Saleh, Amy M.

Objective: Endoscopic medial partial arytenoidectomy has been described previously for expansion of the posterior glottic airway in bilateral vocal fold paralysis. Superomedial submucosal partial arytenoidectomy (SSPA), a modification of this technique, can improve glottic closure in the setting of an obstructing anteromedially prolapsed arytenoid. We present our surgical technique and a case example. Methods and Results: A 45-year-old man presented with dysphonia attributable to unilateral true vocal fold paralysis. Laryngoscopy revealed right true vocal fold atrophy and an anteriorly prolapsed right arytenoid cartilage preventing posterior glottic closure during adduction. Right SSPA and ipsilateral vocal fold injection augmentation were performed without complication. One-month and 11-month postoperative evaluations showed marked improvement in voice, with complete glottic closure. Quality-of-life assessment and patient report showed a durable result at 50 months. Conclusion: SSPA may be a valuable technique in the management of breathy dysphonia associated with posterior glottic gap and other sequelae of the malpositioned arytenoid.

Context Perioperative antibiotics are widely used to improve the outcomes of endoscopic sinus surgery. Objective The aim of this study was to summarize the evidence on the effect of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis on outcomes of endoscopic sinus surgery. Data Sources and Review Methods We searched electronic databases from inception through May 2011 for any relevant clinical trials or observational studies. Two reviewers working independently extracted study characteristics, quality, and the outcomes of interest. Random‐effects meta‐analysis was used to pool the relative risks (RRs) and the standardized mean differences (SMDs) across trials. Results We found 4 eligible trials with varying quality, of which 3 were included in the quantitative analysis. Antibiotic prophylaxis was associated with a nonsignificant reduction in the incidence of infections (relative risk, 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64 to 1.09), symptoms scores (SMD, −0.04; 95% CI, −0.46 to 0.38), and endoscopic scores (SMD, −0.09; 95% CI, 0.30 to 0.13). The heterogeneity associated with the analysis was significant only for the outcome of change in symptoms score (I‐squared values, 0%, 70%, and 0% for the 3 outcomes, respectively). Conclusions Trial data available to date are unable to demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in infection, symptom scores, or endoscopic scores to support the routine use of postoperative prophylactic antibiotics following endoscopic sinus surgery. Our analysis was limited by the number of published trials related to this topic.

Hemorrhage into the soft tissues of the airway represents a potentially life-threatening complication of long-term anticoagulation. We report the case of a chronically anticoagulated 37-year-old male who developed a spontaneous hematoma of the epiglottis secondary to a supra-therapeutic INR. Epiglottic hematoma should be considered in the differential of any anticoagulated patient presenting with upper airway compromise. The airway should be secured in a controlled fashion, and the coagulopathy should be rapidly corrected.