Amin, Milan R

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.

ABSTRACT Objective With regulatory approval of HPV‐specific immunotherapy for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) and growing experience with systemic bevacizumab, a management algorithm incorporating these medical treatments is warranted. Data Sources and Methods RRP Foundation (RRPF) Key Opinion Leaders offer a proposed management algorithm for adults with RRP considering published literature and commercial drug availability. Results Preventative HPV vaccination should be considered for all patients. Determination of HPV type and pulmonary imaging are important for contemporary RRP patient care and assist in decision making. Risks and benefits of papilloma debulking as needed versus medical management of RRP must be deliberated on a patient case‐by‐case basis. HPV ‐specific immunotherapy that induces an HPV ‐specific T cell response to target the underlying HPV infection that is the cause of RRP is safe, offers the possibility of durable disease control following a short treatment course and is the recommended first‐line medical treatment for patients who wish to avoid the risks of repeat procedural management. Papilloma disease control with systemic bevacizumab, which carries defined risks and must be continued for clinical benefit is the recommended second‐line medical treatment for patients who do not achieve a complete response with immunotherapy and wish to continue medical management. For patients who elect to be treated with debulking procedures as needed, use of locally‐administered adjuvant should be considered. Conclusion This proposed management algorithm from the RRPF serves as a contemporary resource and information guide for adult patients with RRP and their physicians considering treatment options. Level of Evidence 5

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the long‐term safety and clinical effect of INO‐3107 immunotherapy in adults with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP). Methods RRP‐002 was a retrospective, observational extension study that followed patients enrolled in the 52‐week RRP‐001 study. Patients with moderate to severe juvenile or adult‐onset RRP who had undergone ≥ 2 surgical interventions in the year preceding dosing were eligible for enrollment in RRP‐001. Participants underwent surgical debulking within 14 days prior to initial dosing and then received INO‐3107 on Day 0, Weeks 3, 6, and 9. Efficacy assessments during RRP‐002 follow‐up were the frequency of surgical interventions and alternative medication use. The safety evaluation included reported serious adverse events (SAEs). Results Twenty‐eight (28) of 32 participants from the 52‐week RRP‐001 study were enrolled in RRP‐002. The median follow‐up time for RRP‐002 was 1.8 years (range: 1.2–2.4 years) for a total median assessment time of 2.8 years (range: 1.0–3.5 years). There were no SAEs or long‐term safety concerns identified. The mean number of surgeries was reduced from 4.1 in the pre‐treatment period to 1.7 in the first year post‐INO‐3107 treatment (Year 1) to 0.9 in the second year (Year 2). The complete response rate (0 surgeries per year) increased from 28% (9/32) in Year 1 to 50% (14/28) in Year 2. Conclusion INO‐3107 is well tolerated and provides a continued clinical effect against HPV‐6 and 11 RRP that results in further reduction of the surgical burden observed in Year 1. These data support the role of INO‐3107 immunotherapy for adult patients with RRP. Level of Evidence: III.

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

Objective To evaluate the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of INO‐3107, a DNA immunotherapy designed to elicit targeted T‐cell responses against human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6 and 11, in adult patients with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP; NCT04398433). Methods Eligible patients required ≥2 surgical interventions for RRP in the year preceding dosing. INO‐3107 was administered by intramuscular (IM) injection followed by electroporation (EP) on weeks 0, 3, 6, and 9. Patients underwent surgical debulking within 14 days prior to first dose, with office laryngoscopy and staging at screening and weeks 6, 11, 26, and 52. Primary endpoint was safety and tolerability, as assessed by treatment‐emergent adverse events (TEAEs). Secondary endpoints included frequency of surgical interventions post‐INO‐3107 and cellular immune responses. Results An initial cohort of 21 patients was enrolled between October 2020 and August 2021. Fifteen (71.4%) patients had ≥1 TEAE; 11 (52.4%) were Grade 1, and 3 (14.3%) were Grade 3 (none treatment related). The most frequently reported TEAE was injection site or procedural pain ( n = 8; 38.1%). Sixteen (76.2%) patients had fewer surgical interventions in the year following INO‐3107 administration, with a median decrease of 3 interventions versus the preceding year. The RRP severity score, modified by Pransky, showed improvement from baseline to week 52. INO‐3107 induced durable cellular responses against HPV‐6 and HPV‐11, with an increase in activated CD4 and CD8 T cells and CD8 cells with lytic potential. Conclusion The data suggest that INO‐3107 administered by IM/EP is tolerable and immunogenic and provides clinical benefit to adults with RRP. Level of Evidence 3 Laryngoscope , 133:3087–3093, 2023

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

Abstract The North American Airway Collaborative (NoAAC) previously published a 3‐year multi‐institutional prospective cohort study showing variation in treatment effectiveness between 3 primary surgical techniques for idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS). In this report, we update these findings to include 5 years of data evaluating treatment effectiveness. Patients in the NoAAC cohort were re‐enrolled for 2 additional years and followed using the prespecified published protocol. Consistent with prior data, prospective observation of 487 iSGS patients for 5 years showed treatment effectiveness differed by modality. Cricotracheal resection maintained the lowest rate of recurrent operation (5%), followed by endoscopic resection with adjuvant medical therapy (30%) and endoscopic dilation (50%). These data support the initial observations and continue to provide value to providers and patients navigating longitudinal decision‐making. Level of evidence: 2—prospective cohort study.

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

Objectives: To examine whether social determinants of health (SDH) factors are associated with time to diagnosis, treatment selection, and time to recurrent surgical intervention in idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS) patients. Methods: Adult patients with diagnosed iSGS were recruited prospectively (2015-2017) via clinical providers as part of the North American Airway Collaborative (NoAAC) and via an online iSGS support community on Facebook. Patient-specific SDH factors included highest educational attainment (self-reported), median household income (matched from home zip code via U.S. Census data), and number of close friends (self-reported) as a measure of social support. Main outcomes of interest were time to disease diagnosis (years from symptom onset), treatment selection (endoscopic dilation [ED] vs cricotracheal resection [CTR] vs endoscopic resection with adjuvant medical therapy [ERMT]), and time to recurrent surgical intervention (number of days from initial surgical procedure) as a surrogate for disease recurrence. Results: The total 810 participants were 98.5% female, 97.2% Caucasian, and had a median age of 50 years (IQR, 43-58). The cohort had a median household income of $62 307 (IQR, $50 345-$79 773), a median of 7 close friends (IQR, 4-10), and 64.7% of patients completed college or graduate school. Education, income, and number of friends were not associated with time to diagnosis via multivariable linear regression modeling. Univariable multinominal logistic regression demonstrated an association between education and income for selecting ED versus ERMT, but no associations were noted for CTR. No associations were noted for time to recurrent surgical procedure via Kaplan Meier modeling and Cox proportional hazards regression. Conclusions: Patient education, income, and social support were not associated with time to diagnosis or time to disease recurrence. This suggests additional patient, procedure, or disease-specific factors contribute to the observed variations in iSGS surgical outcomes.