Rutt, Amy L.

AbstractObjectiveThis review evaluates the worldwide use of artificial intelligence (AI) for the diagnosis and treatment of voice disorders.MethodsAn electronic search was completed in Embase, Pubmed, Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. Studies in English from 2019 to 2024 evaluating the use of AI in detection and management of voice disorders were included. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines were followed.ResultsEighty‐one studies were recognized. Thirty‐three studies were chosen and screened for quality assessment. Of these, 16 studies used AI to determine normal versus pathological voice. The convolutional neural network (CNN) was the most employed algorithm among all machine learning algorithms.ConclusionThis review revealed significant interest worldwide in utilizing AI in detection of voice disorders. Gaps included the use of limited, inconsistent data sets, lack of validation, and emphasis on detection rather than treatment of the voice disorder. These are areas of opportunity for AI techniques to improved diagnostic accuracy.

AbstractIntroductionCastleman disease (CD) refers to a heterogeneous group of lymphoproliferative disorders, which rarely involves the larynx. Our goal in this study is to elucidate the clinical presentation, diagnostic techniques, and treatment methods of laryngeal CD through a scoping review and the addition of a new case.MethodsDue to limited existing literature, we employed a mixed methodology for review. First, we searched Google Scholar using terms related to laryngeal CD. Subsequently, we screened abstracts using Covidence, drawing from databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, ProQuest, and EMBASE. We shortlisted studies for data extraction, focusing on clinical presentations, diagnostics, and treatment methodologies. Finally, we described our additional case.ResultsScoping review revealed five qualifying laryngeal CD articles. Presenting symptoms included dysphagia, hoarseness, and dyspnea. Diagnosis was always established through histopathologic analysis. Management included local excision or radiotherapy. In our additional case, a 71‐year‐old male with known CD presented with neck swelling, dysphagia, and dysphonia. Exam revealed lymphoid laryngeal and supraglottic hyperplasia and edema. Laryngeal symptoms improved with medical management of CD.DiscussionGiven the rarity of laryngeal CD, its identification and management can be a challenge. Practitioners should be aware of characteristic points in a CD patient's history, physical exam, imaging, and biopsies. Local excision of obstructive lymphoid tissue and radiation are the best‐supported therapies. This study aims to build toward improvements in accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment for laryngeal CD.

AbstractObjectiveCartilaginous tumors of the larynx are rare, representing less than 1% of all laryngeal tumors. Chondromas are benign mesenchymal tumors characterized by a slow‐paced growth, primarily originated in the cricoid cartilage, followed by the thyroid, arytenoid, and epiglottic cartilages. This scoping review aims to understand the extent of evidence on the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, morbidity, and recurrence of the laryngeal chondroma (LC).Data sourcesMEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Elsevier), Web of Science (Clarivate), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Systematic Reviews, Lilacs, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases.Review methodsThe scoping review was conducted from 1816 to 2023, for observational studies describing LC. Titles and abstracts were screened for relevance, followed by an evaluation of the full text for eligibility. The data were collected from the qualifying articles, and a narrative summary of the outcomes was prepared.ResultsOne hundred and nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Ninety‐four case reports, 22 case series, and 3 cohorts. Two hundred and four participants with a diagnosis of LC were described. Male:female ratio was 2.8:1. The most common localization was the cricoid (113; 47.08%), followed by the thyroid (45; 18.75%), and the arytenoid cartilage (27; 11.25%). Dyspnea (78.85%) and hoarseness (74.28%) were the most reported symptoms. The recurrence rate was 11.25%, and complications were uncommon following the resection.ConclusionThis scoping review found a low‐frequency rate over all the cartilaginous laryngeal tumors. Most patients were treated with resection, with a low rate of malignancy conversion. This population has low attributable mortality, morbidity, and recurrence according to the current literature.

AbstractObjectiveBilateral vocal fold paralysis (BVFP) and posterior glottic stenosis (PGS) are causes of bilateral vocal fold immobility (BVFI) and may cause shortness of breath, stridor, and need for surgical intervention. Although increased body mass index (BMI) is associated with restrictive breathing patterns in patients with normal upper airways, it is unclear how BMI impacts dyspnea and need for surgical intervention in BVFI patients.Study DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingThree tertiary academic centers in the United States.MethodsDemographics, BMI, Dyspnea Index (DI), etiology, presence of tracheostomy and surgical intervention (dilation, tracheostomy, cordotomy, arytenoidectomy, open reconstruction) were collected. Primary outcomes included dyspnea measured by DI and need for surgery to improve airway. Linear regressions were performed to assess continuous outcomes. Mann‐Whitney U‐test was utilized to assess categorical outcomes.ResultsAmong 121 patients, 52 presented with BVFP and 69 with PGS. Previous neck surgery was the most common cause of BVFI (40.2%). 44.3% of patients received a tracheostomy. Through multivariate linear regression, increased BMI was significantly associated with increased DI in the entire cohort (β = .43, P = .016). Increased BMI was also associated with need for any surgical intervention (odds ratio [OR] = 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.01‐1.13]) in the overall cohort. When stratifying our data, BMI was only significantly associated with DI in BVFP (β = .496) and need for surgical intervention in PGS (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = [1.01‐1.21]), although a positive trend was seen in all analyses.ConclusionIncreased BMI may correlate with worsening dyspnea symptoms and need for surgical intervention in patients with BVFI. Weight‐loss‐related counseling may benefit symptom management.

ObjectiveThe aim was to evaluate representation of women in otolaryngology by examining authorship of research publications and presentations, awards, research grants, leadership, and membership in related organizations.MethodsAuthorship was reviewed from articles published in three otolaryngology journals from 2000 through 2021 to assess the frequency and percentages of female and combination of male and female gender authorship. Gender was evaluated for poster and scientific abstract presentations from 2007 to 2021. Gender representation was reviewed for institutional and society leadership positions, award, and grant recipients in the American Laryngological Society (ALA). Changes in the frequency of female and combination of male and female gender authorship over time were examined with Cochran‐Armitage test for trend.ResultsA total of 16,921 articles, 1,017 presentations, 480 leadership positions, 129 president positions, and 1,137 awards and grants were studied. Women were first authors in 4,153 (24.9%) and last authors in 2,935 (17.8%) published articles for which gender could be determined. Women were first authors in 372 (37.4%) presentations and last authors in 199 (20.2%). Most presentations had a combination of male and female presentation authorship (630, 68%). Women held 69 (14.4%) leadership positions. Of the award and grant recipients, 327 (28.8%) were female. Significant trends were observed for increasing female representation (first authorship publications increased 69.9% from 2000 to 2020, first authorship presentations increased 73.9% from 2007 to 2013, p < 0.001; leadership and awards from 3% to 18% representation, p = 0.02).ConclusionThe proportion of women receiving awards and holding leadership positions is increasing. Efforts that promote gender diversity may further increase representation of women in otolaryngology literature and among the grant and award winners.Level of EvidenceNA Laryngoscope, 134:2144–2152, 2024

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) belongs to the group of human herpes virus and can cause clinical and subclinical infections. Although EBV-related disease presentations are similar, they can lead to oncogenic transformation with various clinical manifestations. A thorough workup with morphology, immunohistochemistry, and molecular studies is crucial for the diagnosis of EBV-positive polymorphic B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder, not otherwise specified (NOS), which is a new entity introduced by International Consensus Classification in 2022. We describe an interesting presentation of EBV-positive polymorphic B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder with laryngeal involvement to bring awareness to this entity and we would like to address the need for more accessible treatment options.

ObjectiveThe aim was to determine the utilization of Caprini guideline‐indicated venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis and impact on VTE and bleeding outcomes in otolaryngology (ORL) surgery patients.MethodsElective ORL surgeries performed between 2016 and 2021 were retrospectively identified. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between patient characteristics and receiving appropriate prophylaxis, inpatient, 30‐ and 90‐day VTE and bleeding events.ResultsA total of 4955 elective ORL surgeries were analyzed. Thirty percent of the inpatient cohort and 2% of the discharged cohort received appropriate risk‐stratified VTE prophylaxis. In those who did not receive appropriate prophylaxis, overall inpatient VTE was 3.5‐fold higher (0.73% vs. 0.20%, p = 0.015), and all PE occurred in this cohort (0.47% vs. 0.00%, p = 0.005). All 30‐ and 90‐day discharged VTE events occurred in those not receiving appropriate prophylaxis. Inpatient, 30‐ and 90‐day discharged bleeding rates were 2.10%, 0.13%, and 0.33%, respectively. Although inpatient bleeding was significantly higher in those receiving appropriate prophylaxis, all 30‐ and 90‐day post‐discharge bleeding events occurred in patients not receiving appropriate prophylaxis. On regression analysis, Caprini score was significantly positively associated with likelihood of receiving appropriate inpatient prophylaxis (odds ratio [OR] 1.05, confidence interval [CI] 1.03–1.07) but was negatively associated in the discharge cohort (OR 0.43, CI 0.36–0.51). Receipt of appropriate prophylaxis was associated with reduced odds of inpatient VTE (OR 0.24, CI 0.06–0.69), but not with risk of bleeding.ConclusionAlthough Caprini VTE risk‐stratified prophylaxis has a positive impact in reducing inpatient and post‐discharge VTE, it must be balanced against the risk of inpatient postoperative bleeding.Level of Evidence3 Laryngoscope, 134:1169–1182, 2024

ObjectiveThe aim was to study laryngological complaints in patients with hypermobile Ehlers‐Danlos syndrome (hEDS) or hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD).MethodsA total of 363 patients met inclusion for the study by completing questions related to voice, upper airway, and swallowing between July 7, 2020 and July 13, 2022. Demographic data, voice‐related questions, and hypermobility diagnosis were analyzed retrospectively. From those, 289 patients were diagnosed with hEDS or HSD with 74 that did not meet the diagnostic criteria for either diagnosis serving as controls.ResultsThere were no statistically significant differences between patients with hEDS and HSD regarding Voice Handicap Index (VHI‐10) scores, voice, upper airway, or swallow complaints. However, more hEDS/HSD patients answered positively to the laryngeal dysfunction question versus controls (p = 0.031). 22.5% of hEDS/HSD patients (n = 65) reported hoarseness, of which 52.3% reported hoarseness >2 days/month. 33.9% (n = 98) with hEDS/HSD reported symptoms of dysphagia, and 27.0% (n = 78) reported laryngeal dysfunction symptoms. Controls demonstrated 20.3% prevalence of hoarseness, of which 46.7% reported hoarseness >2 days/month. 24.3% of controls had dysphagia and 14.9% laryngeal dysfunction symptoms. Of the 363 patients, VHI‐10 scores >11 were more likely in patients reporting >2 days of hoarseness/month (p = 0.001) versus those with <2 days of hoarseness/month. There was an increased prevalence of voice, upper airway, and dysphagia symptoms in hEDS/HSD patients compared with previously reported prevalence data in the general population.ConclusionA significant proportion of patients diagnosed with hypermobility due to hEDS or HSD were found to have voice, upper airway, and dysphagia symptoms. These rates are higher than those previously reported in the general population.Level of Evidence3 Laryngoscope, 134:773–778, 2024