Surgical challenge: endoscopic repair of cerebrospinal fluid leak

BACKGROUND: Cerebrospinal fluid leaks (CSF) result from an abnormal communication between the subarachnoid space and the extracranial space. Approximately 90% of CSF leak at the anterior skull base manifests as rhinorrhea and can become life-threatening condition. Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) has become a common otolaryngologist procedure. The aim of this article is to consider our experience and to evaluate the outcomes in patients who underwent a purely endoscopic repair of CSF leaks of the anterior skull base. FINDINGS: Retrospective chart review was performed of all patients surgically treated for CSF leaks presenting to the Section of Nasal and Sinus Disorders at the Service of ENT–Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Complex of Santiago de Compostela (CHUS), between 2004 and 2010. A total of 30 patients who underwent repair CSF leak by ESS. The success rate was 93.4% at the first attempt; only two patients (6.6%) required a second surgical procedure, and none of it was necessary to use a craniotomy for closure. Follow-up periods ranged from 4 months to 6 years. CONCLUSION: Identifying the size, site, and etiology of the CSF leak remains the most important factor in the surgical success. It is generally accepted that the ESS have made procedures minimally invasive, and CSF leak is now one of its well-established indications with low morbidity and high success rate, with one restriction for fistulas of the posterior wall of the frontal sinus should be repaired in conjunction with open techniques

Seguridad de la cirugía de la base de la lengua para la apnea obstructiva del sueño en adultos. Revisión sistemática y metaanálisis del grupo de investigación YO-IFOS

International audienceObjective: Tongue base and hypopharynx are the major sites of obstruction in OSA patients with failed palatal surgery. In recent years, several minimally invasive procedures have been developed to address tongue base obstruction. However, the research focus has consistently been on the effectiveness of surgery in reducing obstructive sleep apnoea rather than on postoperative complications. In this systematic review and metanalysis we aim to review the complication rate of minimally invasive base of tongue procedures for OSAS in adults. Data sources: PubMed (Medline), the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Scopus, SciELO and Trip Database. Review methods: Data sources were checked by three authors of the YO-IFOS sleep apnoea study group. Three authors extracted the data. Main outcome was expressed as the complication rate and 95% confidence interval for each surgical technique. Results: 20 studies (542 patients) met the inclusion criteria. The mean complication rate is 12.79%; 4.65% for minor complications, 6.42% if they are moderate, and 1.77% if severe. The most reported complication overall is infection, in 1.95% of cases, followed by transient swallowing disorder, occurring in 1.30% of the total sample. Conclusion: The heterogeneity amongst the included studies prevents us from obtaining solid conclusions. The available evidence suggests that minimally invasive base of tongue procedures may present a wide spectrum of complication rates, ranging from 4.4% in tongue base radiofrequency to up to 42.42% in tongue base ablation

Ethyl alcohol threshold test: a fast, reliable and affordable olfactory Assessment tool for COVID-19 patients

International audienceObjective: COVID-19 patients may present mild symptoms. The identification of paucisymptomatic patients is paramount in order to interrupt the transmission chain of the virus. Olfactory loss could be one of those early symptoms which might help in the diagnosis of COVID-19 patients. In this study, we aim to develop and validate a fast, inexpensive, reliable and easy-to-perform olfactory test for the screening of suspected COVID-19 patients. Study design: Phase I was a case–control study and Phase II a transversal descriptive study. Subjects and methods: Olfaction was assessed with the ethyl alcohol threshold test and symptoms with visual analogue scales. The study was designed in two phases: In Phase I, we compared confirmed COVID-19 patients and healthy controls. In Phase II, patients with suspected COVID-19 infection referred for testing were studied. Results: 275 participants were included in Phase I, 135 in Phase II. The ROC curve showed an AUC of 0.749 in Phase I, 0.737 in Phase II. The cutoff value which offered the highest amount of correctly classified patients was ≥ 2 (10% alcohol) for all age intervals. The odds ratio was 8.19 in Phase I, 6.56 in Phase II with a 75% sensitivity. When cases report normal sense of smell (VAS < 4), it misdiagnoses 57.89% of patients detected by the alcohol threshold test. Conclusion: The olfactory loss assessed with the alcohol threshold test has shown high sensitivity and odds ratio in both patients with confirmed COVID-19 illness and participants with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection