Clinical Considerations for Routine Auditory and Vestibular Monitoring in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis

Purpose Specific classes of antibiotics, such as aminoglycosides, have well-established adverse events producing permanent hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance and/or vestibular problems (i.e., ototoxicity). Although these antibiotics are frequently used to treat pseudomonas and other bacterial infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), there are no formalized recommendations describing approaches to implementation of guideline adherent ototoxicity monitoring as part of CF clinical care. Method This consensus statement was developed by the International Ototoxicity Management Working Group (IOMG) Ad Hoc Committee on Aminoglycoside Antibiotics to address the clinical need for ototoxicity management in CF patients treated with known ototoxic medications. These clinical protocol considerations were created using consensus opinion from a community of international experts and available evidence specific to patients with CF, as well as published national and international guidelines on ototoxicity monitoring. Results The IOMG advocates four clinical recommendations for implementing routine and guideline adherent ototoxicity management in patients with CF. These are (a) including questions about hearing, tinnitus, and balance/vestibular problems as part of the routine CF case history for all patients; (b) utilizing timely point-of-care measures; (c) establishing a baseline and conducting posttreatment evaluations for each course of intravenous ototoxic drug treatment; and (d) repeating annual hearing and vestibular evaluations for all patients with a history of ototoxic antibiotic exposure. Conclusion Increased efforts for implementation of an ototoxicity management program in the CF care team model will improve identification of ototoxicity signs and symptoms, allow for timely therapeutic follow-up, and provide the clinician and patient an opportunity to make an informed decision about potential treatment modifications to minimize adverse events

Hearing Health Care Utilization Following Automated Hearing Screening

BACKGROUND: The study examined follow-up rates for pursuing hearing healthcare (HHC) 6-8 months after participants self-administered one of three hearing screening methods: an automated audiogram (AMTAS), a four-frequency pure-tone screener (FFS), or a digits-in-noise test (DIN), with and without the presentation of a two-minute educational video about hearing. PURPOSE: To determine if the type of self-administered hearing screening method (with or without an educational video) affects HHC follow-up rates. RESEARCH DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial of three automated hearing screening methods, plus control group, with and without an educational video. The control group completed questionnaires and provided follow-up data, but did not undergo a hearing screening test. STUDY SAMPLE: 1,665 participants (mean age 50.8 years; 935 males) at two VA Medical Centers and at university and community centers in Portland, OR; Bay Pines, FL; Minneapolis, MN; Mauston, WI; and Columbus, OH. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: HHC follow-up data at 6-8 months were obtained by contacting participants by phone or mail. Screening methods and participant characteristics were compared in relation to the probability of participants pursuing HHC during the follow-up period. RESULTS: The two-minute educational video did not have a significant effect on HHC follow-up rates. When all participants who provided follow-up data are considered (n = 1012), the FFS was the only test that resulted in a significantly greater percentage of HHC follow-up (24.6%) compared to the control group (16.8%); p = 0.03. However, for participants who failed a hearing screening (n = 467), follow-up results for all screening methods were significantly greater than for controls. The FFS resulted in a greater probability for HHC follow-up overall than the other two screening methods. Moreover, Veterans had higher follow-up rates for all screening methods than non-Veterans. CONCLUSIONS: The FFS resulted in a greater HHC follow-up rate compared to the other screening methods. This self-administered test may be more motivational for HHC follow-up because participants who fail the screening are aware of sounds they could not hear, which does not occur with adaptive assessments like AMTAS or the DIN test. It is likely that access to and reduced personal cost of audiological services for Veterans contributed to higher HHC follow-up rates in this group compared to non-Veteran participants

A multicenter study of the safety and effectiveness of mechanical thrombectomy for patients with acute ischemic stroke not meeting top-tier evidence criteria

Background: While mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has become the standard of care for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with emergent large-vessel occlusions (ELVO), recently published guidelines appropriately award top-tier evidence to the same selective criteria that were employed in completed clinical trials. We sought to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of MT in patients with AIS with ELVO who do not meet top-tier evidence criteria (TTEC). Methods: We conducted an observational study on consecutive patients with AIS with ELVO who underwent MT at six high-volume endovascular centers. Standard safety outcomes (3-month mortality, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage) and effectiveness outcomes (3-month functional independence: modified Rankin Scale scores of 0–2) were compared between patients meeting and failing TTEC. Results: The sample consisted of 349 (60%) controls fulfilling TTEC and 234 (40%) non-TTEC patients. Control patients meeting TTEC for MT tended to have higher functional independence rates at 3 months (47% vs 39%; p=0.055), while the rates of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) were similar (9%) in both groups (p=0.983). In multivariable logistic regression models, adherence to TTEC for MT was not independently related to any safety outcome (sICH: OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.30 to 1.68, p=0.434; 3-month mortality: OR 1.27, 95% CI 0.69 to 2.33, p=0.448) or effectiveness outcome (3-month functional independence: OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.48 to 1.37, p=0.434; 3-month functional improvement: OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.48 to 1.11, p=0.138) after adjusting for potential confounders. Conclusions: Approximately 40% of patients with AIS with ELVO offered MT do not fulfill TTEC for MT. Patients who did not meet TTEC had high rates of good clinical outcome and low complication rates

Multicenter Study for the Treatment of Sidewall versus Bifurcation Intracranial Aneurysms with Use of Woven EndoBridge (WEB)

Background The Woven EndoBridge (WEB) device was explicitly designed for wide-neck intracranial bifurcation aneurysms. Small-scale reports have evaluated the off-label use of WEB devices for the treatment of sidewall aneurysms, with promising outcomes. Purpose To compare the angiographic and clinical outcomes of the WEB device for the treatment of sidewall aneurysms compared with the treatment of bifurcation aneurysms. Materials and Methods A retrospective review of the WorldWideWEB Consortium, a synthesis of retrospective databases spanning from January 2011 to June 2021 at 22 academic institutions in North America, South America, and Europe, was performed to identify patients with intracranial aneurysms treated with the WEB device. Characteristics and outcomes were compared between bifurcation and sidewall aneurysms. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to match by age, pretreatment ordinal modified Rankin Scale score, ruptured aneurysms, location of aneurysm, multiple aneurysms, prior treatment, neck, height, dome width, daughter sac, and incorporated branch. Results A total of 683 intracranial aneurysms were treated using the WEB device in 671 patients (median age, 61 years [IQR, 53-68 years]; male-to-female ratio, 1:2.5). Of those, 572 were bifurcation aneurysms and 111 were sidewall aneurysms. PSM was performed, resulting in 91 bifurcation and sidewall aneurysms pairs. No significant difference was observed in occlusion status at last follow-up, deployment success, or complication rates between the two groups. Conclusion No significantly different outcomes were observed following the off-label use of the Woven EndoBridge, or WEB, device for treatment of sidewall aneurysms compared with bifurcation aneurysms. The correct characterization of the sidewall aneurysm location, neck angle, and size is crucial for successful treatment and lower retreatment rate. © RSNA, 2022 See also the editorial by Hetts in this issue

Comparing treatment outcomes of various intracranial bifurcation aneurysms locations using the Woven EndoBridge (WEB) device

BACKGROUND: The Woven EndoBridge (WEB) device has Food and Drug Administration approval for treatment of wide-necked intracranial bifurcation aneurysms. The WEB device has been shown to result in adequate occlusion in bifurcation aneurysms overall, but its usefulness in the individual bifurcation locations has been evaluated separately only in few case series, which were limited by small sample sizes. OBJECTIVE: To compare angiographic and clinical outcomes after treatment of bifurcation aneurysms at various locations, including anterior communicating artery (AComA), anterior cerebral artery (ACA) bifurcation distal to AComA, basilar tip, internal carotid artery (ICA) bifurcation, and middle cerebral artery (MCA) bifurcation aneurysms using the WEB device. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted at 22 academic institutions worldwide to compare treatment outcomes of patients with intracranial bifurcation aneurysms using the WEB device. Data include patient and aneurysm characteristics, procedural details, angiographic and functional outcomes, and complications. RESULTS: A total of 572 aneurysms were included. MCA (36%), AComA (35.7%), and basilar tip (18.9%) aneurysms were most common. The rate of adequate aneurysm occlusion was significantly higher for basilar tip (91.6%) and ICA bifurcation (96.7%) aneurysms and lower for ACA bifurcation (71.4%) and AComA (80.6%) aneurysms (p=0.04). CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the most extensive study to date that compares the treatment of different intracranial bifurcation aneurysms using the WEB device. Basilar tip and ICA bifurcation aneurysms showed significantly higher rates of aneurysm occlusion than other locations

Transradial Versus Transfemoral Access for Woven EndoBridge (WEB) Embolization of Intracranial Aneurysms: A Propensity-Score Matched Multicenter Study (P1-1.Virtual)

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The Woven EndoBridge (WEB) device for the treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms: A Decade of Lessons Learned and Changes in Practice from the WorldwideWEB Consortium (P1-1.Virtual)

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Transradial versus transfemoral access for embolization of intracranial aneurysms with the Woven EndoBridge device: a propensity score–matched study

OBJECTIVE Transradial access (TRA) is commonly utilized in neurointerventional procedures. This study compared the technical and clinical outcomes of the use of TRA versus those of transfemoral access (TFA) for intracranial aneurysm embolization with the Woven EndoBridge (WEB) device. METHODS This is a secondary analysis of the Worldwide WEB Consortium, which comprises multicenter data related to adult patients with intracranial aneurysms who were managed with the WEB device. These aneurysms were categorized into two groups: those who were treated with TRA or TFA. Patient and aneurysm characteristics and technical and clinical outcomes were compared between groups. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to match groups according to the following baseline characteristics: age, sex, subarachnoid hemorrhage, aneurysm location, bifurcation aneurysm, aneurysm with incorporated branch, neck width, aspect ratio, dome width, and elapsed time since the last follow-up imaging evaluation. RESULTS This study included 682 intracranial aneurysms (median [interquartile range] age 61.3 [53.0–68.0] years), of which 561 were treated with TFA and 121 with TRA. PSM resulted in 65 matched pairs. After PSM, both groups had similar characteristics, angiographic and functional outcomes, and rates of retreatment, thromboembolic and hemorrhagic complications, and death. TFA was associated with longer procedure length (median 96.5 minutes vs 72.0 minutes, p = 0.006) and fluoroscopy time (28.2 minutes vs 24.8 minutes, p = 0.037) as compared with TRA. On the other hand, deployment issues were more common in those treated with TRA, but none resulted in permanent complications. CONCLUSIONS TRA has comparable outcomes, with shorter procedure and fluoroscopy time, to TFA for aneurysm embolization with the WEB device