ENTtoday: December 2023

Retirement Doesn’t Always Mean Leaving Medicine

Have you thought about what you’ll do after retirement? These otolaryngologists are still involved in medicine on their own terms.

Supporting Wellness Through Communities

Faculty and residents, alike, need to prioritize their own well-being and take time for self-care and the care of loved ones.

The Environmental and Health Impacts of Packaging and Disposable Medical Equipment

Although single-use devices are convenient and may be more appropriate in specific patient care scenarios, the environmental, economic, and human health costs must be considered.

3D-4K Exoscope-Assisted CO2 Laser Supraglottoplasty for Severe Laryngomalacia in a Pediatric Patient

Laryngomalacia (LM) is the most common congenital laryngeal anomaly caused by a delay in the maturation of supporting laryngeal cartilages. Three-dimensional exoscopy has had satisfactory and promising results in adults, but only a few pediatric series have been published.

Inconsistency in Findings that Intraoperative Electrocochleography Improves Hearing Preservation in Cochlear Implantation

Electrocochleography (ECoG) has historically been used for measuring hearing thresholds and identifying endolymphatic hydrops in Ménière’s disease. More recently, ECoG application has expanded to monitor electrical potentials during cochlear implantation as an indirect measure of cochlear trauma.

Laryngeal Reinnervation Is Recommended Surgical Intervention for Pediatric Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis

Laryngeal reinnervation should be offered to all patients independent of patient age or duration of denervation, as it can improve voice and swallowing. Long-term denervation, however, may result in a smaller degree of improvement.

Determining Appropriate Objective Testing for Patients with Suspected Laryngopharyngeal Reflux

Staging severity of laryngopharyngeal reflux with more objective testing is crucial to understanding its natural history, forecasting response to treatment, and it may serve as a gateway to considering surgical treatments.

Patients with Oropharyngeal Cancer Report Taste Changes Following TORS

Self-reported taste changes in patients with oropharyngeal cancer who have had TORS are frequent; suspension time and glossopharyngeal nerve injury are unlikely to cause symptomatic TDs.

Extremely Preterm Infants Have Equivalent Decannulation Success but More Complications Post-LTR

Compared with all other patients, extremely premature infants have equivalent decannulation success but are at an increased risk for complications following LTR.

Voice Dissatisfaction Common Among the General Population

Dissatisfaction with one’s speaking voice is common, and a considerable percentage of the general population without voice disorders would consider interventions to change it.

QOL Factors Impact Patient Decision to Undergo Cochlear Implantation

Although functional outcome expectations are similar between candidates who elect to receive or forgo cochlear implants, the latter have higher baseline CI-specific quality of life abilities.

Higher Prevalence of Hearing Loss Among Cancer Survivors

Findings suggest that cancer survivors have a significantly higher prevalence of both audiometry-confirmed and self-reported hearing loss than the general population.

Motion Capture Technology Can Evaluate Extrinsic Laryngeal Muscle Movement Patterns

Results show the feasibility and reliability of motion capture technology in studying extrinsic laryngeal muscle kinematics.

Potential Advantage Using Robotic Thyroidectomy via Posterior Neck Approach with the DaVinci Single Port System

The newer DaVinci single port system offers the potential advantage of increased access and flexibility through a smaller incision and working tunnel.

Conservative Technique with a Nostril Retainer Allows Management of Newborn Traumatic Nasal Deformity

This conservative technique for treating nasal septal deformity in a newborn with a nostril retainer allows preservation of the medial wall of the maxillary sinus with consistent benefits in terms of postoperative morbidity.

Full-Extension Eyebrow Approach with Supraorbital Nerve Preservation for Frontal Sinus Tumors

This full-extension eyebrow approach allows full exposure of the frontal sinus with a large osteoplastic bone flap and preservation of the supraorbital nerve.

Novel Documentation of Supplemental Margins Using iPad Annotation of 3D Surgical Models with Procreate

The Procreate application was utilized on iPad Pro to intraoperatively annotate 3D renderings of head and neck surgical defects and resection specimens. By using Procreate on an iPad, the surgeon could annotate intraoperatively without breaking scrub to indicate the breadth of supplemental margins harvested in real time.

As 2023 Comes to a Close, ENTtoday Editorial Advisory Board Shares Some Favorite Reading Material

If you have a little time to yourself, you might want to try one of these suggestions from the ENTtoday editorial board members. These books cover a wide range of topics, including time management, medical research, organization, and even medical fiction.