Latest American Academy of Otolaryngology Stories

The American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) has released updated Clinical Indicators for the public and physicians. Clinical indicators for otolaryngology serve as a checklist for practitioners and a quality care review tool for clinical departments. The Clinical Indicators are created by the AAO-HNS and its clinical committees. "Clinical Indicators define a basis of medical necessity for a range of procedures…their intent is to help practitioners engage in...

The American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ASPO) will hold its annual meeting, April 29 "“ May 1, during the 2011 Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings (COSM) - a joint meeting of eight otolaryngological societies in Chicago, IL.During the ASPO meeting, hundreds of pieces of new research and dozens of scientific sessions featuring expert panelists will be presented focusing on children's ear, nose, and throat health. National health statistics reveal that pediatric ear, nose, and...

Today, the American Academy of Otolaryngology "“ Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) announced the release of a consensus statement to address ambiguities and disparities in the diagnosis and management of nasal valve compromise (NVC).Nasal valve compromise (NVC) is a distinct and primary cause for symptomatic nasal airway obstruction, yet there remain ambiguities and disparities in the diagnosis and management of this condition. Other etiologies for nasal airway obstruction, either structural...

Obesity in children significantly increases the risk of major and minor respiratory complications following surgery to correct sleep disordered breathing (SDB), according to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA.The study, which followed the post-operative recovery of 49 obese children compared with a control group, revealed that 75.5 percent of the obese children...

The existence of depression in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is common and under-reported, according to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA.According to the study's authors, only 9.6 percent of the 73 studied patients reported histories of depression. However, 20.5 percent scored in the range of a major depressive disorder using an objective screening...

Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital have identified tumor-suppressing genes that may provide a more accurate diagnosis of disease stage and survival for laryngeal cancer patients than current standards.The study finds genetic abnormalities of the ESR1(estrogen specific receptor 1) gene and the HIC1 (hypermethylated in cancer 1) gene are predictors of late-stage laryngeal cancer and shorter survival, respectively, for patients with the disease.Study results was presented Wednesday, Oct. 7 at...

Strides in improving the nation's air quality over the past ten years may be a factor in fewer cases of ear infections (otitis media) in children. These results are according to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA.The study, which used National Health Interview Survey data of 120,060 children from 1997-2006, measured how many instances occurred in the previous year for...

The introduction of pneumococcal vaccines for treating otitis media in children has not prevented complications from occurring, according to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA. In fact, the research suggests that the focus has changed on what complications may arise.The retrospective review studied cases over a five-year period (2003-2008) involving complications in...

Patients who exhibited a certain genetic mutation of anti-oxidant enzymes are three times more likely to develop age-related hearing loss (ARHL), according to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA.The study, which collected DNA samples from 55 patients with ARHL, indicated that there exists a significant correlation between the presence of a mutation of the GSTT1 gene,...

While operating room fires can occur in a variety of clinical settings, it is the use of lasers and electrosurgical devices that are most likely to cause them. Those are the findings in new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA.The study's authors discovered that among a group of 349 otolaryngologists, a quarter (25.2%) had at least witnessed an operating room fire during...