Transoral robotic surgery for pediatric upper airway pathology: An institutional update.

Objective: Provide an update on our institution's experience with utilizing transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in pediatric airway surgery and compare these results to surgery by traditional methods.

Methods: Pediatric patients who underwent TORS for treatment of upper airway pathology between 2010 and 2021 at our institution were retrospectively identified and compared to patients with the same or similar pathology who underwent a traditional (open or endoscopic) surgical approach over the same time period. Outcomes of interest included patient demographics, operative times, adverse events, hospital length of stay (LOS), and modified barium swallow (MBSS) results.

A Rare Case of Severe Burn Injury to the Oropharynx Caused by a Flare Gun.

Flare gun injuries are rare, and patients often present with complex trauma that may require multiple operative interventions. Our objective is to explore a case of a 15-year-old male, who presented with second-degree flame burns to the face, left upper extremity and bilateral hands, as well as third-degree burns to the oropharynx and a tongue laceration after a flare gun was discharged into his mouth. The patient underwent multiple debridements of the oral cavity and oropharynx, and his hospital course was complicated by an intra-oral abscess.

Large Nasopharyngeal Hairy Polyp Causing Immediate Respiratory Distress at Birth.

This article presents a rare case of a large hairy polyp, a developmental malformation causing a benign tumor, within the nasopharynx. The patient, born with the polyp obstructing the airway, required immediate intubation and a combined transnasal-transoral surgical approach for excision. The case underscores the challenges in diagnosing and managing such polyps, emphasizing the importance of imaging for surgical planning, and the consideration of multiple approaches to ensure complete resection and prevent recurrence.

Pediatric Robotic Laryngeal Cleft Repair.

Objective: Compare surgical and swallow outcomes in robotic versus traditional laryngeal cleft (LC) repairs.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary care pediatric hospital.

Factors that influence performance in pediatric cochlear implant recipients with cochlear nerve deficiency.

Objectives: Children with cochlear nerve deficiency (CND) have wide variability in outcomes with cochlear implant (CI) use. The current study aims to report a large cohort of pediatric CI recipients with CND and to evaluate for factors that may predict improved performance.

Methods: The current study is a retrospective review of pediatric CI recipients with CND at a tertiary academic hospital.

Surgical procedure of intratympanic injection and inner ear pharmacokinetics simulation in domestic pigs.

One major obstacle in validating drugs for the treatment or prevention of hearing loss is the limited data available on the distribution and concentration of drugs in the human inner ear. Although small animal models offer some insights into inner ear pharmacokinetics, their smaller organ size and different barrier (round window membrane) permeabilities compared to humans can complicate study interpretation. Therefore, developing a reliable large animal model for inner ear drug delivery is crucial.

Interarytenoid injection outcomes in pediatric feeding disorders.

Objectives: Type 1 laryngeal clefts (LC1) and deep interarytenoid grooves contribute to pediatric feeding disorders. Management of these defects remains heterogeneous among surgeons and interarytenoid injection augmentation (IIA) is not always offered as a treatment option. This study evaluated IIA outcomes among a pediatric patient cohort comprised mostly of those with deep interarytenoid grooves.

Assessment of drug permeability through an ex vivo porcine round window membrane model.

Delivery of pharmaceutical therapeutics to the inner ear to treat and prevent hearing loss is challenging. Systemic delivery is not effective as only a small fraction of the therapeutic agent reaches the inner ear. Invasive surgeries to inject through the round window membrane (RWM) or cochleostomy may cause damage to the inner ear.

Accuracy and Reliability of 4D-CT and Flexible Laryngoscopy in Upper Airway Evaluation in Robin Sequence.

Objectives: To evaluate the performance of 4-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) in assessing upper airway obstruction (UAO) in patients with Robin sequence (RS) and compare the accuracy and reliability of 4D-CT and flexible fiber-optic laryngoscopy (FFL).

Study Design: Prospective survey of retrospective clinical data.

Setting: Single, tertiary care pediatric hospital.

Objective measurements for upper airway obstruction in infants with Robin sequence: what are we measuring? A systematic review.

Study Objectives: Identifying optimal treatment for infants with Robin sequence (RS) is challenging due to substantial variability in the presentation of upper airway obstruction (UAO) in this population. Objective assessments of UAO and treatments are not standardized. A systematic review of objective measures of UAO was conducted as a step toward evidence-based clinical decision-making for RS.

4D Computed Tomography for Dynamic Upper Airway Evaluation in Robin Sequence.

Thorough assessment of dynamic upper airway obstruction (UAO) in Robin sequence (RS) is critical, but traditional evaluation modalities have significant limitations. Four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) is promising in that it enables objective and quantitative evaluation throughout all phases of respiration. However, there exist few protocols or analysis tools to assist in obtaining and interpreting the vast amounts of obtained data.

Systemic Bevacizumab for Treatment of Respiratory Papillomatosis: International Consensus Statement.

Objectives/hypothesis: The purpose of this study is to develop consensus on key points that would support the use of systemic bevacizumab for the treatment of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), and to provide preliminary guidance surrounding the use of this treatment modality.

Study Design: Delphi method-based survey series.

Methods: A multidisciplinary, multi-institutional panel of physicians with experience using systemic bevacizumab for the treatment of RRP was established.

Readability analysis of pediatric otolaryngology patient-reported outcome measures.

Objective: (s): Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are tools that allow patients to directly share information about their health with their healthcare provider. Health literacy experts recommend that health information, such as PROMs, be written at a 6th grade level to ensure patients can read and comprehend it. As the readability of PROMs used in pediatric otolaryngology has yet to be studied, our goal was to analyze the readability of these PROMs and assess their compliance with readability recommendations.

IVORY Guidelines (Instructional Videos in Otorhinolaryngology by YO-IFOS): A Consensus on Surgical Videos in Ear, Nose, and Throat.

Objectives/hypothesis: Otolaryngology instructional videos available online are often of poor quality. The objective of this article was to establish international consensus recommendations for the production of educational surgical videos in otolaryngology.

Study Design: DELPHI survey.

Sensing Inhalation Injury-Associated Changes in Airway Wall Compliance by Anatomic Optical Coherence Elastography.

Quantitative methods for assessing the severity of inhalation (burn) injury are needed to aid in treatment decisions. We hypothesize that it is possible to assess the severity of injuries on the basis of differences in the compliance of the airway wall. Here, we demonstrate the use of a custom-built, endoscopic, anatomic optical coherence elastography (aOCE) system to measure airway wall compliance.

International Pediatric Otolaryngology Group (IPOG) consensus recommendations: Management of suprastomal collapse in the pediatric population.

Introduction: Suprastomal Collapse (SuStCo) is a common complication of prolonged tracheostomy in children. There is a paucity of literature on this subject, especially regarding how to manage significant suprastomal collapse that prevents safe decannulation.

Objective: Provide a definition, classification system, and recommend management options for significant suprastomal collapse in children with tracheostomy.

Competency-Based Assessment Tool for Pediatric Esophagoscopy: International Modified Delphi Consensus.

Objectives/hypothesis: Create a competency-based assessment tool for pediatric esophagoscopy with foreign body removal.

Study Design: Blinded modified Delphi consensus process.

Setting: Tertiary care center.

International Pediatric Otolaryngology Group (IPOG): Consensus recommendations on the prenatal and perinatal management of anticipated airway obstruction.

Objective: To make recommendations on the identification, routine evaluation, and management of fetuses at risk for airway compromise at delivery.

Methods: Recommendations are based on expert opinion by members of the International Pediatric Otolaryngology Group (IPOG). A two-iterative Delphi method questionnaire was distributed to all members of the IPOG and responses recorded.

A Novel Porcine Model for the Study of Cerebrospinal Fluid Dynamics: Development and Preliminary Results.

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension, space-flight associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS), and glaucoma are conditions that are among a spectrum of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-related ophthalmologic disease. This implies that local CSF pressures at the level of the optic nerve are involved to variable extent in these disease processes. However, CSF pressure measurements are problematic due to invasiveness and interpretation.

Pediatric cochlear implantation: A quarter century in review.

To review the growth of a pediatric cochlear implant (CI) program at one large tertiary care medical center over a 25-year period in order to (1) describe the population of pediatric cochlear implant recipients, (2) document word recognition outcomes, and (3) describe changes in candidacy criteria over time. A retrospective review of population demographics and trends included etiology of hearing loss, device use and type, expansion of inclusion criteria, and word recognition outcomes. Ninety-one percent of the children studied were from North Carolina and reflect the ethnic distribution of the state.

Localized compliance measurement of the airway wall using anatomic optical coherence elastography.

We describe an elastographic method to circumferentially-resolve airway wall compliance using endoscopic, anatomic optical coherence tomography (aOCT) combined with an intraluminal pressure catheter. The method was first demonstrated on notched silicone phantoms of known elastic modulus under respiratory ventilation, where localized compliance measurements were validated against those predicted by finite element modeling. Then, ex vivo porcine tracheas were scanned, and the pattern of compliance was found to be consistent with histological identification of the locations of (stiff) cartilage and (soft) muscle.

An Innovative Approach to Airway Foreign Body Management in an Extremely Premature Neonate.

This case report is a retrospective review of a challenging though ultimately successful removal of an airway foreign body in a 2-day-old premature female born at 23 weeks and 4 days gestation. A segment of a 5-F surfactant catheter was cut and accidentally dislodged in the distal airway within the lumen of the patient's endotracheal tube. Ultimately, visualization was obtained using a 1.

Idiopathic, Refractory Sweet's Syndrome Associated with Common Variable Immunodeficiency: a Case Report and Literature Review.

Purpose Of Review: Sweet's syndrome (SS) is classically considered a hypersensitivity reaction often associated with autoimmune disorders and malignancy. SS has also been increasingly reported to occur with immunodeficiencies. We present a case of treatment-refractory, systemic SS as the initial manifestation in a young child with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID).

Multicenter Interrater Reliability in the Endoscopic Assessment of Velopharyngeal Function Using a Video Instruction Tool.

Objective: Assess interrater agreement of endoscopic assessment of velopharyngeal (VP) function before and after viewing the video instruction tool (VIT). We hypothesized improvement in interrater agreement using the Golding-Kushner scale (GKS) after viewing the VIT.

Study Design: Prospective study.