Foreign Body Reaction Requiring Re-Exploration After Tympanoplasty With Porcine Small Intestinal Submucosa Reconstruction

OBJECTIVE

We present the first published case of large foreign body reaction to Biodesign (Cook Medical, Bloomington, IN), an acellular otologic graft matrix derived from porcine small intestinal submucosa, after use in tympanoplasty surgery in a patient without previous exposure to meat products.

METHODS

A single case report of a 39-year-old female who developed tinnitus, ear drainage, and large fibrotic mass in external auditory canal and extending into middle ear after Type I medial graft tympanoplasty with Biodesign Graft. Left endoscopic microdissection and resection of the tympanic membrane and middle ear fibrotic mass were performed.

MAIN FINDINGS

Surgical excision of the fibrous mass required extensive microdissection to ensure preservation of the ossicles and chorda tympani. Postoperatively, hearing improved and otalgia and otorrhea resolved.

CONCLUSIONS

We report the first case of post-tympanoplasty reaction with the use of Biodesign acellular porcine graft in a patient with no previous known exposure to meat products. Although this presentation appears to be rare, it reinforces the need for careful patient selection and counseling around the use of porcine or other foreign grafts.

Pearls of Parathyroidectomy: How to Find the Hard to Find Ones

The treatment of hyperparathyroidism through parathyroidectomy requires careful and complete preoperative evaluation. There are multiple imaging modalities and methods available to clinicians today to aid in identifying a pathological lesion; however, each has limitations that the clinician must understand. A systematic approach to patient evaluation, imaging, and surgical exploration is necessary to ensure accurate diagnosis and maximize the chances of minimally invasive and successful surgical removal.

Patient-reported outcomes measures used in facial vascularized composite allotransplantation: A systematic literature review

BACKGROUND

Facial vascularized composite allotransplantation (fVCA) is a life-enhancing procedure performed to improve quality of life (QOL). Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are tools used to assess QOL from the patients' perspective, and are increasingly recognized as an important clinical metric to assess outcomes of treatment. A systematic literature review was performed to identify and appraise the content of PROMs used in fVCA.

METHODS

We searched PUBMED/Medline, CINAHL, Embase, PsychInfo, and Web of Science from their inception through to June 2020. Included studies used a PROM in candidates and recipients of fVCA of any gender or age. We excluded abstracts, reviews, editorials, and dissertations. Items from each PROM were extracted and coded, using top-level codes and subcodes, to develop a preliminary conceptual framework of QOL concerns in fVCA, and to guide future PROM selection.

RESULTS

Title and abstract screening of 6089 publications resulted in 16 studies that met inclusion criteria. Review of the 16 studies identified 38 PROMs, none of which were developed for fVCA. Review of the coded content for each PROM identified six top-level codes (appearance, facial function, physical, psychological and social health, and experience of care) and 16 subcodes, making up the preliminary conceptual framework.

CONCLUSION

There are currently no PROMs designed to measure QOL concerns of fVCA candidates and recipients. Findings from this systematic review will be used to inform an interview guide for use in qualitative interviews to elicit and refine important concepts related to QOL in fVCA.

Short-term mortality risks among patients with oropharynx cancer by human papillomavirus status

BACKGROUND

There is substantial variation in head and neck cancer (HNC) mortality and competing mortality among patients with HNC. In this study, the authors characterize the causes and risks of short-term mortality among patients with oropharynx cancer (OPC) and how these risks differ by human papillomavirus (HPV) status.

METHODS

A custom Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data set with HPV status was used to identify 4930 patients with OPC who were diagnosed with nonmetastatic (M0) disease from 2013 to 2014, including 3560 (72.2%) HPV-positive patients and 1370 HPV-negative patients. Causes of death and cumulative incidence estimates for HNC-specific mortality, competing mortality, second-cancer mortality, and noncancer mortality were analyzed by HPV status. Risk factors for mortality events were determined using multivariable competing risk regression models.

RESULTS

Compared with HPV-negative patients, HPV-positive patients had a lower risk of 2-year cumulative incidence of all-cause mortality (10.4% vs 33.3%; P < .0001) and a lower risk of both HNC-specific mortality (4.8% vs 16.2%; P < .0001) and competing-cause mortality (5.6% vs 16.8%; P < .0001). Second-cancer mortality was the most common cause of non-HNC mortality among HPV-negative patients. Both second-cancer mortality and noncancer mortality were significantly higher among patients who had HPV-negative OPC (10.8% and 6.1%, respectively) compared with those who had HPV-positive OPC (2.4% and 3.2%, respectively; both P < .0001). The median follow-up was 11 months (range 1-23 months) in this cohort with known HPV-status.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with HPV-positive and HPV-negative OPC have significantly different rates of both HNC mortality and competing mortality. HPV-negative patients are at substantial risk of competing mortality, even within 2 years of cancer diagnosis. These differences can inform power calculations for clinical trials and patient management in the acute and survivorship settings.