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 <.001). The results achieved 1 year postoperatively remained stable at 3 and 10 years. Videolaryn-gostroboscopy showed improved glottic closure in all patients despite a limited amount of fat resorption. CT and MRI demonstrated survival of the fat grafts in all of the 16 examined cases. Serial MRI scans showed no change in graft size over time. Conclusions The reported clinical and radiological data demonstrate that fat is an effective filler for permanent vocal fold augmentation if the refined micro-aliquots are placed in multiple tunnels.

No abstract

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 condotto 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 sicura nella diagnosi e nel trattamento delle principali patologie ostruttive dei dotti salivari.

No abstract

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.

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.

Bronchiectasis represents the final pathway of several infectious, genetic, immunologic or allergic disorders. Accurate and prompt identification of the underlying cause is a key recommendation of several international guidelines, in order to tailor treatment appropriately. Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a genetic cause of bronchiectasis in which failure of motile cilia leads to poor mucociliary clearance. Due to poor ciliary function in other organs, individuals can suffer from chronic rhinosinusitis, otitis media and infertility.This paper explores the current literature describing why, when and how to investigate PCD in adult patients with bronchiectasis. We describe the main PCD diagnostic tests and compare the two international PCD diagnostic guidelines. The expensive multi-test diagnostic approach requiring a high level of expertise and specialist equipment, make the multifaceted PCD diagnostic pathway complex. Therefore, the risk of late or missed diagnosis is high and has clinical and research implications.Defining the number of patients with bronchiectasis due to PCD is complex. To date, few studies outlining the aetiology of adult patients with bronchiectasis conduct screening tests for PCD, but they do differ in their diagnostic approach. Comparison of these studies reveals an estimated PCD prevalence of 1–13% in adults with bronchiectasis and describe patients as younger than their counterparts with moderate impairment of lung function and higher rates of chronic infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.Diagnosing PCD has clinical, socioeconomic and psychological implications, which affect patients’ life, including the possibility to have a specific and multidisciplinary team approach in a PCD referral centre, as well as a genetic and fertility counselling and special legal aspects in some countries.To date no specific treatments for PCD have been approved, standardized diagnostic protocols for PCD and recent diagnostic guidelines will be helpful to accurately define a population on which planning RCT studies to evaluate efficacy, safety and accuracy of PCD specific treatments.

The fact that BPBs were significantly more frequently located near the ostium of the ET suggests that the adenoids are a reservoir for bacteria and indicates that hypertrophic adenoids (particularly hypertrophy near the ostium of the ET) play a role in recurrent AOM and/or OME.