Faculty Bibliography

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) suppresses inflammation and autoimmune diseases in preclinical and clinical studies. The underlying molecular, neurological, and anatomical mechanisms have been well characterized using acute electrophysiological stimulation of the vagus. However, there are several unanswered mechanistic questions about the effects of chronic VNS, which require solving numerous technical challenges for a long-term interface with the vagus in mice. Here, we describe a scalable model for long-term VNS in mice developed and validated in 4 research laboratories. We observed significant heart rate responses for at least 4 weeks in 60-90% of animals. Device implantation did not impair vagus-mediated reflexes. VNS using this implant significantly suppressed TNF levels in endotoxemia. Histological examination of implanted nerves revealed fibrotic encapsulation without axonal pathology. This model may be useful to study the physiology of the vagus and provides a tool to systematically investigate long-term VNS as therapy for chronic diseases modeled in mice.

OBJECTIVE:To compare surgical characteristics and complications between well drilling (WD) and subperiosteal pocket techniques (SPT) for receiver/stimulator (R/S) fixation of cochlear implant (CI), and conduct cost-effectiveness analysis. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS:Retrospective clinical study, decision-analysis model. SETTING/METHODS:Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS/METHODS:Three-hundred and eighty-eight CI recipients with a minimum of 6-months follow-up. INTERVENTIONS/METHODS:CI surgery using either WD or SPT for R/S fixation. A decision-analysis model was designed using data from a systematic literature review. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES/METHODS:Surgical operation time, rates of major and minor long-term complications were compared. Incremental cost-effectiveness was also estimated, comparing the two methods of fixation. RESULTS:We compared 179 WD with 209 SPT. Surgery time was significantly shorter in SPT (148 versus 169 min, p = 0.001) and remained significant after adjustment for possible confounders. Higher rates of major complications requiring surgical intervention were found with SPT (10.5% versus 4.5%, p = 0.042), however, the difference was not significant after adjusting for follow-up time (47.8 versus 32.5 months for SPT, WD respectively; p < 0.001). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for WD (compared with SPT) was $48,795 per major complication avoided, which was higher than the willingness-to-pay threshold of $47,700 (average cost of 2 h revision surgery). CONCLUSIONS:SPT was found to be faster but potentially risks more complications, particularly relating to device failure. Further long-term studies are required to validate these differences. Based on data from the current literature, neither of the methods is compellingly cost-effective over the other, and surgeons can base their choice on personal preference, comfort, and previous training.

OBJECTIVE:To describe our institutional experience with cochlear implantation (CI) for rehabilitation of hearing loss in Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) patients. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS:Retrospective review between 1989 and 2019. SETTING/METHODS:Tertiary-care center. PATIENTS/METHODS:Twenty-four patients (67% female, mean age 45.6years) with NF2. Management of their ipsilateral vestibular schwannoma included microsurgery (n=12), stereotactic radiation (n=5), and observation (n=7). INTERVENTIONS/METHODS:Cochlear implantation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES/METHODS:Ability to obtain open-set speech, daily device usage and long-term device benefit. RESULTS:All patients achieved some degree of sound awareness with CI. Nineteen patients (79%) achieved open-set speech understanding with a mean word-recognition score of 43% (range 0-88%). Patients with tumors 1.5 cm or less demonstrated the better speech understanding, without significant differences among treatment modalities. For tumors greater than 1.5 cm, patients who underwent microsurgery had a lower rate of open-set speech understanding compared to those treated with radiation or observation. Regular daily device use in 83% of patients was found. Long-term use (>10years) was observed in several patients, though some ultimately required reimplantation with an auditory brainstem implant due to progressive tumor growth. Mean follow-up duration was 4.1 years (range 0.4-15). CONCLUSIONS:Cochlear implantation can be an effective treatment for hearing loss in NF2 patients provided the cochlear nerve is intact, regardless of prior management for the ipsilateral tumor. The degree of benefit varies and is influenced by tumor size. Management strategies that preserve the cochlear nerve maximize the interval during which a CI could be of benefit to NF2 patients.

OBJECTIVE:To describe outcomes with cochlear implantation (CI) for rehabilitation of hearing loss in patients with sporadic vestibular schwannomas (VS) and other retrocochlear pathologies. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS:Retrospective review. SETTING/METHODS:Tertiary-care center. PATIENTS/METHODS:Twenty three cases in 19 patients (53% men, mean age 55.8 yr) with non-neurofibromatosis type 2 related retrocochlear pathology. INTERVENTIONS/METHODS:Unilateral or bilateral CI. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES/METHODS:Word recognition score, device usage. RESULTS:Etiology of deafness included sporadic VS (n = 9, 39%), radiation after head and neck or central nervous system (CNS) malignancy (n = 8, 35%), superficial siderosis (n = 3, 13%), neurosarcoidosis (n = 2, 9%), and pontine stroke (n = 1, 4%). Mean follow-up duration was 2.3 years (standard deviation [SD] 3.0; range, 0.2-9.4). Auditory perception was achieved in 20 out of 22 patients (91%) who have been activated. Mean WRS in patients with sporadic VS was 18% (SD 20; range, 0-44). Mean WRS in patients with non-VS retrocochlear pathology was 55% (SD 30; range, 0-94). Data logs showed 7.0 h/d of average use (SD 4.3; range, 0-13). CONCLUSIONS:Appropriately selected patients with retrocochlear pathology may benefit from CI so long as the patient has a cochlear fluid signal and an intact cochlear nerve. Patients with sporadic VS patients and normal contralateral hearing exhibited guarded outcomes with CI, whereas most patients with non-VS retrocochlear pathologies demonstrated open-set speech understanding scores comparable to or slightly worse than conventional CI candidates. Since variable performance benefit is observed with CI in patients with retrocochlear pathology, counseling is imperative to align patient expectations with realistic outcomes.

BACKGROUND:Failed airway management is the second leading cause of preventable death on the battlefield. The prehospital trauma registry (PHTR) after action-review (AAR) allows for unique perspectives and an enhanced analysis of interventions performed. We analyzed AAR comments related to airway interventions performed in deployed settings to examine and identify trends in challenges related to airway management in combat. DESIGN AND METHODS/METHODS:We analyzed all AAR comments included for airway interventions reported in the Joint Trauma System PHTR. We applied unstructured qualitative methods to analyze themes within these reports and generated descriptive statistics to summarize findings related to airway management. RESULTS:Out of 705 total casualty encounters in the PHTR system between January 2013 and September 2014, 117 (16.6%) had a documented airway intervention. From this sample, 17 (14.5%) had accompanying AAR comments for review. Most patients were identified as host nation casualties (94%, n =16), male (88%, n = 15), and prioritized as urgent evacuation (100%, n = 17). Twenty-five airway interventions were described in the AAR comments, the most being endotracheal intubation (52%, n = 13), followed by ventilation management (28%, n = 7), and cricothyroidotomy (12%, n = 3). Comments indicated difficulties with surgical procedures and suboptimal anatomy identification. CONCLUSIONS:AAR comments focused primarily on cricothyroidotomy, endotracheal intubation, and ventilation management, citing needs for improvement in technique and anatomy identification. Future efforts should focus on training methods for these interventions and increased emphasis on AAR completion.

With a greater understanding of the aging process and relevant anatomy, the facial plastic surgeon has an expansive armamentarium of options for midface rejuvenation. Upon reflection, our practice has evolved over the years and only recently found a select number of interventions that have consistently produced excellent results. In this article, we discuss the steps needed to establish an effective patient relationship, present an algorithm on how to approach midface rejuvenation, describe our surgical technique, and review the attributes and liabilities of each procedure.

Anxiety and eating disorders (EDs) often co-occur, prompting calls to explore anxiety-related maintenance processes in ED samples. Safety behaviors, which function to prevent a feared outcome from occurring or to reduce anxiety associated with a feared stimulus, are observed across anxiety disorders and, along with overt avoidance behaviors, are an important target in treatment. Data suggest that individuals with EDs also engage in safety behaviors. However, no existing assessments provide a comprehensive measure of eating-disorder-specific overt avoidance and safety behaviors. The goal of this Stage 1 Registered Report is to develop a comprehensive self-report measure of ED-specific safety behaviors. In Study 1, we will recruit 50 women with EDs to complete the scale and provide feedback on the response scale. Feedback from these participants will be used to refine the measure. In Study 2, we will evaluate the psychometric properties of the measure in a large sample of women with EDs (n dependent on the size of measurement) and a community sample without current or a history of ED symptoms. We will explore the measure factor structure, known-groups validity by comparing scores from women with EDs to healthy controls, internal consistency, and convergent and divergent validity with other psychological instruments.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVE:To determine the incidence of abnormal fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) findings in patients with progressive neurologic disorders and identify the most commonly implemented dysphagia management strategies. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS:Retrospective Review. METHODS:A retrospective review was performed of patients with neurodegenerative disease who underwent FEES at a tertiary-care center between 2008 and 2019. Patient demographics, diagnosis, and Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10) scores were recorded. Rates of penetration, aspiration, and functional change in management (FCIM) to include dietary modifications, home exercises, swallow therapy, surgical intervention (injection augmentation or esophageal dilation), or alternative means of nutrition (i.e., percutaneous enteral gastrostomy [PEG] tube) were calculated. RESULTS:Two hundred nine FEES assessments were performed in 178 patients with a mean age of 64.8 years (standard deviation = ±14). The most common diagnoses were amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (32%) followed by Parkinson's disease or Parkinsonism (26%). FEES demonstrated penetration in 72.5% of patients and aspiration in 14.6%. Mean EAT-10 scores differed between patients with aspiration versus penetration versus normal FEES (24.7 vs. 14.9 vs. 13.9, respectively, P < .001). An FCIM was recommended in 88% of patients and most commonly included self-directed modifications (43%). Overall, 4.5% of patients underwent surgical intervention. A PEG tube was recommended for either supplemental or sole form of nutrition in 19% of the entire cohort. CONCLUSIONS:Most patients with neurodegenerative diseases presenting with dysphagia demonstrated abnormal FEES findings necessitating an FCIM, suggesting early dysphagia evaluation may be warranted in this cohort. These findings correlate with worsened EAT-10 scores in patients with aspiration or penetration on FEES. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE/METHODS:4 Laryngoscope, 2020.

This is a patient with multiple meningoencephaloceles which resulted in bacterial meningitis and subsequent status epilepticus. We identify impressive imaging findings demonstrating herniation of the meninges from nasal and bitemporal skull base defects possibly as a result of intracranial hypertension.

OBJECTIVE:Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has previously been linked to increased risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality in other surgical undertakings. Because MetS is a consequence of endocrine dysfunction, and given the thyroid's crucial role in endocrine homeostasis, we sought to evaluate the association between MetS and postoperative outcomes of thyroidectomy. METHODS:Data were acquired from the ACS-NSQIP database from years 2005 to 2017. Patients with obesity, diabetes, and hypertension were defined as having MetS. Odds ratios (OR) were obtained for outcomes to quantify risk with multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS:Outcomes significantly affected by MetS included overall complication (OR: 2.00), extended postoperative stay (OR: 1.52), medical complication (OR: 1.48), surgical complication (OR: 1.62), and mortality (OR: 2.33). CONCLUSIONS:Patients with MetS undergoing thyroidectomy are at increased risk of an increased length of stay, overall complications, and mortality.