Surgeon versus radiologist: an inter-rater reliability analysis of the CLOSE checklist for preoperative CT sinus assessment.

Purpose: To assess the inter-rater agreement of the Cribriform plate, Lamina papyracea, Onodi cell, Sphenoid sinus pneumatization, and Ethmoidal artery (CLOSE) checklist results among rhinology & skull-base surgeons and a head and neck-neuroradiology specialist for pre-operative computed tomography (CT) sinus assessment.

Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study reviewed 50 patients who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) in the period between January 2013 and March 2014 at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Canada. According to the CLOSE checklist, the CT scans were evaluated independently by one surgeon and one radiologist using the InteleRadiology Picture Archiving and Communication System (IntelePACS).

Effects of immersing Japanese quail eggs in various doses of riboflavin on reproductive, growth performance traits, blood indices and economics.

This investigation aimed to evaluate the impact of immersion (IM) riboflavin treatment on the hatchability, production efficiency, and carcass characteristics of Japanese quail eggs. A total of 260 eggs of Japanese quail birds were used for hatching and were randomly divided into 4 treatments with 5 replicates (13 eggs/replicate) in a fully randomized design. Hatching eggs were immersed in riboflavin for 2 min before incubation.

The Effect of Corticosteroids on Sinus Microbiota in Chronic Rhinosinusitis Patients with Nasal Polyposis.

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) is a multifactorial disease with no known single cause, but it is thought that bacteria play a role in the disease process.

Objective: This pilot study aims to assess the longitudinal effect of corticosteroid therapy on sinus microbiota in chronic rhinosinusitis patients with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP).

Methods: A longitudinal prospective case-control study was done on patients with CRSwNP and healthy controls.

Canadian multidisciplinary expert consensus on the use of biologics in upper airways: a Delphi study.

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) often coexists with lower airway disease. With the overlap between upper and lower airway disease, optimal management of the upper airways is undertaken in conjunction with that of the lower airways. Biologic therapy with targeted activity within the Type 2 inflammatory pathway can improve the clinical signs and symptoms of both upper and lower airway diseases.

Image guidance system use amongst Canadian otolaryngologists: a nationwide survey.

Background: The use of image guidance systems has gained widespread acceptance as an adjunctive tool for endoscopic sinus surgery. However, the accessibility and usage of this technology is variable across hospitals in Canada.

Study Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the availability, usage, and related issues surrounding the use of image guidance systems in endoscopic sinus surgery across Canadian otolaryngology practice settings.

Conducting an Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Dissection Course via Telesimulation: An Initial Experience.

Objective: Medical education has been severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with many in-person educational activities transitioned to distance learning. To overcome this challenge, we utilized telesimulation to conduct an endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) dissection course. Our objectives were to evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of telesimulation as an alternative to in-person dissection courses for resident training.

Revised recommendations from the CSO-HNS taskforce on performance of tracheotomy during the COVID-19 pandemic - what a difference a year makes.

Background: During the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (CSO-HNS) task force published recommendations on performance of tracheotomy. Since then, our understanding of the virus has evolved with ongoing intensive research efforts. New literature has helped us better understand various aspects including patient outcomes and health care worker (HCW) risks associated with tracheotomy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is the optimal outcome after endoscopic sinus surgery in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis? A consultation of Canadian experts.

Objectives: Many experts feel that in the absence of well-defined goals for success, they have an easier time identifying failure. As success ought to not be defined only by absence of failure, we aimed to define optimal outcomes for endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) by obtaining expert surgeon perspectives.

Methods: A total of 12 surgeons participated in this targeted consultation.

Development of a self-directed sinonasal surgical anatomy video curriculum: Phase 1 validation.

Background: Sinusitis is a common outpatient diagnosis made by physicians and is a reason for referral to otolaryngologists. A foundation in basic sinonasal anatomy is critical in understanding sinus pathophysiology and avoiding complications. Our objective in this study was to develop and to validate a self-directed surgical anatomy video for medical students.

Association of In-Ear Device Use With Communication Quality Among Individuals Wearing Personal Protective Equipment in a Simulated Operating Room.

Importance: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought forth new challenges for health care workers, such as the daily use of personal protective equipment, including reusable facial respirators. Poor communication while wearing respirators may have fatal complications for patients, and no solution has been proposed to date.

Objective: To examine whether use of an in-ear communication device is associated with improved communication while wearing different personal protective equipment (N95 mask, half-face elastomeric respirator, and powered air-purifying respirator [PAPR]) in the operating room.

Canadian Rhinology Working Group consensus statement: biologic therapies for chronic rhinosinusitis.

Background: Recent evidence suggests that biologic therapy with targeted activity within the Type 2 inflammatory pathway can improve the clinical signs and symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP). There remains a population in CRSwNP that despite medical therapy and endoscopic sinus surgery have persistent signs and symptoms of disease. Therefore, biologics, monoclonal antibody agents, could be beneficial therapeutic treatments for these patients.

Levels of Evidence in Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery Research.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of evidence of rhinology and rhinologic skull base surgery (RSBS) research and its evolution over the past decade.

Study Design: Review article.

Setting: We reviewed articles from 2007 to 2019 in 4 leading peer-reviewed otolaryngology journals and 3 rhinology-specific journals.

Large pH oscillations promote host defense against human airways infection.

The airway mucosal microenvironment is crucial for host defense against inhaled pathogens but remains poorly understood. We report here that the airway surface normally undergoes surprisingly large excursions in pH during breathing that can reach pH 9.0 during inhalation, making it the most alkaline fluid in the body.

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.

Aerosolization in Endoscopic Sinus Surgery and Risk Mitigation in the COVID-19 Era: A Scoping Review.

 The continually evolving coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created a dire need for rapid reorganization of health care delivery within surgical services. Ensuing initial reports of high infection rates following endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery, various expert and societal guidelines have emerged. We hereby provide a scoping review of the available literature on endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery, exploring both the risk of aerosolization and expert recommendations on surgical management during the pandemic.

Endoscopic polypectomy performed in clinic for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps: study protocol for the EPIC multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is common, with a Canadian prevalence of 5%, and associated with significant morbidity. Understandably, CRS impairs workplace productivity but that productivity substantially increases following surgical treatment. CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), the most common type of CRS, is usually treated with a combination of medications and endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS).

Recommendations from the CSO-HNS taskforce on performance of tracheotomy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: The performance of tracheotomy is a common procedural request by critical care departments to the surgical services of general surgery, thoracic surgery and otolaryngology - head & neck surgery. A Canadian Society of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (CSO-HNS) task force was convened with multi-specialty involvement from otolaryngology-head & neck surgery, general surgery, critical care and anesthesiology to develop a set of recommendations for the performance of tracheotomies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Body: The tracheotomy procedure is highly aerosol generating and directly exposes the entire surgical team to the viral aerosol plume and secretions, thereby increasing the risk of transmission to healthcare providers.

Microbiotyping the Sinonasal Microbiome.

This study offers a novel description of the sinonasal microbiome, through an unsupervised machine learning approach combining dimensionality reduction and clustering. We apply our method to the International Sinonasal Microbiome Study (ISMS) dataset of 410 sinus swab samples. We propose three main sinonasal "microbiotypes" or "states": the first is -dominated, the second is -dominated, and the third dominated by the other core genera of the sinonasal microbiome (, and ).

Quality Indicators for the Diagnosis and Management of Acute Bacterial Rhinosinusitis.

Background: Acute bacterial rhinosinusitis (ABRS) is a highly prevalent disease that is treated by a variety of specialties, including but not limited to, family physicians, emergency physicians, otolaryngology-head and neck surgeons, infectious disease specialists, and allergy and immunologists. Unfortunately, despite high-quality guidelines, variable and substandard care continues to be demonstrated in the treatment of ABRS.

Objective: This study aimed to develop ABRS-specific quality indicators (QIs) to evaluate the diagnosis and management that reduces symptoms, improves quality of life, and prevents complications.