CSO (Canadian Society of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery) position paper on rhinologic and skull base surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Healthcare services in many countries have been partially or completely disrupted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic since its onset in the end of 2019. Amongst the most impacted are the elective medical and surgical services in order to conserve resources to care for COVID-19 patients. As the number of infected patients decrease across Canada, elective surgeries are being restarted in a staged manner.

Comorbidities associated with eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS) is a histological subtype of CRS that is generally recognised as being more difficult to manage. Patients with ECRS tend to have greater disease severity and poorer treatment outcomes after sinus surgery when compared with non-ECRS patients. The histopathology and biomarker assessments of ECRS are often unavailable prior to surgery and may be impractical and costly to analyse.

Qualitative development of the sinus control test: a survey evaluating sinus symptom control.

Background: Ideal management of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) requires ongoing monitoring of disease and its control. Existing control instruments are limited in their correlation to patient reported outcomes, the need for endoscopy, or lack of validation from a multidisciplinary group. The goal of this study was to develop a patient-based Sinus Control Test (SCT) for determining CRS control.

Is sex an independent prognostic factor in esthesioneuroblastoma?

Objective: To determine if sex independently affects presentation and disease-specific survival (DSS) in patients with esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB).

Study Design: A case-control study from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data base.

Methods: The assessment identified 611 patients in the SEER data base who were diagnosed with ENB from 1988 to 2010.

Trends in chronic rhinosinusitis research in the past three decades.

Background: The objective of this work was to identify trends in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS)-related publications for the past 3 decades.

Methods: Literature review was conducted using multiple terms, including sinusitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, chronic sinus disease, nasal polyposis, ethmoid sinusitis, frontal sinusitis, and maxillary sinusitis. Abstracts were divided into 3 decades: 1983 through 1992, 1993 through 2002, and 2003 through 2012.

Superoxide dismutase reduces the inflammatory response to Aspergillus and Alternaria in human sinonasal epithelial cells derived from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.

Background: Aspergillus fumigatus and Alternaria alternata are ubiquitous environmental fungal allergens that can exacerbate airway inflammation and contribute to the disease process in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). These antigens have been shown to induce human sinonasal epithelial cells (HSNECs) to promote a proinflammatory response, but what is unclear is a means by which to reduce these effects. Inhaled pathogens can induce HSNECs to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) that trigger cytokine production.

Red ear syndrome: literature review and a pediatric case report.

Red ear syndrome (RES) is characterized by recurrent unilateral or bilateral painful attacks of the external ear, accompanied by ear redness, burning, or warmth. Proposed etiologies of this rare condition include dysregulation of sympathetic outflow, upper cervical pathology, glossopharyngeal and trigeminal neuralgia, TMJ dysfunction, thalamic syndrome, and primary headache syndromes. Idiopathic cases also exist in the literature.

Recent randomized controlled trials in otolaryngology.

Objective: To assess recent trends in the prevalence and quality of reporting of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in 4 otolaryngology journals.

Study Design: Methodology and reporting analysis.

Setting: Randomized controlled trials in 4 otolaryngology journals.

Olfactory outcomes in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis after medical treatments: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Olfactory dysfunction is common among patients with chronic rhinosinusitis and has a negative impact upon quality of life. Olfactory dysfunction can be both subjective and objective and appears to be more predominant in patients with concomitant nasal polyposis. The efficacy of medical interventions on olfaction among patients with CRS with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) is not well known.

Impact of intraoperative hydrodebrider treatment on postoperative sinonasal inflammation.

Background: The impact of intraoperative hydrodebrider sinus irrigation (HSI) during endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) on postoperative inflammation, endoscopy, and patient-reported outcomes has not been studied.

Methods: A clinical trial of 12 patients with symmetric chronic rhinosinusitis were prospectively randomized to HSI on one side after undergoing bilateral ESS. The contralateral side was not treated with any irrigation and served as an internal control.

Cost-effectiveness of the endoscopic versus microscopic approach for pituitary adenoma resection.

Objectives/hypothesis: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of an endoscopic versus microscopic approach to pituitary adenoma resection.

Study Design: Markov decision tree economic evaluation.

Methods: An economic evaluation using a Markov decision tree model was performed.

Nasal packing after septoplasty: cardiopulmonary impact.

Importance: Bilateral anterior nasal packing is used after septoplasty with the goals of decreasing the risk of postoperative bleeding and adhesions. However, multiple studies caution against the use of nasal packing because of the risk of cardiopulmonary complications.

Objective: To evaluate the cardiopulmonary risks associated with bilateral anterior nasal packing after septoplasty.

Is nasal packing necessary after septoplasty? A meta-analysis.

Background: Nasal packing is routinely used after septoplasty because it is believed to decrease risk of postoperative bleeding, hematomas, and adhesions. Multiple studies have shown, however, that there are numerous complications associated with nasal packing. The purpose of this work was to perform a meta-analysis on the existing literature to evaluate the role of nasal packing after septoplasty.