Journal of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to establish a simple predictive model for oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) in an area with a relatively low prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) and frequent betel nut chewing. METHODS: A total of 116 patients with OPC were recruited from the clinical research database of a referral cancer center between 2013 and 2018. Patient characteristics-including age, gender, tumor stage, differentiation, and treatment modality-were extracted from the database...

BACKGROUND: Insurance status has been shown to impact survival outcomes. We sought to determine whether insurance affects the choice of treatment modality among patients with advanced (T4) oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. METHODS: This is a retrospective, population-based cohort study using the Survival, Epidemiology, and End Results Program database. The population included all adult (age ≥ 18) patients with advanced (T4a or T4b) oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma diagnosed from 2007 to 2016...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate indications, surgical and functional outcomes of robotic or endoscopic facelift thyroid surgery (FTS) and whether FTS reported comparable outcomes of other surgical approaches. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. REVIEW METHODS: A literature search was conducted about indications, clinical and surgical outcomes of patients who underwent FTS using PICOTS and PRISMA Statements. Outcomes reviewed included age; gender; indications; pathology; functional evaluations; surgical outcomes and complications...

BACKGROUND: Patients with congenital aural atresia (CAA) can present with concomitant temporomandibular joint (TMJ) retroposition, implying that even with a high Jahrsdoerfer score, canaloplasty and tympanoplasty cannot be performed. Therefore, this study aimed to summarize the clinical manifestations and share our diagnostic and treatment experience of this rare entity, which has not been described previously. METHODS: Thirty patients (30 ears) with CAA and TMJ retroposition without maxillofacial dysplasia were included...

BACKGROUND: Aspiration pneumonia is a preventable condition that has higher rates of recurrence and mortality compared to non-aspiration pneumonia. The primary objective of the study was to examine independent patient factors that are associated with mortality in those requiring acute admission for aspiration pneumonia at a tertiary institution. Secondary goals of the study were to review whether factors such as mechanical ventilation and speech language pathology intervention can impact patient mortality, length of stay (LOS), and costs relating to hospitalization...

BACKGROUND: Gender bias is behavior that shows favoritism towards one gender over another. Microaggressions are defined as subtle, often unconscious, discriminatory, or insulting actions that communicate demeaning or negative attitudes. Our objective was to explore how female otolaryngologists experience gender bias and microaggressions in the workplace. METHODS: Anonymous web-based cross-sectional Canadian survey was distributed to all female otolaryngologists (attendings and trainees) using the Dillman's Tailored Design Method from July to August of 2021...

OBJECTIVES: There is a lack of robust evidence in regards to whether the intra and post-operative safety and efficacy of conventional curettage adenoidectomy is better than those of other available surgical techniques. Therefore, this study was conducted as a systematic review and network meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with the aim of comparing the safety and efficacy of conventional curettage adenoidectomy with all other available adenoidectomy techniques...

BACKGROUND: Obstructive eustachian tube dysfunction is a common pathology, generally accepted as the underlying cause for chronic ear diseases. Eustachian tube dilation has shown promising results in randomized controlled trials, but is a costly procedure. The aim of the current study was to assess the feasibility of transnasal balloon dilatation of the eustachian tube with an endovascular balloon in the context of ease of use, maneuverability, and safety. METHODS: Clinical pilot study carried out at a university tertiary care facility...

BACKGROUND: Tinnitus has a significant impact on quality of life and causes considerable psychological distress. Cannabis is known to modulate neuron hyperexcitability, provide protection against auditory damage, and has been used for treatment for many diseases which have physiological similarities with tinnitus. The objective of this study was to survey patients presenting with tinnitus regarding their perspectives and usage patterns of cannabis. METHODS: Patients with a primary presenting complaint of tinnitus in a tertiary neuro-otology clinic completed a 18-item questionnaire assessing perception, attitudes, and cannabis usage patterns...

BACKGROUND: Otolaryngology-head and neck surgical (OHNS) trainees' operating exposure is supplemented by a combination of didactic teaching, textbook reading, and cadaveric dissections. Conventional teaching, however, may not adequately equip trainees with an understanding of complex visuospatial relationships of the middle ear. Both face and content validation were assessed of a novel three-dimensional (3D) photorealistic virtual ear simulation tool underwent face and content validation as an educational tool for OHNS trainees...

BACKGROUND: The advancement of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) as a specialty relies on excellence in research. The Journal of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery is an open access, peer-reviewed journal publishing on all aspects and subspecialities of OHNS. It is the official journal of the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. This study aims to analyze bibliometric trends in authorships and institutional contributions within the Journal of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery over a 9-year period...

This study aimed to obtain a comprehensive view of the risk of developing diabetes in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and to compare this risk between patients receiving continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy versus upper airway surgery (UAS). We used local and the global-scale federated data research network TriNetX to obtain access to electronic medical records, including those for patients diagnosed with OSA, from health-care organizations (HCOs) worldwide. Using propensity score matching and the score-matched analyses of data for 5 years of follow-up, we found that patients who had undergone UAS had a lower risk of developing diabetes than those who used CPAP (risk ratio 0...

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic placed considerable strain on the healthcare system, leading to the re-allocation of resources and implementation of new practice guidelines. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of COVID-19 guideline modifications on head and neck cancer (HNC) care at two tertiary care centers in Canada. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. HNC patients seen at two tertiary care centers before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (pre-pandemic: July 1st, 2019, to February 29th, 2020; pandemic: March 1st, 2020, to October 31st, 2020) were included...

PURPOSE: No large-scale prospective randomized study with a long-term follow-up period has evaluated the survival outcomes of preconcurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (18 FDG PET-CT) in patients with non-human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included patients with stage I-IVA p16-negative OPSCC receiving definitive CCRT and categorized them into two groups according to pre-CCRT 18 FDG PET-CT and compared their outcomes: the case group consisted of patients who underwent pre-CCRT 18 FDG PET-CT, whereas the comparison group consisted of patients who did not receive pre-CCRT 18 FDG PET-CT...

BACKGROUND: The glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) encodes the receptor to which cortisol and other glucocorticoids bind. Steroids in either oral, intratympanic, or intravascular forms are the treatment of choice for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), but the outcome varies. The outcomes of SSNHL have been investigated for related factors, including age, initial hearing loss severity and pattern, vertigo, genetic variations, and the time between onset and treatment. The objective of the present study was to analyze the association of genetic polymorphisms of NR3C1 with the outcomes of SSNHL...

BACKGROUND: Genomic testing has enhanced pre-surgical decision making for cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules, but there remains uncertainty regarding RAS mutations. The addition of extra genetic alterations to previous driver mutation panels has been shown to improve predictive value. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the mutant allele frequency (AF) and likelihood of malignancy in thyroid nodules with RAS mutations. METHODS: A retrospective cohort review was performed evaluating patients with indeterminate cytology (Bethesda categories III, IV and V) and ThyroSeq® v3 testing demonstrating a RAS mutation, who underwent surgery...

BACKGROUND: Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a significant aspect that compromises patient satisfaction after rhinoplasty. BDDQ-AS (Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire-Aesthetic Surgery) is a validated, simple, reliable patient-reported outcome measure. It is a screening tool to detect body dysmorphic disorder in rhinoplasty patients. This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and validate BDDQ-AS to Arabic as a novel tool for screening and detecting BDD in Arabic rhinoplasty individuals...

BACKGROUND: Evaluating gender differences in publication rates after conference presentations is an avenue to assess women's contributions to academic medicine. The objective of this study was to assess gender differences in publication rates, time to publication, and subspeciality of publication of abstracts presented at Canadian otolaryngology conferences over an 11-year period. METHODS: Cross-sectional data was obtained from online conference schedules of annual Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery national meetings between 2009 and 2020...

BACKGROUND: Knowledge dissemination is paramount so physicians may practice the most up-to-date, evidence-based medicine to best serve their patients. Medical conferences are a commonly employed method of facilitating this. By determining the publication rate of research presented at a conference, the quality of the conference is indirectly assessed. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the publication rate, along with other conference metrics, of abstracts presented at the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (CSOHNS) meetings from 2008 to 2018...

BACKGROUND: Reprocessing of nasopharyngoscopes represents a large financial burden to community physicians. The aim of this study was to perform a cost analysis of nasopharyngoscope reprocessing methods at the community level. METHODS: Electronic surveys were distributed by email to community otolaryngologists. Surveys were comprised of 14 questions assessing clinic size, nasopharyngoscope volume, scope reprocessing method and maintenance. Four manual techniques were evaluated: (1) soak with ortho-phthalaldehyde solution (Cidex-OPA; Advanced Sterilization Products, Johnson and Johnson Inc...