A case of mistaken identity: Saksenaea vasiformis of the orbit

The authors describe a rare presentation of invasive fungal rhino-orbital cellulitis caused by Saksenaea vasiformis in an immunocompetent child. The patient was initially diagnosed and treated as Mucoraceae, which has a high mortality rate and is primarily seen in immunocompromised patients. Though of the same order, Mucorales, the families Mucoraceae and Saksenaeacae, may be difficult to differentiate on histologic examination and must be distinguished by fungal culture and speciation. Our patient responded well to sino-orbital debridement and systemic treatment with amphotericin and posaconazole.

Does Medical Therapy Improve SinoNasal Outcomes Test-22 Domain Scores? An Analysis of Clinically Important Differences

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS

Minimum clinically important differences (MCIDs) for the 22-item SinoNasal Outcomes Test (SNOT-22) in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) electing endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) are well described. However, similar estimations for the MCID have not been investigated for patients electing continued appropriate medical therapy (CAMT). We sought to determine MCID values for a medically treated CRS cohort and compare them to historical MCIDs associated with ESS.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective observational cohort study.

METHODS

One hundred twenty patients with refractory CRS electing CAMT were prospectively enrolled from academic referral clinics into an observational cohort study. Baseline and posttreatment SNOT-22 survey responses were collected. Four distribution-based methods for calculating MCIDs (e.g., half-standard deviation, Cohen's d, standard error of measurement, and minimum detectable change) were used to identify a range of MCID values for SNOT-22 total and domain scores.

RESULTS

The average MCID value for SNOT-22 total scores was 8.0, whereas mean MCID values for rhinologic, extranasal rhinologic, ear/facial, psychological, and sleep symptom domain scores were 3.9, 2.5, 3.3, 3.4, and 2.9, respectively, comparable to previously reported values for patients electing ESS. Although change in SNOT-22 total scores following CAMT exceeded the MCID, none of the average SNOT-22 domain score improvements surpassed their respective MCID thresholds.

CONCLUSIONS

MCID values for SNOT-22 total and domain scores in patients electing CAMT are similar to previously published MCID values associated with ESS, indicating that MCID values are independent of treatment modality selection. Therefore, despite evidence of statistical significance, CAMT for CRS may not be associated with clinically discernable improvements in average SNOT-22 domain scores.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

2c Laryngoscope, 129:31-36, 2019.

Investigating the minimal clinically important difference for SNOT-22 symptom domains in surgically managed chronic rhinosinusitis

BACKGROUND

Prior work has described 5 domains within the 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcomes Test (SNOT-22) that allow for stratification of symptoms into similar clusters and that can be used to direct therapy. Although the outcomes of various interventions on these symptom domains have been reported, minimal clinically important difference (MCID) values have not been investigated, which has limited clinical interpretation of these results.

METHODS

This study was designed as a secondary analysis of a prospective, multi-institutional, observational cohort. A total of 276 patients with medically refractory CRS who underwent surgical management were enrolled. Distribution-based methods (half-standard deviation, standard error of measurement, Cohen's d, and the minimum detectable change) were used to compute MCID values for both SNOT-22 total and domain scores. The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 6D (SF-6D) health utility score was used to operationalize anchor-based associations using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

RESULTS

The mean MCID of several distribution-based methods for total SNOT-22 scores was 9.0, in agreement with previously published metrics. Average MCID values for the rhinologic, extranasal rhinologic, ear/facial, psychological, and sleep domain scores were 3.8, 2.4, 3.2, 3.9, and 2.9, respectively. Anchor-based approaches with the SF-6D did not have strong predictive accuracy across total SNOT-22 scores or domains (ROC areas under-the-curve ≤ 0.71), indicating weak associations between improvement in SNOT-22 scores and health utility as measured by the SF-6D.

CONCLUSION

This estimation of MCID values for the SNOT-22 symptom domains allows for improved clinical interpretation of results from past, present, and future rhinologic outcomes research.

Metastatic disease to the clivus mimicking clival chordomas

Objectives/Hypothesis A comprehensive review of the literature of clival metastases and presentation of two additional cases. Study Design Literature review and report of two cases. Methods A literature review of the MEDLINE database (1950 to January 19, 2013) was performed to identify all cases of patients with metastatic disease to the clivus. Additionally, two novel cases are presented. Results In total, 47 cases were identified in the literature, including the two cases presented in this study. Metastatic disease to the clivus is the initial presenting symptom of the primary malignancy in 36% (13/36) of the cases. When there was a history of malignancy, the median interval of time to clival metastases was 24 months (range 1 to 172 months). Clinical symptoms manifested often as cranial neuropathies, with at least abducens palsies as the initial presenting symptom in 61.9% (26/42) of patients. Tumor pathology was diverse, but several pathologies were seen more commonly: prostate carcinoma (18.1%, 9/47), hepatocellular carcinoma (10.6%, 5/47), and thyroid follicular carcinoma (8.5%, 4/47). Conclusion Although clival metastases are extremely rare, they are an important part of the differential of clival masses as they can be the presenting symptom of distant malignancy. Level of Evidence 4.

Radiologic assessment of the paranasal sinuses after endoscopic skull base surgery

Objectives To identify sinuses demonstrating postoperative radiographic mucosal thickening after endoscopic exposure of the cranial base through the transsphenoidal corridor. Design Retrospective review. Setting University-based medical center. Participants Patients undergoing endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal approaches to the skull base who had both preoperative and postoperative imaging. Main Outcome Measures Change in preoperative and postoperative imaging scores for each sinus and side at 3 and 6 months. The left-sided undissected sinuses served as internal controls for comparison. Results Fifty-one patients were identified with the aforementioned inclusion and exclusion criteria. The mean difference in preoperative and postoperative imaging scores for the right anterior ethmoid sinus was significantly different from the left-sided equivalents (p = 0.0020). The difference in the frontal sinuses approached significance (p = 0.0625). Conclusions Resection of the lower half of the middle turbinate and maxillary antrostomy and harvest of a nasoseptal flap are associated with an increased radiographic incidence of mucosal thickening of the ipsilateral anterior ethmoids compared with the undissected contralateral side. When accessing the transnasal transsphenoidal corridor for skull base surgery, preservation of native anatomy is associated with a lower incidence of mucosal thickening on postoperative imaging.