Cochlear Implantation in Charcot-Marie-Tooth Patients: Speech Perception and Quality of Life.

Objectives: There is a limited understanding of the impact of cochlear implantation (CI) in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), given the scarcity of reported cases. We aim to evaluate the audiological outcomes and quality of life (QoL) after CI in CMT.

Methods: Multi-institutional, university-affiliated, tertiary-referral centers, retrospective chart review.

Cochlear Implantation after Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Vestibular Schwannoma: Initial Hearing Improvement and Longevity of Hearing Restoration.

Objective: The following research question was asked: In patients with vestibular schwannoma (VS) that underwent stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and cochlear implantation, were improvements in hearing function observed, and what was the cochlear implant (CI) failure rate of in these patients?

Data Sources: PubMed/Medline, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), and Web of Science articles without restrictions on publication dates were searched.

Study Selection: Inclusion criteria required that the article was a report, a series, or a retrospective review with individual case data available. Non-English articles were excluded.

Overemphasis of USMLE and Its Potential Impact on Diversity in Otolaryngology.

Objective: Applicant demographics during the 2019-2020 residency cycle were evaluated to determine if strict utilization of United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores in applicant selection could lead to a restriction in diversity.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Otolaryngology residency applicants to a single institution.

Predicting complications of pediatric temporal bone fractures.

Objective: Our aim is to characterize complications of pediatric temporal bone fractures and identify predictive risk factors associated with fracture complications.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of all temporal bone fractures diagnosed in children (age less than or equal to 18 years) from a single academic institution between 2003 and 2017. Demographics, mechanism of injury, fracture characteristics, computed tomography evaluation and follow-up duration were recorded on each patient.

Otolaryngology Residency Interviews in a Socially Distanced World: Strategies to Recruit and Assess Applicants.

Due to concerns surrounding travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-2021 otolaryngology residency application cycle will be conducted virtually for the first time. Residency programs should consider the logistics of video interviews, drawing on experiences of other programs that have successfully performed virtual interviews in the past. The lack of in-person interviews will create challenges in assessing applicants, and we recommend that programs develop structured and targeted questions and even consider having candidates answer standardized questions prior to the virtual interview day.

Asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss and vestibular schwannoma: when to image?

Purpose Of Review: We review the literature on the use of audiometric protocols in the guidance of when to obtain MRI for detection of vestibular schwannoma. This discussion will focus on the sensitivity, specificity, and cost-effective analysis of audiometric criteria of asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss (ASNHL) when used to decide when MRI scans should be performed.

Recent Findings: The sensitivity for detecting vestibular schwannomas when invoking published audiometric protocols for triggering MRI acquisition in ASNHL ranged from 50 to 100%.

State of the art regeneration of the tympanic membrane.

Purpose Of Review: One of the most common diseases of the tympanic membrane is a perforation, and tympanoplasty is one of the more common procedures in otolaryngology. Tympanic membrane regeneration and bioengineering aim to improve the success rate of the procedure, increase the availability of different scaffolds and provide innovative tools that will simplify the surgical technique and make it accessible for surgeons with varying expertise level. This review aims to raise awareness of current tissue engineering developments in tympanic membrane regeneration and how they may augment current clinical practices.

Internal Acoustic Canal Stenosis Due to Hyperostosis.

 Exostoses and osteomas are benign, insidious lesions of the bone involving the internal acoustic canal (IAC). We present two cases of IAC exostoses managed with surgical decompression and review the clinical outcomes of previously reported cases in the literature.  A comprehensive search was conducted using PubMed Central, Web of Science Core Collection, and Google Scholar databases to identify previous reports of IAC exostoses and osteomas.

Applicant-to-Residency Program Communication: Does It Matter?

Objectives: To elucidate the frequency and types of pre- and post-interview communication that applicants engage with programs, to garner the perceptions of both applicants and program directors (PDs), and determine if communication influences outcomes.

Subjects And Methods: Electronic surveys were distributed to otolaryngology residency applicants, and to PDs of ACGME-accredited otolaryngology programs after the 2018 to 2019 application cycle.

Results: 93 of 324 applicants (28.

Otolaryngology Residency Application during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Pandemic.

The escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected health care at every level, including medical education. As some fourth-year medical students graduate early to join the front lines, we must now turn our attention to those trainees in their penultimate year. In this commentary, we address the unique dilemmas facing otolaryngology residency candidates for the 2020-2021 cycle, with a focus on those applicants with no institutional otolaryngology department.

State-of-the-art methods in clinical intracochlear drug delivery.

Purpose Of Review: Increasing awareness and prevalence of disorders in hearing and balance have placed emphasis on treatment strategies. With the rapid evolution in molecular, gene, and nanotechnology, alternate delivery methods have advanced intracochlear drug delivery. This review aims to raise awareness of recent developments in technologies to augment current clinical practices.

Transdermal lidocaine as treatment for chronic subjective tinnitus: A pilot study.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of transdermal lidocaine as a treatment for chronic subjective tinnitus as measured by the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI).

Study Design: Pilot, prospective efficacy trial.

Setting: Tertiary care hospital.

A Multicenter, Cross-Sectional Assessment of Otolaryngology Knowledge Among Primary Care Trainees.

Objectives: (1) Identify knowledge deficits in this cohort regarding basic conditions treated by an otolaryngologist. (2) Determine the training needs of these physicians regarding the care of the head and neck patient.

Methods: This cross-sectional assessment used a 10-question, multiple-choice assessment administered to medical students and resident physicians at the University of California, Davis, University of California, San Francisco, and University of West Virginia in the departments of emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, and otolaryngology.

USMLE and Otolaryngology: Predicting Board Performance.

Objective To ascertain what relationship exists between the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and the American Board of Otolaryngology Written Qualifying Examination (WQE). Study Design Retrospective, longitudinal study. Setting De-identified database.

Treatment of Temporal Bone Fractures.

Traumatic injury to the temporal bone can lead to significant morbidity or mortality and knowledge of the pertinent anatomy, pathophysiology of injury, and appropriate management strategies is critical for successful recovery and rehabilitation of such injured patients. Most temporal bone fractures are caused by motor vehicle accidents. Temporal bone fractures are best classified as either otic capsule sparing or otic capsule disrupting-type fractures, as such classification correlates well with risk of concomitant functional complications.

A Pilot Study on the Efficacy of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure on the Manifestations of Ménière's Disease in Patients with Concomitant Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome.

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy on Ménière's disease patients with concomitant obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), since recent reports suggest OSAS may cause dysfunction of the vestibular system.

Study Design: Prospective study using CPAP administered to patients diagnosed with "Definite Ménière's disease" according to the guidelines of the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery and combined with OSAS.

Setting: University hospital.

Biomimetic stochastic topography and electric fields synergistically enhance directional migration of corneal epithelial cells in a MMP-3-dependent manner.

Directed migration of corneal epithelial cells (CECs) is critical for maintenance of corneal homeostasis as well as wound healing. Soluble cytoactive factors and the intrinsic chemical attributes of the underlying extracellular matrix (ECM) participate in stimulating and directing migration. The central importance of the intrinsic biophysical attributes of the microenvironment of the cell in modulating an array of fundamental epithelial behaviors including migration has been widely documented.

Noise-induced hearing loss: a recreational noise perspective.

Purpose Of Review: This review will discuss the real-world risk factors involved in noise-induced hearing loss as a result of common and popular recreational activities prone to mid and high levels of noise exposure. Although there are currently no interventional measures available to reverse or mitigate preexisting hearing loss from noise, we discuss the vital importance of hearing loss prevention from noise exposure avoidance and reduction.

Recent Findings: Despite a seeming understanding of the effects of noise exposure from various recreational activities and devices, a large percentage of the general public who is at risk of such noise-induced hearing loss still chooses to refrain from using hearing protection instruments.

Labyrinthine artery aneurysm as an internal auditory canal mass.

We present the first case report of a labyrinthine artery aneurysm masquerading as an internal auditory canal tumor. A 72-year-old woman presented with sudden onset right facial paralysis, facial pain, hearing loss, and vertigo. She demonstrated dense right-sided facial paralysis involving all branches of the facial nerve, left beating horizontal nystagmus, and anacusis of the right ear.

Otogenic lateral sinus thrombosis: case series and controversies.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to (1) report the clinical presentation, treatment, and sequelae in a series of pediatric patients with otogenic lateral sinus thrombosis and (2) to review the most controversial aspects of management of this rare intracranial complication of otitis media.

Methods: Retrospective chart review of inpatients treated for central venous thrombosis at a tertiary care facility between 1996 and 2012.

Results: Five pediatric patients (four male, one female) were identified with otogenic lateral sinus thrombosis.

Novel techniques for the diagnosis of Ménière's disease.

Purpose Of Review: This review will consider the newly developed and emerging diagnostic techniques with real or potential clinical application to the diagnosis of Ménière's disease.

Recent Findings: Several new diagnostic modalities have been introduced, which have the potential to help diagnose endolymphatic hydrops. These include cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials, cochlear hydrops analysis masking procedures, and three-dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery MRI following intratympanic instillation of gadolinium.

Evolution in surgical management of superior canal dehiscence syndrome.

Purpose Of Review: This manuscript will review the progression of surgical techniques currently being used to repair a defect in the superior semicircular canal in symptomatic patients. Originally described via the middle cranial fossa route, larger series of patients have been demonstrated through less invasive approaches. These new innovative approaches will be discussed.