Objective

Tinnitus is defined as the perception of sound in the absence of an external source. We propose the hypothesis that migraine can cause exacerbation of tinnitus in some patients.

Methods

English literature from PubMed has been reviewed.

Results

Studies have reported a high prevalence of cochlear symptoms in patients with migraine headaches and up to 45% of tinnitus patients have been shown to concomitantly suffer from migraine. Both conditions are thought to stem from central nervous system disturbances, involving disruption of the auditory and trigeminal nerve pathways. One proposed mechanism of this association is the modulation of sound sensitivity by trigeminal nerve activation of the auditory cortex during migraine attacks, resulting in tinnitus fluctuation in some patients. Increased brain and inner ear vascular permeability resulting from trigeminal nerve inflammation, can also cause observed headache and auditory symptoms. Tinnitus and migraine also share a number of symptom triggers including stress, sleep disturbances, and dietary factors. These shared features may help explain promising results of migraine therapies for the treatment of tinnitus.

Conclusion

Given the complex association between tinnitus and migraine, further investigation is needed to identify the underlying mechanisms and determine the optimal treatment strategies for managing migraine-related tinnitus patients.

Objectives

To identify migraine features present in a cohort of patients with recurrent benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).

Methods

Patients presenting with recurrent BPPV were surveyed. Recurrent BPPV was defined as three episodes or greater in 6 months before presentation, with resolution of symptoms after Epley maneuver. Current or past migraine headache (MH) diagnosis was made according to the International Headache Society guidelines.

Results

Fifty-eight patients with recurrent BPPV with a mean age of 53.8 ± 17.4 years were included. Half (29 patients) fulfilled criteria for MH and half (29 patients) did not meet the criteria for MH (non-MH). No statistically significant difference was found in a majority of migraine-related symptoms between the MH and non-MH cohorts with recurrent BPPV. History of migraine medication usage (p = 0.008), presence of a weekly headache (p = 0.01), and duration of dizziness after positional vertigo (p = 0.01) were the only variables that were different on multivariate analysis between the MH and non-MH cohorts.

Conclusions

Half of recurrent BPPV patients suffer from migraine headaches. The other half presented with migraine-related symptoms, but do not meet criteria for MH. The high comorbidity of MH in our recurrent BPPV cohort as well as the absence of a statistically significant difference in a majority of migraine-related features among patients who did and did not fulfill criteria for MH may suggest that recurrent BPPV has a relationship with migraine. Recurrent BPPV may potentially be a manifestation of migraine in the inner ear, which we term otologic migraine including cochlear, vestibular, or cochleovestibular symptoms.

Objectives

To evaluate the presence of migraine features in patients with persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD).

Methods

In a retrospective survey study, consecutive patients presenting to a tertiary care neurotology clinic during an 18-month period were given questionnaires about headache and dizziness symptoms. The survey responses plus history and examination of the patient were used to diagnose patients with PPPD. The prevalence of migraine headache, vestibular migraine (VM), and migraine characteristics was evaluated.

Results

In total, 36 subjects with PPPD were included in the study. The mean age of the subjects was 56 ± 16 years with a female (72%) predominance. A total of 19 (53%) patients met the International Classification of Headache Disorders criteria for migraine headache, and 6 of those (17%) met the criteria for definite VM. Of the patients who did not meet full migraine headache criteria, 6 (17%) patients met 4 of 5 criteria, and 5 (14%) patients met 3 of 5 criteria. There was no significant difference between PPPD patients who fulfilled full migraine headache criteria and those who did not in sensitivity to light, sound, smells, weather changes, feelings of mental fog/confusion, and sinus pain/facial pressure.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that a majority of patients with PPPD fulfill the criteria for migraine headache. A large proportion of PPPD patients who do not meet the full criteria for migraine headache still meet a majority of the migraine headache criteria. This suggests an association between the 2 conditions. PPPD may be a part of the spectrum of otologic migraine, where migraine manifests as otologic symptoms.

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is one of the most commonly performed, major elective surgeries in the USA. African American TKA patients on average experience worse clinical outcomes than whites, including lower improvements in patient-reported outcomes and higher rates of complications, hospital readmissions, and reoperations. The mechanisms leading to these racial health disparities are unclear, but likely involve patient, provider, healthcare system, and societal factors. Lower physical and mental health at baseline, lower social support, provider bias, lower rates of health insurance coverage, higher utilization of lower quality hospitals, and systemic racism may contribute to the inferior outcomes that African Americans experience. Limited evidence suggests that improving the quality of surgical care can offset these factors and lead to a reduction in outcome disparities.

Objective

To evaluate whether increased body mass index (BMI), age, or frailty influence vestibular schwannoma (VS) short-term surgical morbidity.

Methods

The 2005-2017 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for patients with VS undergoing surgical resection. Age was stratified according to age <50, 50-64, and ≥65, while BMI was stratified based on a threshold of 30. Frailty score (0-5) was indicated based on functional status, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, and hypertension.

Results

A total of 1405 patients were included consisting of 56.7 % females with a mean age of 50.7 ± 13.8 years and mean BMI of 29.4 ± 6.6. Patients <50 (n = 604), 50-64 (n = 578), and ≥65 (n = 223), had different duration of surgery (428 ± 173 vs. 392 ± 149 vs. 387 ± 154 min; p < 0.001) and 30-day mortality rates (0.7 % vs. 0% vs. 1.8 %; p = 0.01). However, post-operative length of stay (LOS) (p = 0.16), readmission (p = 0.08), reoperation (p = 0.54), and complication rates were similar. Post-operative myocardial infarction (p = 0.03) and wound infection (p = 0.02) were more commonly observed in the obese cohort (BMI≥30) but readmission (p = 0.18), reoperation (p = 0.44), and complication rates were similar to those with BMI<30. Severely obese patients (BMI≥35) also had higher rates of deep vein thrombosis (p = 0.004). Frailty score 0 (n=921), 1 (n=375), and 2-4 (n=109) was associated with LOS (4.7±3.5 vs. 5.3 ± 4.1 vs. 6.7 ± 6.6 days, p < 0.001) and prolonged intubation rates (1.0 % vs. 2.4 % vs. 3.7 %; p = 0.03).

Conclusions

Increased age, BMI, and frailty among VS patients were associated with different post-operative complication rates, operation time, or LOS. Knowledge of these can optimize care for at-risk patients.

Objective/hypothesis

To assess and characterize online ratings and comments on pediatric otolaryngologists and determine factors that correlate with higher ratings.

Study design

Online database analysis.

Methods

All American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ASPO) members were queried on Healthgrades, Vitals, RateMDs, and Yelp for their online ratings and comments as of June 2020. Ratings were normalized for comparison on a five-point Likert scale. All comments were categorized based on context and positive or negative quality.

Results

Of the 561 ASPO members, 489 (87%) were rated on at least one online platform. Of those rated, 410 (84%) were on Healthgrades, 429 (88%) on Vitals, 236 (48%) on RateMDs, and 72 (15%) on Yelp. Across all platforms, the average overall rating was 4.13 ± 0.03 (range, 1.00-5.00). We found significant positive correlations between overall ratings and specific ratings (P < .001) on all individual topics. In addition, the majority of all narrative comments were related to perceived physician bedside manner and clinical outcome, with negative comments correlating negatively with overall score (P < .05). Time spent with the physician was the only category in which both positive and negative comments showed significant correlation with the overall physician rating (P = .016 and P = .017, respectively). Attending a top-ranked medical school or residency program did not correlate with higher or lower ratings.

Conclusions

Online ratings and comments for pediatric otolaryngologists are largely influenced by patient and parent perceptions of physician competence, comforting bedside manner, and office and time management.

Level of evidence

NA Laryngoscope, 131:2356-2360, 2021.