Trust in Machine Learning Driven Clinical Decision Support Tools Among Otolaryngologists.

Background: Machine learning driven clinical decision support tools (ML-CDST) are on the verge of being integrated into clinical settings, including in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. In this study, we investigated whether such CDST may influence otolaryngologists' diagnostic judgement.

Methods: Otolaryngologists were recruited virtually across the United States for this experiment on human-AI interaction.

Availability of evidence and comparative effectiveness for surgical versus drug interventions: an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Objectives: This study aims to examine the prevalence of comparisons of surgery to drug regimens, the strength of evidence of such comparisons and whether surgery or the drug intervention was favoured.

Design: Systematic review of systematic reviews (umbrella review).

Data Sources: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Machine learning in the evaluation of voice and swallowing in the head and neck cancer patient.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose of this review is to present recent advances and limitations in machine learning applied to the evaluation of speech, voice, and swallowing in head and neck cancer.

Recent Findings: Novel machine learning models incorporating diverse data modalities with improved discriminatory capabilities have been developed for predicting toxicities following head and neck cancer therapy, including dysphagia, dysphonia, xerostomia, and weight loss as well as guiding treatment planning. Machine learning has been applied to the care of posttreatment voice and swallowing dysfunction by offering objective and standardized assessments and aiding innovative technologies for functional restoration.

Evaluation of Post-Swallow Residue with Visual Analysis of Swallowing Efficiency and Safety in Patients with Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease.

Dysphagia is common in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) and is associated with impairments in both swallowing safety and swallowing efficiency. The goals of this study were to define post-swallow residue patterns in people with IPD and describe pathophysiological endoscopic findings affecting residue accumulation. This was a prospective single-blinded cross-sectional cohort study of patients with the diagnosis of IPD recruited from a Movement Disorder Clinic.

A Novel Low-Cost, Open-Source, Three-Dimensionally Printed Thyroplasty Simulator.

Objective: Training of surgical procedures on awake patients, such as medialization thyroplasty, poses challenges to educators and trainees. Three-dimensionally (3D)-printed simulators provide opportunity to practice in low-stakes settings. We present the first 3D-printed thyroplasty simulator incorporating a cartilaginous framework, endolaryngeal soft tissue housed in a 3D-printed manikin with endoscopic visualization.

The Readability of Patient-Facing Social Media Posts on Common Otolaryngologic Diagnoses.

Objective: To assess the readability of patient-facing educational information about the most common otolaryngology diagnoses on popular social media platforms.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Social media platforms.

Correlations Between Anxiety and/or Depression Diagnoses and Dysphagia Severity.

Objective: An increased prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders in patients with dysphagia has been noted previously, but whether dysphagia severity may be exacerbated by anxiety and depression has never been studied before. The purpose of this study is to identify the effect of pre-existing diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression (anxiety/depression) on the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10), a validated patient-reported outcome measure for dysphagia. We hypothesized that patients with dysphagia and normal instrumental evaluation have higher EAT-10 score in the presence of pre-existing anxiety and depression.

De Novo Granuloma of the Membranous Vocal Fold: A Marker of Occult Malignancy.

Objective: De novo occurrence of granuloma (granulation tissue) on the membranous vocal fold is not readily explained by usual causes of granuloma at the vocal process. We describe a series of patients.

Study Design: Case series.

Female Surgical Ergonomics in Otolaryngology: A National Survey Study.

Objective: To assess the nature and impact surgical ergonomic challenges experienced by female otolaryngologists.

Study Design: National survey study.

Setting: Female otolaryngology residents, fellows and attendings recruited via social media posting and email distribution.

Concurrent Validity of a Low-Cost Manometer for Objective Assessments of Respiratory Muscle Strength.

Objective(s): This study examined the agreement in maximal expiratory (MEP) and inspiratory (MIP) pressure readings between two digital manometers: (1) the MicroRPM - the gold-standard manometer for respiratory muscle strength testing; and (2) the LDM - a low-cost, commercially available, alternative manometer.

Methods: Positive (MEP) and negative (MIP) pressures were simultaneously applied to the MicroRPM and LDM using a 3-liter syringe within a controlled laboratory setting. Pressure readings were compared, and agreement was analyzed using Lin's concordance correlation (ρ ).

Quality of Office-based Procedure Training During Laryngology Fellowship.

Objectives: The primary objective was to assess the perspectives of recent laryngology fellowship graduates on office-based procedure training, with a secondary objective to compare this with previous research on perspectives of fellowship directors.

Methods: Recent laryngology fellowship graduates were surveyed via an online survey platform regarding post-fellowship practice and various aspects of office-based procedure training, including perceived competence, mentorship, and barriers.

Results: There were 51 respondents.

A deep learning pipeline for automated classification of vocal fold polyps in flexible laryngoscopy.

Purpose: To develop and validate a deep learning model for distinguishing healthy vocal folds (HVF) and vocal fold polyps (VFP) on laryngoscopy videos, while demonstrating the ability of a previously developed informative frame classifier in facilitating deep learning development.

Methods: Following retrospective extraction of image frames from 52 HVF and 77 unilateral VFP videos, two researchers manually labeled each frame as informative or uninformative. A previously developed informative frame classifier was used to extract informative frames from the same video set.

Correlation Between Laryngoscopic Appearance and Histopathology in Vocal Fold Cysts.

Objectives/hypothesis: Cysts are benign vocal fold lesions typically divided into mucous retention or epidermoid subtypes. The conventional paradigm that the former are translucent and the latter opaque fails to encompass the heterogeneity of cyst appearance on laryngoscopy. This study aims to characterize the relationships between clinical cyst characteristics and histopathology.

Outcomes of Gender-Affirming Voice and Communication Modification Training for Non-binary Individuals: A Case Series.

Objectives: There is currently no research reporting solely on outcomes of voice and communication modification training (VCMT) in individuals who identify as non-binary and genderqueer (NBGQ) in the English literature. This study aimed to describe the objective and subjective impact of VCMT on the voice of NBGQ individuals undergoing a 12-week gender-affirming VCMT program.

Methods: A retrospective consecutive case series of NBGQ individuals enrolled in a VCMT program was performed.

Cough Sounds in Screening and Diagnostics: A Scoping Review.

Objective: The aim of the study was to examine applications of cough sounds towards screening tools and diagnostics in the biomedical and engineering literature, with particular focus on disease types, acoustic data collection protocols, data processing and analytics, accuracy, and limitations.

Data Sources: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, IEEE Xplore, Engineering Village, and ACM Digital Library were searched from inception to August 2021.

Review Methods: A scoping review was conducted on screening and diagnostic uses of cough sounds in adults, children, and animals, in English peer-reviewed and gray literature of any design.

Artificial Intelligence Governance and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

This rapid communication highlights components of artificial intelligence governance in healthcare and suggests adopting key governance approaches in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery.

Performers With History of Voice Injury: A Survey Study of Treatment Outcomes and Vocal Function.

Introduction: Past studies show that performers are more susceptible to voice injury, have higher incidence of injury, and experience greater vocal impairment than non-performers. Despite literature demonstrating otherwise, there remains fear and stigma that voice injury is a career-ending circumstance. Much of this is due to a lack of information about post-treatment vocal function.

Virtual Reality for Pain Management During High-Resolution Manometry: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objective: High-resolution esophageal manometry (HRM) is the gold standard for the diagnosis of esophageal motility disorders. HRM is typically performed in the office with local anesthesia only, and many patients find it unpleasant and painful. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the use of a virtual reality (VR) headset on pain and anxiety outcomes in patients with dysphagia undergoing HRM.

Validation of a 3D-Printed Percutaneous Injection Laryngoplasty Simulator: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: Simulation may be a valuable tool in training laryngology office procedures on unsedated patients. However, no studies have examined whether existing awake procedure simulators improve trainee performance in laryngology. Our objective was to evaluate the transfer validity of a previously published 3D-printed laryngeal simulator in improving percutaneous injection laryngoplasty (PIL) competency compared with conventional educational materials with a single-blinded randomized controlled trial.

Return to Vocal Performance Following Microlaryngoscopy in Singers.

Introduction: Although microlaryngoscopy has been recognized to be effective in addressing lesions in vocal performers, no detailed information regarding return to performance (RTP) following surgery exists. We describe our experience and offer proposals to establish standardized criteria for RTP among vocal performers.

Methods: Records for adult vocalists who underwent microlaryngoscopy for benign vocal fold (VF) lesions and had a clearly documented RTP date between 2006 and 2022 were reviewed.

Addressing disparities in speech-language pathology and laryngology services with telehealth.

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected the health and well-being of marginalized communities, and it brought greater awareness to disparities in health care access and utilization. Addressing these disparities is difficult because of their multidimensional nature. Predisposing factors (demographic information, social structure, and beliefs), enabling factors (family and community) and illness levels (perceived and evaluated illness) are thought to jointly contribute to such disparities.

Concurrent Validity of the IOPI and Tongueometer Orofacial Strength Measurement Devices.

Objective(s): This study examined the concurrent validity of two orofacial strength manometers: (1) the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI) - the current, gold standard orofacial manometer; and (2) the Tongueometer - a newly-available, lower cost, orofacial manometer.

Methods: This study compared IOPI and Tongueometer pressure readings across three experimental conditions. Experiment 1 compared full setup (manometer + tongue bulb) pressure readings between the IOPI and Tongueometer.