Abstract Cases of delayed osteoradionecrosis (ORN) of the anterior skull base have unique management considerations. A 59-year-old woman with a history of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the sinonasal cavity with intracranial extension through the anterior skull base developed delayed radiation sequelae of anterior skull base ORN. She underwent an initial endoscopic resection in 2011 with persistent disease that required an anterior craniofacial resection with left medial maxillectomy in 2012. She had a radiologic gross total resection with microscopic residual disease at the histologic margins prompting adjuvant chemoradiotherapy to target volume doses of 66 to 70 Gy with concurrent cisplatin chemotherapy. She subsequently developed an intracranial abscess in 2021 along the anterior skull base that required a craniotomy and endoscopic debridement. Despite aggressive surgical and medical therapy, she had persistent intracranial infections and evidence of skull base ORN. She ultimately underwent a combined open bifrontal craniotomy and endoscopic resection of the necrotic frontal bone and dura followed by an anterolateral thigh free flap reconstruction with titanium mesh cranioplasty. The patient recovered well from a microvascular free-tissue reconstruction without concern for cerebrospinal fluid leak. Anterior skull base reconstruction with free tissue transfer is a commonly utilized method for oncologic resections. Here, an anterolateral free flap was effectively used to treat an anterior skull base defect secondary to a rare indication of skull base ORN.
Background Prolonged length of stay (pLOS), disease‐related complications, and 30‐day readmissions are important quality metrics under the Affordable Care Act. The purpose of our study was to investigate the effect of patient‐level and hospital‐level factors on these outcomes for patients admitted for transsphenoidal pituitary surgery. Methods The Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) database was queried to investigate 30‐day readmissions and pLOS for transsphenoidal pituitary surgery in New York from 1995 to 2015. Multivariate logistic regression, adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics, was performed to assess the effect of these variables on the outcomes of interest. Results A total of 9950 patients underwent transsphenoidal pituitary surgery; 7122 (72%), 2394 (24%), and 434 (4%) patients were treated at high‐volume, medium‐volume, and low‐volume centers, respectively. Patient factors associated with treatment at high‐volume centers (HVCs) included: top income quartile, private insurance, urban residence, and white or Asian race ( p < 0.05). Patient variables associated with treatment at low‐volume centers (LVCs) included: age >65 years, elevated Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) scores, bottom income quartile, Medicaid and Medicare insurance, rural residence, black race, and Hispanic ethnicity ( p < 0.05). Variables predictive of prolonged hospitalizations in our multivariable model included black race, Hispanic ethnicity, Medicaid insurance, low income, female gender, LVC, and comorbidities (panhypopituitarism, hypothyroidism, diabetes insipidus [DI], visual disturbances, CCI) while predictors of readmissions included Asian race, female gender, and comorbidities (Cushing syndrome, DI, CCI). Conclusion Patients undergoing transsphenoidal pituitary surgery at HVCs have shorter hospitalizations, fewer postoperative electrolyte abnormalities, and lower charges; however, socioeconomic factors may influence access to quality care.
Background Current Affordable Care Act (ACA) legislation places an emphasis on determining factors that contribute to hospital-based charges as they relate to total patient care costs. Knowledge of excess hospital-based admission charges related to the surgical management of intracranial meningiomas may provide insight into factors associated with increased healthcare charges. We compare charges for patients admitted for resection of meningiomas in New York State to identify socioeconomic and hospital characteristics associated with excess charges.
Objective The purpose of this study was to explore the use of immersive and interactive virtual reality (VR) for analgesia, anxiety reduction, and overall satisfaction in patients undergoing outpatient postoperative debridements. Study Design Randomized crossover‐controlled trial. Setting Academic outpatient clinic. Subjects and Methods Adult patients who had functional endoscopic sinus surgery and skull base surgery and were undergoing office‐based postoperative nasal endoscopy and debridement were recruited and followed for 2 consecutive office visits. Participants were randomized to receive either the control or experimental analgesia for the first postoperative visit (PO1) and crossed over into the opposite treatment arm during the second postoperative visit (PO2). Outcomes included procedural pain, anxiety and satisfaction scores, procedural time, and reflexive head movements per minute (RHM). Results Eighty‐two participants were recruited. At PO1, 39 received standard analgesia, and 43 received an immersive VR experience. At PO1, the VR group experienced significantly less anxiety ( P =. 043) and fewer RHM ( P =. 00016) than the control group. At PO2, the VR group experienced significantly fewer RHM ( P =. 0002). At PO2, patients who received the experimental treatment after initially receiving the control treatment had significantly decreased pain, anxiety, and RHM. This effect was not seen in the second group. Overall, 69.51% of patients felt that the VR treatment was better; 19.51% thought that it was the same; and 9.76% found it to be worse. Conclusion VR technology holds promise as a nonpharmacologic analgesic and anxiolytic intervention for otolaryngology office‐based procedures. Further study of VR use in other procedures is warranted. Level of Evidence: 1, randomized controlled trial.
Postpartum psychosis (PPP) is a severe mood disorder following childbirth that rarely leads to injurious or suicidal behavior. This report illustrates otolaryngologic intervention for pharyngeal laceration and airway instability following traumatic foreign body ingestion in the setting of PPP. A 25-year-old woman with PPP presented with hemoptysis after attempting suicide by traumatically forcing tree branches into her oropharynx. Imaging revealed pneumomediastinum, and flexible laryngoscopy and esophagoscopy showed a large foreign body (tree branch) extending from the hypopharynx to the gastroesophageal junction. She was taken to the operating room for direct microlaryngoscopy, bronchoscopy and esophagoscopy with removal of the 25-cm tree branch. Panendoscopy revealed a mucosal laceration at the cricopharyngeus with supraglottic and hypopharyngeal edema but no injury to the larynx. Due to airway concerns, a cuffed tracheostomy was placed along with a gastrostomy tube for feeding access. She tolerated her postoperative course with successful decannulation and oral feeding prior to discharge.
The etiologic role of fungi in chronic rhinosinusitis remains controversial. The purpose of this review is to further our understanding of molecular immunologic pathways activated by fungi and clinical trials of antifungals in severe subtypes of asthma and allergic fungal rhinosinusitis.Various fungal components such as protease and chitin are capable of eliciting a type 2 innate and adaptive immune response. However, definitive studies on the etiologic role of fungi in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is dependent on the development of a fungi-induced murine model of CRS. Short of this model, extrapolations of observations and results from clinical trials in fungi-induced asthma subtypes support a key role of fungi in the pathophysiology of allergic fungal rhinosinusitis and possibly other CRS endotypes.Fungi plays a key role in the pathophysiology of several subtypes of chronic inflammatory respiratory diseases. However, a fungi-induced murine model of CRS is needed to explicitly investigate the molecular pathways and potential therapeutic targets.
Objectives/Hypothesis The purpose of this study was to compare timing of procedure, patient characteristics, outcomes, and charges for patients who underwent percutaneous versus surgical tracheostomy. Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for all patients who underwent tracheostomy in 2015 to 2016 in New York State. Patients were identified using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification codes and stratified to the type of tracheostomy performed. The primary outcome of interest was mortality at index stay. Secondary outcomes of interest included length of stay and total hospitalization charges. Results Of the 8,682 patients, 2,488 (28.7%) underwent percutaneous and 6,194 (71.3%) underwent surgical tracheostomy. At hospitals where both procedures were performed, percutaneous tracheostomy patients were older, had more comorbidities, and had lower income ( P < .05). Timing of the tracheostomy relative to admission did not affect the type of tracheostomy performed. While controlling for patient characteristics and complications during the visit, percutaneous tracheostomy was associated with increased mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 1.17, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03‐1.33, P = .0153) and increased hospital charges (OR: + 7.76%, 95% CI: 5.4‐10.11, P < .0001). Length of stay was not affected by procedure type. Conclusions Surgical tracheostomies are more commonly performed than percutaneous tracheostomies across New York State. Older, lower‐income, and sicker patients have a higher chance of receiving percutaneous tracheostomies. Percutaneous approaches were associated with statistically significant increased mortality and higher charges despite no difference in length of stay. Further studies are needed to determine if these differences in outcomes are clinically significant. Level of Evidence NA Laryngoscope , 128:2844–2851, 2018
Background Current delivery of patient education is done during the clinic visit, where physicians or clinic staff have limited time for each patient. One potential solution is to provide a multimedia surgical care tour delivered to patients throughout the perioperative period. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of this surgical care tour in enhancing patient knowledge and satisfaction after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). Methods A total of 121 patients were enrolled and a double‐blinded randomized controlled trial was initiated. Patients in the experimental group received 4 educational videos and automated reminders to take medications. The control group received a sham platform. Patients were randomized by MEDUMO software, and physicians, clinic staff, and patients were blinded. Patient satisfaction was measured by Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Surgical Care Survey Version 2.0. Patient knowledge was graded by the blinded surgeon and clinic staff. Fischer's exact test and 2‐tailed independent samples Student t test were used to compare the satisfaction and patient knowledge outcomes, respectively. Results Patients in the experimental group were more likely to answer “Yes, definitely” to “Did these pictures drawings models or videos help you better understand your condition and its treatment?” (95.7% vs 74.1%, p = 0.011). The mean ± standard deviation clinic staff assessment of patient knowledge was 3.04 ± 1.05 in the control group and 3.68 ± 1.41 in the experimental group ( p = 0.043). Conclusion A multimedia surgical care tour was developed and has promising effects on patient satisfaction and knowledge after FESS.
