for persistent papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is still debated. The aims of this study were to assess the clinical impact of mETE as a predictor of worse initial treatment response in PTC patients and to verify the impact of radioiodine therapy after surgery in patients with mETE. We reviewed all records in the Italian Thyroid Cancer Observatory database and selected 2237 consecutive patients with PTC who satisfied the inclusion criteria (PTC with no lymph node metastases and at least 1 year of follow-up).

Radiofrequency VS Cold Surgery to Treat Oral Papillomatous Lesions.

Introduction: The aim of this study is to analyse different surgery (radio frequency and cold instrumentation) of oral benign papillomatous lesions.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective study was carried out in our section of Otorhinolaryngology from 2014 to 2018. 112 patients with oral benign papillomatous lesions were enrolled and divided into 2 groups.

Frequency-lowering processing to improve speech-in-noise intelligibility in patients with age-related hearing loss.

Objective: Modern hearing aids use various signal-processing strategies to improve speech intelligibility. In this manuscript, we studied the linear frequency transposition (LFT), a frequency-lowering algorithm, in patients with age-related hearing loss. Frequency-lowering algorithms transpose high-frequency sounds to a lower-frequency band.

Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (VTDS) and Voice Symptom Scale (VoiSS) in the Early Identification of Italian Teachers with Voice Disorders.

 The current Italian law does not include any guidance regarding voice education, prevention of voice disorders and screening in subjects with high vocal loading such as teachers.  We aimed to check the correlation between the Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (VTDS) with the Voice Symptom Scale (VoiSS) for the evaluation of Italian teachers. In addition, we aimed to investigate whether there are differences in the frequency and intensity of discomfort symptoms in teachers with disabilities comparing vocal tract discomfort symptoms in teachers with high risk (HRVD) and low risk (LRVD) of vocal disorders according to the VoiSS cutoff (> 15.

Posture and dysphonia associations in patients undergoing total thyroidectomy: stabilometric analysis.

The aim of this study is the analysis of postural changes of patients affected by vocal disorders post-thyroidectomy, in the absence of post-operative organ damage, through a stabilometry analysis, evaluating the effectiveness of a speech-language intensive treatment in phoniatric and postural quality recovery. 260 patients with vocal dysfunction after surgery without iatrogenic damage were enrolled. 130 patients were subject to post-surgical logopedic rehabilitative training (Group A); other 130 patients were not subject to any post-surgical treatment (Group B).

Pneumoparotid and Pneumoparotitis: A Literary Review.

Pneumoparotid is a rare condition of parotid swelling. The presence of the air in gland parenchyma is caused by an incompetent Stensen's duct with high pressure may cause the acini's rupture. We reviewed 49 manuscripts, from 1987 to today, that enrolled a total of 54 patients with pneumoparotid.

Real ear measurement (REM) and auditory performances with open, tulip and double closed dome in patients using hearing aids.

Objective: The aim of the study is to evaluate the importance of acoustic modifications generated by different commercially available ear-tips, focused on domes of receiver in the canal hearing aids using Real Ear Measurement (REM).

Methods: We enrolled 110 people selecting 200 ears bearers of hearing aids. In every patient, we performed REM and audiological tests with three different dome types: Open, Tulip and Double Closed (DC).

Application of Cervical Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potentials in Adults with Moderate to Profound Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Preliminary Study.

 The cochlea and the vestibular receptors are closely related in terms of anatomy and phylogeny. Patients with moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss (MPSHL) should have their vestibular organ functions tested.  To evaluate the incidence of vestibular abnormalities in patients with MPSHL and to study the correlation between the etiology of hearing loss (HL) and a possible damage to the labyrinth.

A Patient With Toxoplasmosis as a Cause of Submental Lymphadenopathy.

Submental mass secondary to toxoplasmosis is a rare condition and physicians rarely consider its diagnosis. The presented case reports a 43-year-old woman referred with a constant, painless, edema located in the submental area for 2 weeks. Diagnosis of toxoplasmosis was established by the positive serological finding after an accurate medical history of the infectious disease specialist (the patient had eaten raw meat).

Use of 3D Volume Rendering Based on High-Resolution Computed Tomography Temporal Bone in Patients with Cochlear Implants.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the advantages of 3D volume rendering in postoperative control of implants placement compared to high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). CASE REPORT We describe 3 patients who underwent HRCT study with and without 3D volume rendering after surgery for cochlear implantation. In 2 patients, the traditional HRCT showed a suspected malposition of the array, excluded only by the rendering reconstruction.

Chronic Otitis Media Associated with Cholesteatoma in a Case of the Say-Barber-Biesecker-Young-Simpson Variant of Ohdo Syndrome.

BACKGROUND The Say-Barber-Biesecker-Young-Simpson (SBBYS) variant of Ohdo syndrome is characterized by congenital hypothyroidism, facial dysmorphism, postaxial polydactyly, and mental retardation. The SBBYS variant of Ohdo syndrome is extremely rare with only 19 cases previously reported in the literature. A case is presented of chronic otitis media associated with cholesteatoma in a six-year-old boy with the SBBYS variant of Ohdo syndrome.

Therapeutic efficacy of the Galletti-Contrino manoeuvre for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of vertical semicircular canals in overweight subjects.

Objective: To compare the Galletti-Contrino manoeuvre with the more widely used Semont-Toupet in overweight subjects presenting with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPBV) of vertical semicircular canals (posterior and anterior canals).

Study Design: Prospective cohort study.

Patients: 204 patients (BMI range 25-30) with a diagnosis of BPPV of vertical semicircular canals were randomly divided in two groups treated with two different maneuvers: Galletti-Contrino (Group A) and Semont-Toupet manoeuvre (Group B).

Are Evidence-Based Guidelines Reflected in Clinical Practice? An Analysis of Prospectively Collected Data of the Italian Thyroid Cancer Observatory.

Objectives: The goal of evidence-based practice guidelines is to optimize the management of emerging diseases, such as differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). The aim of this study was to assess therapeutic approaches for DTC in Italy and to see how closely these practices conformed to those recommended in the 2009 American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines.

Methods: The Italian Thyroid Cancer Observatory was established to collect data prospectively on thyroid cancers consecutively diagnosed in participating centers (uniformly distributed across the nation).

Temporal Changes in Thyroid Nodule Volume: Lack of Effect on Paranodular Thyroid Tissue Volume.

Background: The term "nodular goiter" has long been used to refer to a nodular thyroid gland, based on the assumption that nodule growth may be associated with hyperplasia of the surrounding non-nodular tissue. The aim of this prospective, multicenter, observational study was to determine whether nodule growth is accompanied by growth in the non-nodular tissue.

Methods: Eight Italian thyroid-disease referral centers enrolled 992 consecutive patients with one to four benign nodules.

Reducing the rate of misdiagnosis in patients with chronic disorders of consciousness: Is there a place for audiovisual stimulation?

Background: The patients with chronic Disorders of Consciousness (DoC) mostly present with extremely challenging differential diagnosis. The advanced analysis of electroencephalographic (EEG) signals induced by brain stimulation paradigms may provide an appropriate approach to differentiate patients with DoC, besides the clinical assessment.

Objective: This study was performed with an objective of identifying residual brain network perturbations following an innovative, non-invasive audiovisual stimulation protocol, which could be related to behavioral responsiveness in patients with DoC.

Neonatal stridor and laryngeal cyst: Which comes first?

Neonatal stridor is a rare condition usually caused by laryngomalacia. Congenital laryngeal cyst represents an uncommon cause of stridor in the neonatal population and may be misinterpreted as laryngomalacia, leading to serious morbidity and mortality if diagnosis and treatment are delayed. Herein we report the case of a full-term infant with stridor, feeding problems and failure to thrive.