An International Survey of the Diagnosis and Management of Ménière's Disease Amongst Otolaryngology Consultants.

Ménière's Disease (MD) is a disease that may be difficult to diagnose and manage. Our UK survey showed variability in the practice of UK Otolaryngology consultants. We hence surveyed Otolaryngology consultants internationally, to assess their confidence levels in diagnosing MD, their use of the AAO-HNS guidelines and current diagnostic and treatment modalities.

Protective Characteristics of Human Breast Milk on Early Childhood Otitis Media: A Narrative Review.

Human breast milk (HBM) contains a complex and dynamically changing variety of factors that contribute to the infant's developing immune system's ability to fight upper respiratory tract infections, including otitis media (OM). We sought to summarize the current evidence on the protective characteristics of HBM, through direct or donated feeding, toward early childhood OM. For this narrative review, we performed a literature search on OM in the context of HBM feeding in the PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar databases, between January 1, 2008, and July 1, 2023.

'Seeing is believing' - gender disparities in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery in Africa: a narrative review.

Purpose Of Review: Various factors affect otolaryngology - head and neck surgery (OHNS) services in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); including inadequate infrastructure, limited academic positions, unfavorable hospital research policies, and traditional misconceptions about gender and surgery, among others. Although gender inequalities exist globally, they are particularly pronounced in LMICs, especially in Africa.

Recent Findings: A comparative narrative literature review for relevant manuscripts from January 1, 2017 to through January 10th, 2024, using PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar for articles from the United States/Canada and Africa was done.

Medical treatment does not reduce surgery rates in children with adenoid hypertrophy.

Objective: We sought to study adenoidectomy rates in children with adenoid hypertrophy (AH) who were either treated with medical therapy or not during a 2-year follow-up period in a longitudinal population-based study.

Methods: We retrospectively identified healthy children aged 1-18 years between 2014 and 2020 with AH diagnosis from the Clalit Health Services database, the largest healthcare maintenance organization in Israel. The main outcome was adenoidectomy alone or in combination with other procedures performed within 2 years after diagnosis.

Newborn Hearing Screening: Early Ear Examination Improves the Pass Rate.

Background: Temporary conductive hearing loss due to vernix accumulation in the external ear canal may lead to a false-positive result in newborn hearing screening tests. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether ear examination and intervention may reduce the false-positive rate prior to hospital discharge.

Methods: A case series of 42 newborns who failed initial otoacoustic emissions screening were studied in our institution between May and December 2020.

ISOM 2023 research Panel 4 - Diagnostics and microbiology of otitis media.

Objectives: To identify and review key research advances from the literature published between 2019 and 2023 on the diagnosis and microbiology of otitis media (OM) including acute otitis media (AOM), recurrent AOM (rAOM), otitis media with effusion (OME), chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) and AOM complications (mastoiditis).

Data Sources: PubMed database of the National Library of Medicine.

Review Methods: All relevant original articles published in Medline in English between July 2019 and February 2023 were identified.

The Global Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Workforce.

Importance: A core component of delivering care of head and neck diseases is an adequate workforce. The World Health Organization report, Multi-Country Assessment of National Capacity to Provide Hearing Care, captured primary workforce estimates from 68 member states in 2012, noting that response rates were a limitation and that updated more comprehensive data are needed.

Objective: To establish comprehensive workforce metrics for global otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) with updated data from more countries/territories.

Essential equipment and services for otolaryngology care: a proposal by the Global Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Initiative.

Purpose Of Review: To highlight the need for comprehensive resource lists to provide baseline care of otolaryngologic conditions; to present a proposed list of essential equipment and services that may be applied toward surgical systems research, policymaking, and charitable efforts in global otolaryngology-head and neck surgery.

Recent Findings: To provide effective and high-quality surgical care across care settings, there must be a global standard for equipment and ancillary services necessary to provide baseline care. Though there have been efforts to devise resource standards via equipment lists and appraisal tools, these have been limited in scope to general surgery, emergency care, and a few other subspecialty surgical contexts.

[SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS AND VERTIGO DUE TO INTRA-COCHLEAR HEMORRHAGE].

Introduction: Intra-cochlear hemorrhage is a rare cause of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) which may be accompanied by diverse labyrinthine symptoms. In these cases, we expect magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to demonstrate a high signal intensity in the labyrinth on unenhanced T1-weighted images as well as in fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images.

Aims: To describe an experience with a case of intra-cochlear hemorrhage in a patient treated with anticoagulation, causing SSNHL and vertigo.

Audiometry-Confirmed Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Incidence among COVID-19 Patients and BNT162b2 Vaccine Recipients.

Objective: To compare sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) incidence rates over the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak and the COVID-19 vaccination campaign periods to pre-COVID-19 periods.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort.

Setting: Secondary hospital.

Trends in Pediatric Acute Otitis Media Burden During the First COVID-19 Year.

Objective: To study the changes in acute otitis media (AOM) pediatric emergency department (PED) visits and pediatric admission before and during the first coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) year.

Study Design: Retrospective case review.

Setting: Secondary care center.

Are Hounsfield Unit Measurements of Bony Absorption Changes in Cholesteatoma Helpful?

 High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans of the temporal bone are used to assess the bony erosion of the middle-ear structures whenever cholesteatoma is suspected.  To study the differences in HRCT Hounsfield unit (HU) index measurements of middle-ear bony structures between an ears with and without cholesteatoma.  A retrospective study of 59 patients who underwent surgery due to unilateral cholesteatoma.

What are the risk factors for acute otitis media treatment failure?

Objective: To identify risk factors associated with acute otitis media treatment failure (AOMTF) among 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) immunized children.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we identified children <12 years who were admitted to our hospital November 2017-October 2020. Children were categorized either as acute otitis media treatment failure (AOMTF), if they received adequate pre-admission antibiotics, or as AOM without treatment failure (AOMwTF), if they did not receive any pre-admission antibiotics.

Increase in Haemophilus influenzae Detection in 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Immunized Children With Acute Otitis Media.

NTHi was the predominant pathogen in ear cultures from severe acute otitis media (AOM) episodes in PCV-13 vaccinated children, more commonly in girls. NTHi-AOM episodes were associated with more myringotomies due to a higher treatment failure incidence. The low rate of β-lactamase NTHi isolates in middle ear fluid cultures from PCV-13 vaccinated children presenting with AOM strengthens to still use amoxicillin as the first-line antibiotics.

Otitis Media Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The global coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the prevalence and management of many pediatric infectious diseases, including acute otitis media (AOM). Coronaviruses are a group of RNA viruses that cause respiratory tract infections in humans. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, coronavirus serotypes OC43, 229E, HKU1, and NL63 were infrequently detected in middle ear fluid (MEF) specimens and nasopharyngeal aspirates in children with AOM during the 1990s and 2000s and were associated with a mild course of the disease.

Pediatric Patient with Lemierre Syndrome of the External Jugular Vein: Case Report and Literature Review.

 Lemierre syndrome (LS) involving the external jugular vein (EJV) is rare, and only a few cases have been reported in the literature.  To report a case of LS involving the external jugular vein as well as to make a review of the literature regarding both diagnosis and management strategies.  We describe a case of LS involving the EJV and review the literature of previously published articles to search for additional cases.

Treatment failure in pediatric acute otitis media: How do you define?

Introduction: Reaching the point of treatment failure in the management of pediatric acute otitis media (AOM) is decision-changing, and is often associated with switching to a broader coverage antibiotic with/without middle ear surgical drainage. Yet, still there is no consensus on the definition of what is treatment failure, which may lead to confusion for clinical decision-making purposes. We sought to review the heterogeneity of treatment failure definitions in AOM.

Research Equity in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Equitable research collaborations benefit the quality and relevance of global otolaryngology-head and neck surgery research. However, analyses of existing global health literature have shown disproportionate representation by foreign authors. To avert this inequity and improve global otolaryngology-head and neck surgery research, we propose a framework that emphasizes local representation and capacity building in research.

Biofilm distribution on tympanostomy tubes: An ex vivo descriptive study.

Background: Tympanostomy tube (TT) insertion is a common procedure in children with otitis media with effusion. Post-TT otorrhea (PTTO) is a frequent post-operative complication. Biofilms are involved in chronic PTTO cases.

Adult Otogenic Meningitis in the Pneumococcal Conjugated Vaccines Era.

  is a major pathogen of otogenic meningitis (OgM), the most commonly reported intra-cranial complication of otitis media (OM).  To study the changes in adult OgM patients in the pneumococcal conjugated vaccines (PCVs) era.  Retrospective cohort of adults presenting with concurrent OM and meningitis in a secondary medical care center between 2005 and 2015.

Role of Biofilms in Post-Tympanostomy Tube Otorrhea.

Objective: Nearly half of children who undergo tympanostomy tube (TT) insertion may experience otorrhea following surgery. We sought to review the evidence for the role of bacterial biofilms in post-tympanostomy tube otorrhea (PTTO) and the accumulated experience regarding the preventive measures for biofilm formation/adhesion on TTs.

Methods: English literature search for relevant MeSH keywords was conducted in the following databases: MEDLINE (via PubMed), Ovid Medline, Google Scholar, and Clinical Evidence (BMJ Publishing) between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2019.