Pharyngocutaneous Fistula in Salvage Laryngectomy: Use of the Stapler Versus Manual Suturing Technique.

A pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF) is the most common complication after salvage total laryngectomy (STL) with an incidence ranging from 5 to 73%, causing an increase in morbidity and delaying the patient's recovery. A surgical technique to prevent PCF formation is the use of the stapler to suture the pharyngeal mucosa.  We have reviewed the medical files of 91 patients who had undergone STL, dividing the patients into two groups (manual suture vs.

Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH): Role of Logopedic Rehabilitation in Dysphagia.

Forestier's disease is a systemic, degenerative metabolic condition, which is still insufficiently investigated and understood, characterized by the progressive ossification of the ligaments and entheses. This case describes a 63-year-old man admitted to our department after several years of failed attempts to obtain a definitive diagnosis presenting with a painless mass in the pre-auricular region, gradually worsening dysphonia, severe dysphagia relating to solids, stiffness, and mild pain at the back of the neck. After performing further diagnostic tests, in addition to a pleomorphic adenoma, the simultaneous presence of diffuse spondylarthrosis on the cervical spine was highlighted, with beak-like osteophytes at C2-C5 resulting in esophageal compression.

Supracricoid Partial Laryngectomy: Oncological and Functional Outcomes.

 In the present study, we have reviewed the outcomes of patients with supracricoid partial laryngectomy (SCPL) in our institution. Our results show that SCPL is a well-tolerated procedure with generally good functional outcomes for patients with advanced laryngeal cancer.  We analyzed the oncological and functional results of a cohort of 35 patients who had undergone SCPL, and we highlighted the complications, identified the overall and disease-free survivals, demonstrating that the reconstructive laryngectomy guarantees the oncological safety and reproducibility of the oncological results, preserving the laryngeal functions and promoting an improvement in the patient's quality of life, favoring communication and interpersonal relationships.

Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the larynx with Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome: a rare case report and literature review.

This current report describes a rare clinical case of neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) of the larynx with associated Lambert-Eaton myasthenic paraneoplastic syndrome (LEMS). A 68-year-old male patient presented with severe dysphonia and dysphagia. He underwent a total laryngectomy and the excised lesion was extremely large.

Focus on localized laryngeal amyloidosis: management of five cases.

Amyloidosis is a group of idiopathic clinical syndromes caused by the deposition of insoluble fibrillar proteins (amyloid) in the extracellular matrix of organs and tissues. These deposits disrupt the function of the target organ. Amyloidosis can manifest as a systemic disease or a single-organ involvement (local form).

Validation of PROMIS Physical Function Instruments in Patients With an Orthopaedic Trauma to a Lower Extremity.

Objectives: To evaluate the reliability, convergent validity, known-groups validity, and responsiveness of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Mobility Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) and PROMIS Physical Function 8a Short Form.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Two Level-I trauma centers.

Preparedness and Mutuality Affect Quality of Life for Patients With Mechanical Circulatory Support and Their Caregivers.

Background: Clinical and US regulatory guidelines for patients with mechanical circulatory support (MCS) require the identification of a caregiver to assist with MCS care. There is limited understanding of the impact of MCS caregiving on patients and caregivers. The purpose of this study was to examine how living with MCS affects the quality of life (QoL) of patients and their caregivers through the lens of preparedness and mutuality.

Longitudinal Validation of the PROMIS Physical Function Item Bank in Upper Extremity Trauma.

Objectives: To evaluate the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Upper Extremity Computer Adaptive Test (UE-CAT) and the 8-item Physical Function short form (PF-SF8a) for monitoring outcomes after musculoskeletal injuries in upper extremity trauma patients.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Two Level-I trauma centers.

Validating Neuro-QoL short forms and targeted scales with people who have multiple sclerosis.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive, and disabling disease of the central nervous system with dramatic variations in the combination and severity of symptoms it can produce. The lack of reliable disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQL) measures for use in clinical trials prompted the development of the Neurology Quality of Life (Neuro-QOL) instrument, which includes 13 scales that assess physical, emotional, cognitive, and social domains, for use in a variety of neurological illnesses.

Objective: The objective of this research paper is to conduct an initial assessment of the reliability and validation of the Neuro-QOL short forms (SFs) in MS.

Health-related quality of life in mechanical circulatory support: Development of a new conceptual model and items for self-administration.

Background: Generic and heart failure (HF)-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) instruments do not address unique burdens of mechanical circulatory support (MCS). This report describes (1) a conceptual model of adjustment to MCS and HRQOL, (2) the development of a new set of items to assess adjustment and HRQOL, and (3) establishes content validity of the new model and items.

Methods: We interviewed 15 expert clinicians, 16 patients with advanced HF, and 48 MCS patients.

Validity of the Neurology Quality-of-Life (Neuro-QoL) measurement system in adult epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that results in recurring seizures and can have a significant adverse effect on health-related quality of life (HRQL). The Neuro-QoL measurement initiative is an NINDS-funded system of patient-reported outcome measures for neurology clinical research, which was designed to provide a precise and standardized way to measure HRQL in epilepsy and other neurological disorders. Using mixed-method and item response theory-based approaches, we developed generic item banks and targeted scales for adults and children with major neurological disorders.