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Acute otitis media (AOM) constitutes a multifactorial disease, as several host and environmental factors contribute to its occurrence. Prevention of AOM represents one of the most important goals in pediatrics, both in developing countries, in which complications, mortality, and deafness remain possible consequences of the disease, compared to in developed countries, in which this condition has an important burden in terms of medical, social, and economical implications. The strategies for AOM prevention are based on reducing the burden of risk factors, through the application of behavioral, environmental, and therapeutic interventions. The introduction of culture-independent techniques has allowed high-throughput investigation of entire bacterial communities, providing novel insights into the pathogenesis of middle ear diseases through the identification of potential protective bacteria. The upper respiratory tract (URT) is a pivotal region in AOM pathogenesis, as it could act as a source of pathogens than of protective microorganisms for the middle ear (ME). Due to its direct connection with the external ambient, the URT is particularly exposed to the influence of environmental agents. The aim of this review was to evaluate AOM environmental risk factors and their impact on URT microbial communities, and to investigate AOM pathogenesis from the microbiota perspective.

Purpose This PRISMA-compliant systematic review aimed to assess risks and benefits of sirolimus treatment for paediatric lymphatic malformations by focusing not only on treatment efficacy but also on possible treatment-related adverse events, and treatment combinations with other techniques. Methods Search criteria were applied to MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases and included all studies published up to March 2022 reporting paediatric lymphatic malformations treated with sirolimus. We selected all original studies that included treatment outcomes. After the removal of duplicates, selection of abstracts and full-text articles, and quality assessment, we reviewed eligible articles for patient demographics, lymphatic malformation type, size or stage, site, clinical response rates, sirolimus administration route and dose, related adverse events, follow-up time, and concurrent treatments. Results Among 153 unique citations, 19 studies were considered eligible, with reported treatment data for 97 paediatric patients. Most studies (n = 9) were case reports. Clinical response was described for 89 patients, in whom 94 mild-to-moderate adverse events were reported. The most frequently administered treatment regimen was oral sirolimus 0.8 mg/m2 twice a day, with the aim of achieving a blood concentration of 10–15 ng/mL. Conclusion Despite promising results for sirolimus treatment in lymphatic malformation, the efficacy and safety profile of remains unclear due to the lack of high-quality studies. Systematic reporting of known side effects, especially in younger children, should assist clinicians in minimising treatment-associated risks. At the same time, we advocate for prospective multicentre studies with minimum reporting standards to facilitate improved candidate selection.

Testing for coronavirus disease 2019 is critical in controlling the pandemic all over the world. Diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection is based on real-time polymerase chain reaction performed on nasopharyngeal swab. If not adequately performed, the viral specimen collection can be painful and lead to complications. We present a complication occurred during a nasopharyngeal swab collection performed in a noncooperative patient where the plastic shaft of the swab fractured during the procedure, resulting in swab tip retention deep into the nasal cavity. The foreign body was found endoscopically, stuck between the nasal septum and the superior turbinate tail at the upper level of the left choana and removed under general anesthesia in a negative pressure operating room with the health care personnel wearing personal protective equipment. Unpleasant complications like the one described can happen when the swab is collected without the necessary knowledge of nasal anatomy or conducted inappropriately, especially in noncooperative patients. Moreover, the design of currently used viral swabs may expose to accidental rupture, with risk of foreign body retention in the nasal cavities. In such cases, diagnosis and treatment are endoscopy-guided procedures performed in an adequate setting to minimize the risk of spreading of the pandemic.

Background Recurrent acute otitis media (RAOM) is common in children, and it may result in spontaneous tympanic membrane perforation (STMP), management of which is often challenging. In the upper respiratory tract (URT), resident microorganisms play a pivotal role in otitis media pathogenesis and prevention, as they are able to inhibit the colonization process and otopathogens growth. In particular, Dolosigranulum spp. and Corynebacterium spp. have been associated with respiratory health in several studies. This study aims at comparing both nasopharyngeal microbiota of children with RAOM versus matched controls and nasopharyngeal microbiota of children with a history of RAOM with STMP. Method Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from 132 children, median age 3.51 (2.13-4.72), including 36 healthy children, 50 with RAOM without STMP, and 46 with RAOM with STMP. Bacterial DNA was subsequently extracted and 16S rRNA gene V3-V4 regions were polymerase chain reaction amplified and sequenced using Illumina MiSeq technology. Results A higher relative abundance of Dolosigranulum and Corynebacterium genera was detected in the nasopharynx of healthy children (16.5% and 9.3%, respectively) in comparison with RAOM without STMP (8.9% and 4.3%, respectively) and RAOM with STMP (5.2% and 2.8%, respectively). A decreasing pattern in relative abundance of these 2 pivotal genera through disease severity was detected. In all groups, the most abundant genera were Moraxella, Streptococcus and Haemophilus, followed by Dolosigranulum and Corynebacterium. Conclusions Our study provides a characterization of the URT microbiota in otitis-prone children with and without history of recurrent STMP, suggesting that the role of Dolosigranulum and Corynebacterium in regulating the healthy URT microbiota should be further studied.

BackgroundOral floor ranulas are pseudocysts located in the floor of the mouth that result from the extravasation of mucus from a sublingual gland. Historically, there has been little consensus on the ideal first-line treatment. Currently, definitive treatment involves sublingual gland excision, which can injure the lingual nerve and submandibular duct. Minimally invasive surgical techniques have been proposed, but so far have been associated with a high rate of recurrence.MethodsThe so-called piercing–stretching suture technique was performed in 14 naïve adult and paediatric patients (6 females, with a mean age of 20.3 years (range, 7–55 years)). Clinical and ultrasonographic evaluations were performed in all patients; post-operative sialendoscopy was conducted in two paediatric patients.ResultsThe surgical procedure was successful in all patients, and complete recovery of the ranula was seen in all but one of the patients who underwent suture replacement. No major or minor complications were encountered.ConclusionThis minimally invasive procedure may be considered a reliable and first-line treatment for management of simple oral floor ranulas.

Background Large fetal head and neck (HN) masses can be life-threatening at birth and postnatally owing to airway obstruction. The two most frequent congenital masses that may obstruct the airway are lymphatic malformation (LM) and teratoma. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the results of our experience in the management of giant congenital HN masses and to conduct a literature review. Methods The study involved a consecutive series of 13 newborns (7 females) affected by giant HN masses. Prenatal diagnosis was achieved by means of ultrasound (US) and fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Delivery was performed by means of EXIT procedure in case of radiological evidence of airway obstruction. In the postnatal period all feasible therapeutic options (surgery, sclerotherapy, medical therapy) were discussed and adopted by a multidisciplinary team. Twelve patients underwent surgery and one received Rapamycin for one month, with consequent surgical resection owing to increasing size of the mass. Results The histopathological diagnosis was LM in 11 cases and teratoma in 2 cases. Airway obstruction was solved in 11 cases; 2 LM patients required a tracheotomy because of persistent airway obstruction. Major complications were flap necrosis (one patient) and facial nerve palsy (2 cases). Recurrence occurred in 5 patients. Conclusions The management of congenital HN masses is always challenging and necessarily requires an interdisciplinary approach. Current therapeutic options include surgery, sclerotherapy, medical therapy or a combination of them. When they are large enough to obstruct the airway, a patient-centered approach should guide timing and modality of treatment. Level of evidence IV

Congenital dacryocystocele is a rare clinical condition, more commonly unilateral, secondary to the defective canalization of the nasolacrimal duct. In case of failure of conservative treatment, surgical marsupialization is recommended. We describe the case of a 40-days’old male newborn treated by means of microdebrider marsupialization.

Although bronchiectasis pathophysiology has been historically understood around the presence of airway neutrophilic inflammation, recent experiences are consistent with the identification of a type 2 inflammation (T2) high endotype in bronchiectasis. In order to evaluate prevalence and clinical characteristics of bronchiectasis patients with a T2-high endotype and explore their response to biologicals, two studies were carried out. In a cross-sectional study, bronchiectasis adults without asthma underwent clinical, radiological, and microbiological assessment, along with blood eosinophils and oral fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) evaluation, during stable state. Prevalence and characteristics of patients with a T2- high endotype (defined by the presence of either eosinophils blood count ≥300 cells·µL−1 or oral FeNO ≥ 25 dpp) were reported. A case series of severe asthmatic patients with concomitant bronchiectasis treated with either mepolizumab or benralizumab was evaluated, and patients’ clinical data pre- and post-treatment were analyzed up to 2 years of follow up. Among bronchiectasis patients without asthma enrolled in the cross-sectional study, a T2-high endotype was present in 31% of them. These patients exhibited a more severe disease, high dyspnea severity, low respiratory function, and high impact on quality of life. Among the five patients with severe eosinophilic asthma and concomitant bronchiectasis included in the series, treatment with either mepolizumab or benralizumab significantly reduced the exacerbation rate with an effect that persists for up to 2 years of follow up. If validated across different settings, our data suggest the need to design randomized controlled trials on biological treatments targeting the T2-high endotype in bronchiectasis patients.

Surgical procedures requiring close contact with saliva, such as salivary gland surgery, may determine the risk of spreading the SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. The use of PPE and isolation settings are mandatory to protect health workers.

Sialendoscopy is a minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic tool for juvenile recurrent parotitis (JRP), the procedure is under general anesthesia, but local anesthesia has been used for sialendoscopy in children &gt, 8 years. Based on the experience in children with sedation for gastrointestinal endoscopy, we investigated the reliability and safety of deep sedation for sialendoscopy in JRP. Six children (3 females, 6&ndash, 13 years) with episodes of parotid swelling underwent interventional (duct dilation and steroid irrigation) sialendoscopy with intravenous bolus of 1 mg/kg propofol and 1 mcg/kg fentanyl, and continuous infusion of 2 mg/kg/h propofol. Sialendoscopy under deep sedation was successfully performed in all the patients, the procedure was well tolerated, without any adverse effects. One event of full awakening was registered and promptly solved without needing to interrupt the procedure. Effectiveness of sialendoscopy under deep sedation was subjectively attested by high positive scores obtained at post-operative standardized questionnaires administered to the patients and their parents, and objectively by the lack of clinical recurrences during the follow-up. The combination of propofol and fentanyl seems to be a reliable and safe means of sedating children with JRP undergoing sialendoscopy.

Sequentially stacked impingement channels allow for a more effective use of the cooling fluid and can limit the heat transfer reduction due to the crossflow when the number of jets increases. In this paper, sequential impingement channels are experimentally investigated using the transient liquid crystal technique. Twelve configurations are tested: the baseline consists in a double rectangular channel with 5 jets per channel; other configurations feature different number of jets, variations of the jet-to-jet spacing and of the transition zone length, reduction of the cross-section in the transition zone and addition of a bypass between the channels. Results show that heat transfer coefficients (HTC) in the 2nd channel are similar to the 1st, and that the cross-section reduction in the transition zone allows for an increase of the HTC in this critical zone with only a moderate increase of pressure losses.

Clinical manifestations of COVID-19 in children are milder, but the real burden of disease is unknown. After the lockdown, in our Region Lombardia we have been requested to progressively resume medical services including outpatient assessment and priority surgery. Therefore, we screened surgical waiting lists with identification of 47 children candidates to priority surgery (among 358). No homogeneous national health surveillance/screening programs are ongoing or have been conceived to test susceptible population among children/healthcare workers in preparation of coming down to routinely daily activities, and diagnostic strategies are not completely accurate in children. So, restoring medical services now might be untimely.

Experimental heat transfer measurements are used in a wide range of fields, for example to validate new cooling concepts in turbomachinery, to assess the performances of heat exchangers, and to provide data for numerical simulations. A particular challenge is posed by complex geometries, where the heat transfer coefficients cannot be determined with the usual transient heater mesh method. One way to address these complex systems is the transient heater foil method, which generates a constant heat flux in the metal foil, which is attached at the surface to be measured. However, the accuracy of the measurement remains an open issue compared to the heater mesh method. Here we show a modification of the heater foil method, which uses a linearly increasing heat flux in the foil to improve the measurement accuracy, especially in low heat transfer regions. The new method is presented using a single impingement cooling setup; results demonstrate good agreement with the baseline method (heater foil with step heating) and the literature, while the accuracy is improved.

Heat transfer measurements are required in a wide range of fields, for example to validate new cooling concepts in turbomachinery, to assess the performances of heat exchangers, and to provide data for numerical simulations. Thereby transient methods are often applied for local heat transfer resolution. A particular challenge is posed by complex flows, where the determination of the heat transfer coefficients with the commonly applied transient heater mesh method can prove difficult, for instance in cases in which the flow can take different paths leading to mixing flows at different temperatures, and a difficult determination of the reference temperature. One way to address these complex systems is the transient heater foil method, in which the experiment is driven by a constant heat flux generated at the surface under study, instead of a temperature variation in the flow. However, the accuracy of the measurement remains an open issue compared to the heater mesh method. Here we show a modification of the heater foil method, which uses a linearly increasing surface heat flux to improve the measurement accuracy, especially in the low heat transfer regions. The new method is validated by measuring the heat transfer of a single circular jet perpendicularly impinging on a flat plate, and by comparing the results to a correlation available in the literature. Results show good agreement with the literature, while providing considerable accuracy improvement with respect to the heater foil method with constant heat flux. The heater foil method presented here, reaches similar uncertainty values as the state of the art versions of the heater mesh method in low heat transfer regions, while providing better accuracy in the high heat transfer regions. Additionally, it allows for an easier implementation for certain problems, provided that optical access is guaranteed and the surface curvature allows for the addition of the heater foil.

Objective Evaluating the long-term outcomes of vocal fold structural fat grafting. Study Design Case series with chart review. Setting University hospital. Subjects and Methods Seventy-nine dysphonic patients (16-82 years; 55 with unilateral laryngeal paralysis and 24 with vocal fold scarring) underwent vocal fold fat injection. Fat was harvested by low-pressure liposuction and then processed by centrifugation. Refined fat aliquots were placed in the vocal fold and paraglottic space in multiple tunnels to enhance graft neovascularization. All patients were followed for 12 months, 15 for 3 years, and 5 for 10 years with videolaryngostroboscopy, maximal phonation time (MPT) measurement, Voice Handicap Index (VHI) questionnaire, and GRBAS (grade, roughness, breathiness, asthenia, strain) perceptual evaluation. Laryngeal computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies were performed in 16 patients 3 to 28 months postoperatively; MRI was repeated in 5 cases 12 to 18 months after the first radiological study. Results The voice quality of all patients improved after surgery, and long-term stability was confirmed by MPT, GRBAS, and VHI ( P ranging between .004 and

The 2017 ERS guidelines suggest a minimum bundle of tests to identify immunodeficiencies (ID) in bronchiectasis (BE), including serum IgG, IgA, IgM, blood count and electrophoresis. To test the hypothesis that an extensive bundle of tests might help in detecting more potentially treatable ID, an observational, prospective study enrolling consecutive non-cystic fibrosis BE adults was conducted at the Bronchiectasis and PCD Program of the Policlinico Hospital in Milan, Italy, from 2016 to 2018. In addition to the minimum bundle, patients underwent serum IgG subclasses, IgE, lymphocytes subsets, HIV test, ANA, ENA, ANCA and anti-CCP screening of tests. Primary ID diagnosis was based on ESID or IDF criteria. Among 450 recruited patients (75% female; median age: 63 years), 149 (33%) had at least one abnormal result at the broad immunological screening and 82 (18.2%) had at least one ID diagnosis (see table). Assessment of IgG subclasses can be helpful to detect potential treatable trait of BE patients.

To explore the feasibility of 3D printed salivary duct models for the sialendoscopic skills training. Healthy volunteers and patients affected by obstructive salivary gland disorders were submitted to 3 Tesla MR sialography. The MR data underwent an image segmentation process to produce the 3D printed salivary duct prototypes. Sialendoscopies were carried out by three groups of investigators with different levels of endoscopic experience. Realism, usefulness of the training process and potential advantages of the 3D printed models in the preoperative surgical planning were evaluated by means of a specific survey. Four cases were included in our study: one healthy parotid, one submandibular gland, one case of lithiasis and one of stenosis involving the parotid gland. In all cases, the three groups of investigators successfully explored the salivary ducts up to the tertiary branches, detected the cause of obstruction and correctly treated it. Seven untoward events occurred during the operative sialendoscopies. Overall, the questionnaire score was about 79.3%, reflecting a positive impression regarding the models on behalf of all the investigators. 3D printed salivary duct models resulted feasible for the sialendoscopic skills training. The opportunity to reproduce the patient-specific anatomy may add further information useful in the preoperative decision making. These positive results should be verified by further researches and experiences.

Rhinosinusitis (RS) is a common disease in children, significantly affecting their quality of life. Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is frequently linked to other respiratory diseases, including asthma. Children affected by CRS may be candidates for surgery in the case of failure of maximal medical therapy comprising three to six weeks of broad-spectrum systemic antibiotics with adjunctive therapies. Although endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is the surgical treatment of choice in adult patients with CRS, different surgical procedures are scheduled for refractory paediatric CRS and include adenoidectomy, paediatric ESS (PESS), and balloon catheter sinuplasty (BCS). The present paper discusses the indications and limitations of each treatment option in children with CRS. Given the amount of current evidence, it is reasonable to suggest that, in young and otherwise healthy children with refractory CRS, an adenoidectomy (eventually combined with BCS) should be offered as the first-line surgical treatment. Nevertheless, this approach may be considered ineffective in some patients who should be candidates for traditional ESS. In older children, those with asthma, or in the case of peculiar conditions, traditional ESS should be considered as the primary treatment.

To present a patient with an atypical recurrent parotid swelling due to masseter muscle hypertrophy and the diagnostic/therapeutic assessment to treat this condition.A patient referring recurrent right facial swelling underwent a complete multidisciplinary assessment of the parotid region that revealed masseter muscle hypertrophy, confirmed by means of clinical (otolaryngological and gnathological evaluation), radiological (utrasonography, dynamic magnetic resonance imaging, and cone beam computed tomography), instrumental (electromyography to evaluate the right masseter muscle function and kinesiography to evaluate maximum right deflection - MaxRDefl and maximum opening - MaxMO) and sialendoscopy assessment where T0 indicates the pre-treatment values. All electromyographic and kinesiographic parameters were evaluated six months after the orthodontic application of a neuromuscular orthosis at T1. At T1, the effectiveness of the orthodontic therapy was demonstrated by the complete resolution of symptoms, and instrumental results documented more efficient muscle activity at rest and during clenching and a better mandibular position. At EMG T1, the resting and post-TENS values were, respectively, 1.2 and 1.8 microV. At kinesiography, MaxRDefl increased from 10.2 (T0) to 10.5 mm (T1); maxMO increased from 41.2 (T0) to 48 mm (T1).The proposed multidisciplinary assessment based on otolaryngological, gnathological, and radiological evaluation may be useful in the case of recurrent parotid swelling secondary to masseter muscle hypertrophy to plan an appropriate management with a removable neuromuscular orthosis.

Forecasts predict a strong market for supersonic travel in the business sector. It is especially appealing for high-net-worth individuals because of both, the reduction of travel time and prestige. The ecological and economic challenges that are related to supersonic flight need adequate answers in terms of technology and tools to evaluate aircraft for the described task. This paper gives a short overview on research that has been conducted in the past, followed by the presentation of the work done by the authors. The integration of methods for the evaluation of supersonic business jets in the context of aircraft conceptual design is outlined. The determination of aerodynamic coefficients and loads is done by solving the inviscid Euler equations. Furthermore the propulsion module is extended and a mission analysis tool, which is used for fuel mass estimation is briefly explained. The methods for structural analysis are detailed. At the end the verification based on a reference configuration is described.

Hairy polyps are rare developmental lesions, which present as masses mainly consisting of fatty tissue covered by skin, seldom localized in the nasopharynx, causing respiratory obstruction. We describe the case of a female newborn affected by a hairy polyp arising from the left Eustachian tube, who presented severe respiratory distress soon after birth. The polyp was successfully removed transorally under videoendoscopic guidance. This case highlights the importance of including hairy polyp in the differential diagnosis of respiratory distress at birth because this type of tumor can be lethal and requires prompt treatment. A transoral endoscopy-guided approach can allow successful and minimally invasive excision even in a newborn.

The management of unilateral nasal lesions can sometimes be a challenge and an ordinary bioptic assessment should be avoided in order to prevent complications due to their possible vascular or meningoencephalic origin. Narrow-band imaging (NBI) endoscopy could improve the diagnosis of vascular nasal formations by enhancing the visualisation of the mucosal microvascular supply. We describe the case of a 68-year-old male patient who was brought to our attention because of a left nasopharyngeal mass that had elsewhere been unsuccessfully biopsied (with conspicuous bleeding) and assessed by means of traditional endoscopic and radiological techniques. NBI endoscopy revealed increased vasculature covering most of the mucosal surface without any features suggestive for malignancy. Subsequent angiography showed that the feeding vessel was the left sphenopalatine artery, which was embolised using 150-250 μm Contour embospheres. The mass was then completely removed surgically using an NBI-assisted endoscopic technique, and a histopathological examination revealed it was a hemangiopericytoma-like (HPCL) tumor. This case suggests the usefulness of NBI endoscopy in diagnosing unilateral vascularised nasal lesions and guiding the therapeutic approach before and during major surgery.

Recent technological improvements in head and neck field have changed diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for salivary disorders. Diagnosis is now based on colour Doppler ultrasonography (US), magnetic resonance (MR) sialography and cone beam 3D computed tomography (CT), and extra- and intracorporeal lithotripsy, interventional sialendscopy and sialendoscopy-assisted surgery are used as minimally invasive, conservative procedures for functional preservation of the affected gland. We evaluated the results of our long-term experience in the management of paediatric obstructive salivary disorders. The study involved a consecutive series of 66 children (38 females) whose obstructive salivary symptoms caused by juvenile recurrent parotitis (JRP) (n = 32), stones (n = 20), ranula (n = 9) and ductal stenosis (n = 5). 45 patients underwent interventional sialendoscopy for JRP, stones and stenoses, 12 a cycle of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL), three sialendoscopy-assisted transoral surgery, one drainage, six marsupialisation, and two suturing of a ranula. Three children underwent combined ESWL and interventional sialendoscopy, and seven a secondary procedure. An overall successful result was obtained in 90.9% of cases. None of the patients underwent traditional invasive sialadenectomy notwithstanding persistence of mild obstructive symptoms in six patients. No major complications were observed. Using a diagnostic work-up based on colour Doppler US, MR sialography and cone beam 3D TC, children with obstructive salivary disorders can be effectively treated in a modern minimally-invasive manner by extracorporeal and intracorporeal lithotripsy, interventional sialendoscopy and sialendoscopy-assisted transoral surgery; this approach guarantees a successful result in most patients, thus avoiding the need for invasive sialadenectomy while functionally preserving the gland.I disordini ostruttivi salivari sono infrequenti nell’età pediatrica. I recenti progressi tecnologici nel distretto della testa e del collo hanno modificato la strategia diagnostica e terapeutica dei disordini salivari. La diagnosi è oggi basata sull’eco color Doppler, sulla scialo-RMN, sulla cone beam 3D TC, mentre la litotrissia extracorporea ed intracorporea, la scialoendoscopia interventistica, la chirurgia scialoendoscopico- assistita, sono attualmente utilizzati come procedure conservative e mininvasive per la preservazione funzionale della ghiandola affetta. Abbiamo analizzato i risultati dell’esperienza clinica a lungo termine nel trattamento dei disordini ostruttivi dell’età pediatrica. Un gruppo consecutivo di 66 pazienti pediatrici (38 femmine) con sintomi salivari ostruttivi causati da parotite ricorrente pediatrica (32 pazienti), calcoli (20), stenosi duttali (5), e ranule (9) è stato incluso nello studio. 45 pazienti sono stati sottoposti a scialoendoscopia interventistica per parotite ricorrente, calcoli e stenosi, 12 pazienti sono stati sottoposti ad un ciclo di litotrissia extracorporea (ESWL), tre pazienti a chirurgia transorale scialoendoscopico-assistita, un paziente a drenaggio, sei a marsupializzazione e due a sutura della ranula. Nel 90,9% è stato raggiunto un risultato favorevole. L’approccio combinato di litotrissia salivare extracorporea e di scialoendoscopia interventistica è stato utilizzato in tre pazienti ed una procedura secondaria è stata eseguita in sette pazienti. Nessun paziente è stato sottoposto a scialoadenectomia nonostante la persistenza di modesti sintomi ostruttivi in sei pazienti. Non è stata osservata alcuna complicanza maggiore. Adottando un adeguato iter diagnostico mediante eco color Doppler delle ghiandole salivari, scialo-RMN e cone beam 3D TC, i pazienti pediatrici con disordini ostruttivi salivari possono essere efficacemente trattati con un approccio moderno mini-invasivo mediante tecniche di litotrissia extracorporea ed intracorporea, scialoendoscopia interventistica, e chirurgia transorale scialoendoscopico-assistita; questo approccio garantisce un risultato favorevole nella maggior parte dei pazienti evitando così il ricorso alla scialoadenectomia invasiva e mantenendo così la preservazione funzionale della ghiandola coinvolta.

It has been suggested that a conservative trans-oral approach to proximal and hilo-parenchymal submandibular stones (HPSMS) is a valid alternative to the more frequently used sialadenectomy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical, ultrasonographic and patients' subjective outcomes of results of the trans-oral removal of HPSMS. Between January 2003 and September 2015, sialendoscope-assisted trans-oral surgery was used to remove symptomatic, large (7 mm), fixed and palpable HPSMS from 479 patients under general anaesthesia. All patients were followed clinically and ultrasonographically to investigate symptom relief and recurrence of stones, and were telephonically interviewed to assess saliva-related subjective outcomes with a questionnaire. Stones were successfully removed from 472 patients (98.5%); the seven failures (1.5%) concerned pure parenchymal stones. One year after the procedure, 408 patients (85.1%) were symptom free, 59 (12.3%) had recurrent obstructive symptoms and 12 (2.6%) had recurrent infections. Of the 54 patients who developed a recurrent stone (11.2%), 52 underwent a second procedure: 29 interventional sialendoscopies, two sialendoscope-assisted intra-corporeal pneumatic lithotripsy, eight secondary transoral surgery to remove residual stones, six a cycle of extra-corporeal lithotripsy and seven submandibular sialadenectomy. Most patients (75.2%) reported mild surgery-related pain. The symptoms of 454 patients (94.8%) improved after adjunctive treatment and, at the end of follow-up, the affected gland was preserved in 98.5% of patients. A sialendoscope-assisted trans-oral removal of large HPSMS is a safe, effective, conservative surgical procedure, and functional preservation of the main duct and parenchyma of the obstructed gland allows sialendoscopic access through the natural ostium in case of recurrence. Combining a trans-oral approach with other minimally invasive, conservative procedures ensures symptomatic relief and salivary duct system clearance in the majority of patients.Come si evince dall’analisi della letteratura, l’approccio transorale ai calcoli prossimali e ilo-parenchimali della ghiandola sottomandibolare rappresenta una valida alternativa alla scialoadenectomia tradizionale. Lo scopo di questo studio è quello di valutare i risultati chirurgici, ecografici e soggettivi di questa tecnica conservativa. Tra Gennaio 2003 e Settembre 2015 sono stati trattati con l’approccio transorale scialoendoscopico-assistito 479 pazienti affetti da calcoli ilo-parenchimali sottomandibolari palpabili, non mobili, di dimensioni superiori ai 7 mm. Tutti i pazienti sono stati sottoposti ad un follow-up clinico, ecografico e ad una valutazione soggettiva dell’outcome chirurgico per mezzo di un apposito questionario somministrato attraverso un’intervista telefonica. Il successo chirurgico definito come completa asportazione del calcolo ilo-parenchimale è stato ottenuto in 472 pazienti (98.5%); in sette casi (1.5%) si è verificato un insuccesso chirurgico, riguardante esclusivamente calcoli parenchimali puri. Un anno dopo l’intervento chirurgico, 408 pazienti (85.1%) non riferivano più sintomi ostruttivi, 59 pazienti (12.3%) riferivano sintomi ostruttivi ricorrenti e 12 (2.6%) infezioni ricorrenti. Dei 54 pazienti (11.2%) affetti da litiasi sottomandibolare ricorrente, 52 sono stati sottoposti ad una seconda procedura terapeutica, nello specifico in 29 casi a scialoendoscopia, in 2 casi a litotrissia pneumatica intracorporea, in 8 casi a chirurgia transorale, in 6 casi ad un ciclo di litotrissia extracorporea, in 7 casi a scialoadenectomia sottomandibolare. La maggior parte dei pazienti (75.2%) ha riferito un dolore post-chirurgico di grado lieve. Al termine del follow-up, i sintomi riferiti da 454 pazienti (94.8%) erano migliorati dopo il secondo trattamento e la ghiandola sottomandibolare affetta era stata preservata nel 98.5% dei casi. La chirurgia transorale scialoendoscopico-assistita dei calcoli ilo-parenchimali della ghiandola sottomandibolare rappresenta un’opzione terapeutica sicura, efficace e conservativa e la preservazione del dotto e del parenchima ghiandolare permette di esplorare il sistema duttale attraverso l’ostio naturale in caso di ricorrenza della patologia. L’utilizzo combinato dell’approccio transorale e delle altre tecniche mini-invasive permette di trattare con successo la maggior parte dei pazienti affetti da litiasi ilo-parenchimale sottomandibolare.

Previous studies have shown that the etiology of laryngeal paralysis has changed over the last decades, with an increase in the incidence of cases attributable to thyroid surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate longitudinal changes in the etiology of unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) in a single institution over the last 25 years. This retrospective study analyzed the etiology of UVFP between 1990 and 2015 by comparing a cohort of patients treated in 1990–1992 with a cohort treated in 2013–2015. The final analysis was based on data concerning 356 patients (38.8 % males; mean age 55.3 ± 20.4 years): 113 in the 1990–1992 cohort, and 243 in the 2013–2015 cohort. The main cause of UVFP in the population as a whole was thyroidectomy (41.3 %), followed by an idiopathic origin (25.3 %) and thoracic surgery (12.1 %); this was confirmed in both intra-group analyses. There was a statistically significant association between etiology and the sub-group periods: the prevalence of post-thyroidectomy UVFP was highly significantly lower in the 2013–2015 cohort (35.4 vs 54.0 %), and the prevalence of idiopathic cases was higher (28.4 vs 18.6 %). Etiology significantly related to gender in both cohorts (p value ≤0.001). In the 2013–2015 cohort, there was also a statistically significant relationship between etiology and age classes (p value 0.017), and the left side was more frequently affected than the right (67.1 vs 32.9 %). Our findings document changes in the etiological pattern of UVFP over the last 25 years, with a considerable decrease in post-thyroidectomy UVFP, and a growing predominance of idiopathic and post-thoracic surgery UVFP.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) treatment has been successfully performed in patients with recurrent upper airway infections or rhinitis. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of the topical nasal administration of an HA-based compound by investigating its effects in children with recurrent or chronic middle ear inflammations and chronic adenoiditis. A prospective, single-blind, 1:1 randomised controlled study was performed to compare otoscopy, tympanometry and pure-tone audiometry in children which received the daily topical administration of normal 0.9% sodium chloride saline solution (control group) or 9 mg of sodium hyaluronate in 3 mL of a 0.9% sodium saline solution. The final analysis was based on 116 children (49.1% boys; mean age, 62.9 ± 17.9 months): 58 in the control group and 58 in the study group. At the end of follow-up, the prevalence of patients with impaired otoscopy was significantly lower in the study group ( P value = 0.024) compared to baseline but not in the control group. In comparison with baseline, the prevalence of patients with impaired tympanometry at the end of the follow-up period was significantly lower in the study group ( P value = 0.047) but not in the control group. The reduction in the prevalence of patients with conductive hearing loss (CHL) ( P value = 0.008) and those with moderate CHL ( P value = 0.048) was significant in the study group, but not in the control group. The mean auditory threshold had also significantly improved by the end of treatment in the study group ( P value = 0.004) but not in the control group. Our findings confirm the safety of intermittent treatment with a topical nasal sodium hyaluronate solution and are the first to document its beneficial effect on clinical and audiological outcomes in children with recurrent or chronic middle ear inflammations associated with chronic adenoiditis.

Background:A foreign body is a rare cause of parotid gland obstructive sialadenitis; intra-oral penetration via Stensen's duct is unusual. The relatively recent introduction of interventional sialendoscopy to treat obstructive sialadenitis has allowed surgeons to adopt a gland-sparing approach by means of miniaturised endoscopes and instruments. However, unusual anatomy or pathological conditions can give rise to a risk of intraductal rupture that may lead to a subsequent iatrogenic foreign body.Case report:This paper describes the case of a patient with a 4 mm stone engaged by a broken wire basket stuck in a secondary branch of Stensen's duct.Results:The iatrogenic foreign body was successfully retrieved by means of sialendoscopy-assisted transfacial surgery.Conclusion:This is the first reported case of an intraductal rupture of a miniaturised device during interventional sialendoscopy successfully resolved by means of combined endoscopy and external surgery. This proved to be an effective method of rescuing a foreign body stuck in Stensen's duct.

Sebbene le tecniche scialoendoscopiche abbiano assunto un ruolo fondamentale nel trattamento delle patologie ostruttive dei dotti salivari, in letteratura sono riportati pochi studi multicentrici sull’argomento. Questo studio basato sull’esperienza di 9 centri italiani è stato con-dotto su 1152 pazienti (553 donne, età media di 50 anni) per un totale di 1342 procedure scialoendoscopiche, il 44,6% delle quali a carico della ghiandola parotide. Il 12% dei pazienti è stato sottoposto a più interventi. I calcoli salivari sono risultati essere la principale causa di ostruzione (55%), seguiti dalle stenosi e altre malformazioni duttali (16%), dai tappi mucosi (14,5%) e dalla scialodochite (4,7%). La procedura endoscopica è stata portata a termine in 1309 casi mentre in 33 casi è stata interrotta, principalmente a causa della presenza di stenosi duttali complete (21 casi). Dopo una o più procedure il successo terapeutico è stato ottenuto nel 92,5% dei pazienti. Complicanze peri-operatorie e post-operatorie sono state riscontrate nel 5,4% dei casi trattati. La scialoendoscopia rappresenta quindi una procedura efficace e sicua nella diagnosi e nel trattamento delle principali patologie ostruttive dei dotti salivari. Interventional sialendoscopy has become the predominant therapeutic procedure for the management of obstructive salivary disorders, but only a few multicentre studies of large series of patients with a long-term follow-up have been published. This Italian multicentre study involved 1152 patients (553 females; mean age 50 years) who, after at least a clinical and ultrasonographic evaluation, underwent a total of 1342 diagnostic and interventional sialendoscopies, 44.6% of which involved the parotid gland. 12% (n = 138) of patients underwent multiple treatments. The procedure was successful in 1309 cases. In 33 cases (2.4%) the procedure could not be concluded mainly because of complete duct stenosis (21 cases). Salivary stones were the main cause of obstruction (55%), followed by ductal stenosis and anomalies (16%), mucous plugs (14.5%) and sialodochitis (4.7%). Complete therapeutic success was obtained in 92.5% of patients after one or more procedures, and was ineffective in < 8%. Untoward effects (peri and postoperative complications) were observed in 5.4% of cases. Sialendoscopy proved to be an effective, valid and safe procedure in the diagnostic and therapeutic management of non-neoplastic obstructive salivary gland diseases.

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a human herpes virus-8 (HHV-8)-associated angioproliferative disorder, and its occurrence may be favored by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and iatrogenic immunosuppression. It has also been postulated that a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin can pave the way to its development. KS generally involves mucosal and cutaneous sites, including the head and neck. An oropharyngeal location is quite common, but laryngeal involvement with possible upper airway obstruction and respiratory distress requiring tracheotomy is rare, and no hypopharyngeal locations have yet been reported. We describe the case of a 68-year-old male patient who developed KS after immunosuppressive treatment for pemphigus vulgaris, an autoimmune bullous disease presenting with blisters and erosions on the skin and the oral mucosa. KS was initially localized to the oral cavity and oropharynx, but subsequent involvement of the laryngeal and hypopharyngeal tract led to acute airway obstruction and the need for tracheotomy. This unique case of pharyngolaryngeal KS suggests that clinicians faced with purple nodular lesions should consider a differential diagnosis of KS in immunocompromised patients, even if they are HIV negative, and should carefully manage the patency of the upper airways.