Pregabalin therapy appears to be an effective treatment option for laryngeal sensory neuropathy. Future prospective studies are needed to compare outcomes between pregabalin and other medications as treatments for LSN.

Objectives To determine if the spontaneous reinnervation that characteristically ensues after recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury could be selectively promoted and directed to certain laryngeal muscles with the use of neurotrophic factor (NF)-secreting muscle stem cell (MSC) vectors while antagonistic reinnervation is inhibited with vincristine (VNC). Study Design Basic science investigations involving primary cell cultures, gene cloning/transfer, and animal experiments. Methods (i.) MSC survival assays were used to test multiple individual NFs in vitro. (ii.) Motoneuron outgrowth assays assessed the trophic effects of identified NF on cranial nerve X-derived (CNX) motoneurons in vitro. (iii.) Therapeutic NF was cloned into a lentiviral vector, and MSCs were tranduced to secrete NF. 60 rats underwent left RLN transection injury, and at 3 weeks received injections of either MSCs (n=24), MSCs secreting NF (n=24), or saline (n=12) into the left thyroarytenoid muscle complex (TA); half of the animals in the MSC groups simultaneously received left posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA) injections of vincristine (VNC) while half the animals received saline. Results (i.) Ciliary-derived neurotrophic factor (CNTF) had the greatest survival-promoting effect on MSCs in culture. (ii.) Addition of CNTF (50 ng/mL) to CN X motoneuron cultures resulted in enhanced neurite outgrowth and branching. (iii.) In the animal model, the injected MSCs fused with the denervated myofibers, immunohistochemistry demonstrated enhanced reinnervation based on motor endplate to nerve contact, and RT-PCR confirmed stable CNTF expression at longest follow-up (4 months) in the CNTF-secreting MSC treated groups. Conclusions MSC therapy may have a future role in selectively promoting and directing laryngeal reinnervation after RLN injury. Level of evidence: NA

Low-dose VNC injections appear to be relatively safe and effective in selectively inhibiting spontaneous aberrant reinnervation after RLN injury in an animal model.

We introduce an inexpensive tool for measuring initial tracheal anastomosis stability with human cadavers, which demonstrated no difference in the tracheal pull-through strength of Vicryl and PDS.

IntroductionEpistaxis is the most common symptom of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). Complete nasal closure is one of the treatment options for patients with severe, intractable epistaxis. In our experience, this surgery can be life changing in a positive sense; but many patients as well as their physicians understandably fear that such a procedure will diminish certain aspects of quality of life (QOL).MethodsCase‐control study of HHT patients treated at the University of Utah HHT Center of Excellence with and without nasal closure from January 2005 to January 2016. Patients were matched according to epistaxis severity. Each included patient was issued three surveys: Epistaxis Severity Score (ESS), the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE).ResultsAfter treatment, the mean PSQI and NOSE scores were not significantly different between the two groups. However, the mean ESS score in the nasal closure group was significantly lower at 1.10 compared to the severe epistaxis group with a mean score of 3.99 (P = .027).ConclusionThe results of this study demonstrate that nasal closure significantly improves epistaxis severity without having a significant effect on sleep or nasal obstruction as they relate to QOL. These findings suggest that nasal closure should be considered for HHT patients with chronic severe epistaxis.Level of Evidence4.