Kasperbauer, Jan

ABSTRACT Objective Weight loss is frequently considered a cardinal presenting symptom for patients with Zenker diverticulum (ZD). We hypothesized that weight loss in patients with cricopharyngeal muscle dysfunction (CPMD), with or without diverticula, was associated with the length of symptoms and size of diverticulum. Methods Prospective, multicenter observational study of CPMD patients with and without diverticula reporting unintentional weight loss (+WL) or no weight loss (−WL) prior to enrollment in the Prospective Outcomes of Cricopharyngeal Hypertonicity (POuCH) database. Complications and symptom response using a patient reported outcome measure, the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT‐10), were compared. Results Of 427 patients, 101 (23.6%) were +WL. Median weight loss was 14 pounds (interquartile range [IQR] 10–25). +WL cohort had a mean age of 71.5 (standard deviation [SD] 11.5) vs. 67.9 in −WL (SD 11.6, p = 0.007). Mean preoperative EAT‐10 score was 24.7 in +WL (SD 9.7) and 14.8 in −WL (SD 8.8, p < 0.0001). Higher preoperative weight loss was associated with higher preoperative EAT‐10 ( p < 0.0001, Spearman's ρ = 0.43). Size of diverticulum was associated with WL ( p = 0.003), but weight loss was highest in both large diverticula and CP bars. Duration of symptoms was not associated with weight loss ( p = 0.30). Postoperative complications in +WL and −WL patients were similar ( p = 0.78). Conclusion Unintentional weight loss is common with ZD. Patients with worse dysphagia are more likely to have more weight loss. Weight loss does not increase with the size of the diverticulum or length of symptoms. Surgery has a similar safety profile with greater improvement in dysphagia in patients reporting weight loss. Level of Evidence 3.

ObjectiveTo identify characteristics of patients who have poor improvement in symptoms following surgical management of Zenker Diverticulum (ZD).MethodsProspective, multicenter cohort study of all individuals enrolled in the Prospective OUtcomes of Cricopharyngeus Hypertonicity (POUCH) Collaborative who underwent surgical repair of ZD between August 2017 and January 2024. Patient demographics, esophagrams, and the 10‐item Eating Assessment Tool (EAT‐10) pre‐ and post‐procedure were obtained from a REDCap database. t‐tests, Wilcoxon rank sum tests, Chi‐square or Fisher's exact tests were used to compare the characteristics. Patients with <50% improvement in their EAT‐10 scores were deemed surgical nonresponders (SNRs). Those with ≥50% improvement in their EAT‐10 scores were deemed surgical responders (SRs).ResultsA total of 184 patients were prospectively followed after undergoing either open or endoscopic surgical management. Twenty‐two patients (12%) were deemed SNRs. Preoperative presence of a hiatal hernia was statistically significant characteristic between the SNRs (63.6%) and SRs (32.1%) (p = 0.004). Size of the ZD and history of previous ZD surgery was not a significant characteristic. The length of stay and complication rate were not statistically different between the groups.ConclusionCoexistent esophageal pathology may lead to poor symptomatic improvement following ZD surgery. Preoperative workup of other esophageal disorders is recommended to detect likely SNRs. For SNRs, further esophageal workup may be necessary to evaluate for other esophageal causes related to poor symptomatic improvement following ZD surgery.Level of Evidence3 Laryngoscope, 134:4897–4902, 2024

Objectives The aim of the study was to identify trends in postoperative management of persons undergoing surgery for Zenker diverticula (ZD) by evaluating length of stay (LOS), diet on discharge, and imaging with or without surgical complication. Methods Prospectively enrolled adult patients with cricopharyngeal muscle dysfunction with diverticula undergoing surgery from August 1, 2017 to February 1, 2023 were included. Data were extracted from a multi‐institutional REDCap database, summarizing means, medians, percentages, and frequencies. Fisher's exact or chi squared analyses were utilized, as appropriate, to compare subsets of data. Descriptive analysis assessed differences in clinical course and the relationship to postoperative management. Results There were 298 patients with a mean (standard deviation) age of 71.8 (11.2) years and 60% male. Endoscopic surgery was performed in 79.5% (237/298) of patients versus 20.5% (61/298) open surgery. Sixty patients (20.1%) received postoperative imaging, with four leaks identified. Complications were identified in 9.4% of cases ( n = 29 complications in 28 patients), more commonly in open surgery. Most (81.2%) patients were discharged within 23 h. About half of patients (49%) were discharged from the hospital on a pureed/liquid diet; 36% had been advanced to a soft diet. In patients without complications, LOS was significantly longer following open cases ( p = 0.002); postoperative diet was not different between open and endoscopic ( p = 0.26). Conclusions Overall, most patients are discharged within 23 h without imaging. However, LOS was affected by surgical approach. Postoperative complications are different in endoscopic versus open surgery. Complications with either approach were associated with prolonged LOS, need for imaging, and diet restriction. Level of Evidence Level III Laryngoscope , 134:2678–2683, 2024

ObjectiveTo compare improvement in patient‐reported outcomes (PROM) in persons undergoing endoscopic and open surgical management of Zenker diverticula (ZD).MethodologyProspective, multicenter cohort study of all individuals enrolled in the Prospective OUtcomes of Cricopharyngeus Hypertonicity (POUCH) Collaborative who underwent surgery for ZD. Patient survey, radiography reports, and the 10‐item Eating Assessment Tool (EAT‐10) pre‐ and post‐procedure were abstracted from a REDCap database, which summarized means, medians, percentages, and frequencies of. Outcome based on operative intervention (endoscopic vs. open) was compared using t‐test, Wilcoxon rank sum test or chi‐square test, as appropriate.ResultsOne hundred and forty‐seven persons were prospectively followed. The mean age (SD) of the cohort was 68.7 (11.0). Overall, 66% of patients reported 100% improvement in EAT‐10; 81% of patients had greater than 75% improvement; and 88% had greater than 50% improvement. Endoscopic was used for n = 109 patients, and open surgical intervention was used for n = 38. The median [interquartile range, IQR] EAT‐10 percent improvement for endoscopic treatment was 93.3% [72, 100], and open was 100% [92.3, 100] (p = 0.05). The incidence of intraoperative complications was 3.7% for endoscopic and 7.9% for open surgical management. The median [IQR] in follow‐up was 86 and 97.5 days, respectively.ConclusionBoth endoscopic and open surgical management of ZD provide significant improvement in patient‐reported outcomes. The data suggest that open diverticulectomy may provide a modest advantage in symptomatic improvement compared to endoscopic management. The data suggest that the postoperative complication rate is higher in the open surgical group.Level of Evidence3 Laryngoscope, 134:97–102, 2024

ObjectiveTo assess barium esophagram (BAS) as a diagnostic marker for patients with Killian Jamieson diverticula (KJD).MethodsProspective, multicenter cohort study of individuals enrolled in the Prospective OUtcomes of Cricopharyngeus Hypertonicity (POUCH) Collaborative. Patient demographics, comorbidities, radiographic imaging reports, laryngoscopy findings, patient‐reported outcome measures (PROM), and operative reporting were abstracted from a REDCap database and summarized using means, medians, percentages, frequencies. Paired t‐tests and Wilcoxon Signed Rank test were used to test pre‐ to post‐operative differences in RSI, EAT‐10, and VHI‐10 scores. Diagnostic test evaluation including sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive value with 95% confidence intervals were calculated comparing BAS findings to operative report.ResultsA total of 287 persons were enrolled; 13 (4%) patients were identified with confirmed KJD on operative reports. 100% underwent open transcervical excision. BAS has a 46.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 23.2, 70.9) sensitivity and 97.8% (95% CI: 95.3, 99.0) specificity in detecting a KJD and 50% (95% CI: 25.4, 74.6) positive predictive value but 97.4% (95%CI: 94.8, 98.7) negative predictive value. Preoperatively, patients reported mean (SD) RSI and EAT‐10 of 19.4 (9) and 8.3 (7.5) accordingly. Postoperatively, patients reported mean (SD) RSI and EAT‐10 as 5.4 (6.2) and 2.3 (3.3). Both changes in RSI and EAT‐10 were statistically significant (p = 0.008, p = 0.03).ConclusionKJD are rare and represent <5% of hypopharyngeal diverticula undergoing surgical intervention. Open transcervical surgery significantly improves symptoms of dysphagia. BAS has high specificity but low sensitivity in detecting KJD.Level of Evidence4 Laryngoscope, 133:2110–2115, 2023

ObjectiveTo describe demographics and imaging and compare findings and symptoms at presentation in a large cohort of persons with cricopharyngeus muscle dysfunction (CPMD) with and without hypopharyngeal diverticula.MethodologyProspective, multicenter cohort study of all individuals enrolled in the Prospective OUtcomes of Cricopharyngeal Hypertonicity (POUCH) Collaborative. Patient survey, comorbidities, radiography, laryngoscopy findings, and patient‐reported outcome measures (e.g., Eating Assessment Tool [EAT‐10]) data were abstracted from a REDCap database and summarized using means, medians, percentages, and frequencies. Diagnostic categories were compared using analysis of variance.ResultsA total of 250 persons were included. The mean age (standard deviation [SD]) of the cohort was 69.0 (11.2). Forty‐two percent identified as female. Zenker diverticula (ZD) was diagnosed in 85.2%, 9.2% with CPMD without diverticula, 4.4% with a Killian Jamieson diverticula (KJD), and 1.2% traction‐type diverticula. There were no differences between diagnostic categories in regard to age, gender, and duration of symptoms (p = 0.25, 0.19, 0.45). The mean (SD) EAT‐10 score for each group was 17.1 (10.1) for ZD, 20.2 (9.3) for CPMD, and 10.3 (9.4) for KJD. Patients with isolated CPMD had significantly greater EAT‐10 scores compared to the other diagnostic groups (p = 0.03).ConclusionZD is the most common, followed by CPMD without diverticula, KJD, and traction‐type. Patients with isolated obstructing CPMD may be more symptomatic than persons with ZD or KJD.Level of Evidence4 Laryngoscope, 133:1349–1355, 2023

Objectives To identify the differences in sensitivity and accuracy between ultrasound‐guided and palpation‐guided fine needle aspirations (FNA) of suspicious lymph nodes in patients with human papillomavirus (HPV) (+) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Additional objectives included identifying patient specific factors affecting biopsy accuracy and evaluating potential differences in accuracy between fine and core needle biopsies. Study Design Retrospective chart review. Materials and Methods A retrospective study of diagnostic sensitivity was completed at a single tertiary care center between 1/1/2006–12/31/2016. Participants included patients who underwent pretreatment FNA biopsy with HPV(+)OPSCC confirmed pathologically following neck dissection or excisional lymph node biopsy. A true positive (TP) on FNA biopsy was defined as an FNA biopsy concerning for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) that was confirmed on excisional biopsy or neck dissection. A false negative (FN) was defined as a negative FNA but metastatic disease identified on excisional biopsy or neck dissection. Sensitivity was calculated as TPs/(TPs + FNs). Sensitivity was compared among techniques using chi‐square and Fisher exact tests. Results A total of 209 FNA biopsies among 198 patients were included in the study, including 31 (15%) palpation‐guided FNAs, 160 (77%) ultrasound‐guided FNAs, and 18 (9%) ultrasound‐guided FNA + core biopsies. Sensitivity was significantly different among palpation‐guided FNA, ultrasound‐guided FNA, and ultrasound‐guided FNA + core biopsies (48% vs. 83% vs. 94%, respectively; P < .001) but there was no significant difference in sensitivity between ultrasound‐guided FNA versus ultrasound‐guided FNA + core biopsies ( P = .31). Conclusion The use of ultrasound guidance in FNA biopsies of nodal metastases in HPV(+)OPSCC improves sensitivity compared to palpation guidance alone. Ultrasound guided biopsies are preferred in patients with suspected nodal metastasis from HPV(+)OPSCC. Level of Evidence 3 Laryngoscope , 132:2396–2402, 2022

ObjectiveTo describe and compare rates of metachronous and synchronous second primaries of the contralateral tonsil in patients with primary HPV(+) tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).Study DesignRetrospective cohort study.Materials and MethodsThis is a single tertiary care center retrospective case series, from 2006 to 2019, of HPV(+) tonsillar SCC patients who underwent primary surgical resection with unilateral wide‐field tonsillectomy or bilateral tonsillectomy for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. A metachronous second primary is one diagnosed >6 months after completion of surgical treatment. A synchronous second primary is one diagnosed during bilateral tonsillectomy for unilateral HPV(+) tonsillar SCC. Rates of second primary and patient characteristics were compared using chi‐square tests.ResultsAbout 303 patients underwent unilateral surgical resection +/− adjuvant therapy for HPV(+) tonsillar SCC. One (0.3%) developed a metachronous second primary in the contralateral tonsil 11.9 years following treatment. Fifty‐seven patients with HPV(+) tonsillar SCC underwent bilateral tonsillectomy, and 37/57 (65%) had no clinical signs for contralateral disease. Of these, only 1/37 (2.7%) was incidentally found to have a synchronous second primary. Twenty patients underwent bilateral tonsillectomy due to clinical concern for contralateral disease. Of these, 3/20 (15%) were found to have a synchronous HPV(+) SCC in the contralateral tonsil.ConclusionsThe prevalence of metachronous second primary after appropriate treatment of HPV(+) tonsillar SCC is very low (0.3%) and so is the chance of incidentally discovering a synchronous second primary during bilateral tonsillectomy (2.7%). We do not recommend bilateral tonsillectomy as a part of the routine algorithm in the surgical management of these patients.Level of Evidence3 Laryngoscope, 132:332–338, 2022

Background: Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a rare but highly lethal form of thyroid cancer. Since the guidelines for the management of ATC by the American Thyroid Association were first published in 2012, significant clinical and scientific advances have occurred in the field. The aim of these guidelines is to inform clinicians, patients, and researchers on published evidence relating to the diagnosis and management of ATC. Methods: The specific clinical questions and topics addressed in these guidelines were based on prior versions of the guidelines, stakeholder input, and input of the Task Force members (authors of the guideline). Relevant literature was reviewed, including serial PubMed searches supplemented with additional articles. The American College of Physicians Guideline Grading System was used for critical appraisal of evidence and grading strength of recommendations. Results: The guidelines include the diagnosis, initial evaluation, establishment of treatment goals, approaches to locoregional disease (surgery, radiotherapy, targeted/systemic therapy, supportive care during active therapy), approaches to advanced/metastatic disease, palliative care options, surveillance and long-term monitoring, and ethical issues, including end of life. The guidelines include 31 recommendations and 16 good practice statements. Conclusions: We have developed evidence-based recommendations to inform clinical decision-making in the management of ATC. While all care must be individualized, such recommendations provide, in our opinion, optimal care paradigms for patients with ATC.