Background The use of ultrasound‐guided ablation procedures to treat both benign and malignant thyroid conditions is gaining increasing interest. This document has been developed as an international interdisciplinary evidence‐based statement with a primary focus on radiofrequency ablation and is intended to serve as a manual for best practice application of ablation technologies. Methods A comprehensive literature review was conducted to guide statement development and generation of best practice recommendations. Modified Delphi method was applied to assess whether statements met consensus among the entire author panel. Results A review of the current state of ultrasound‐guided ablation procedures for the treatment of benign and malignant thyroid conditions is presented. Eighteen best practice recommendations in topic areas of preprocedural evaluation, technique, postprocedural management, efficacy, potential complications, and implementation are provided. Conclusions As ultrasound‐guided ablation procedures are increasingly utilized in benign and malignant thyroid disease, evidence‐based and thoughtful application of best practices is warranted.

2b Laryngoscope, 126:1567-1571, 2016.

Patients who receive ≥ 3 units of blood after free tissue transfer for HNC had a significantly increased risk of death after controlling for age, preoperative hemoglobin and albumin, cancer stage, and adverse pathologic features. Increased transfusions are also associated with higher wound infection rates. The increased tendency to transfuse free flap patients in order to maintain a threshold hematocrit may have a detrimental impact on survival and wound infections and should be revisited.

In addition to defect location and extent, availability of surrounding tissue and wound healing characteristics direct reconstruction. Patients who receive radiation therapy are at increased risk of complications. Use of vascularized tissue is critical for successful management, making local flaps and free tissue transfer the mainstay of reconstruction.

To determine the predictive ability of the Jahrsdoerfer grading scale score in congenital aural atresia surgery. Design: Retrospective review of medical records. Setting: Tertiary referral center. Patients: One hundred eight patients with aural atresia. Main Outcome Measures: Demographic data, preoperative Jahrsdoerfer score, and postoperative audiometric outcomes were reviewed. One month postoperative, 4-tone pure-tone averages and speech reception thresholds were compared between ears scoring 6 or lower, 7, and 8 or higher on the Jahrsdoerfer grading scale. The percentage of ears with a speech reception threshold of 30 dB hearing level or lower for each group was calculated and compared between groups. Individual anatomical structures on the Jahrsdoerfer grading scale were evaluated for their ability to predict postoperative audiometric success.