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The effect of early otitis media on phonology and articulation in the presence of expressive language delay was investigated in 16 2-year-olds followed prospectively from birth. Eight of the children were designated otitis-positive and 8 were considered otitis-negative as determined by bilateral pneumatic otoscopy outcomes during year 1 of life. The groups differed significantly on measures of expressive, not receptive, language development. All members of the otitis-positive group were expressive language delayed. Phonological analyses were completed on spoken language samples elicited from each child at age 24 months. Results showed similar developmental tendencies in speech sound acquisition between the groups, but the otitis-positive group had established significantly fewer initial consonant phones and produced them less accurately than the otitis-negative subject group. The otitis-positive group acquired significantly fewer consonants with back place of articulation. Similar phonological error patterns of deletion and phoneme class deficiency were used by the groups, but the otitis-positive group used the error patterns more frequently. Findings here lend support to the otitis media effect as one of interaction among risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives/hypothesis: To identify compressive symptomatology in a patient cohort with benign thyroid disease who underwent thyroidectomy. To determine radiographic/clinicopathologic features related to and predictive of a compressive outcome., Study Design: Retrospective cohort study., Methods: Medical records of 232 patients with benign thyroid disease on fine needle aspiration who underwent thyroidectomy from 2009 to 2012 at an academic medical center were reviewed. Data collection and analyses involved subjects' demographics, compressive symptoms, preoperative airway encroachment, intubation complications, specimen weight, and final pathologic diagnosis., Results: Subjects were ages 14 to 86 years (mean: 52.4 years). Ninety-six subjects (41.4%) reported compressive symptomatology of dysphagia (n =74; 32%), dyspnea (n = 39; 17%), and hoarseness (n = 24; 10%). Ninety-seven (42.2%) had preoperative airway encroachment. Dyspnea was significantly related to tracheal compression, tracheal deviation, and substernal extension. Dysphagia was related to tracheal compression and tracheal deviation. Compressive symptoms and preoperative airway encroachment were not related to intubation complications. Final pathologic diagnosis was not related to compressive symptoms, whereas specimen weight was significantly related to dyspnea and dysphagia. Final pathology revealed 74 subjects (32%) with malignant lesions. Malignant and benign nodular subject groups differed significantly in substernal extension, gland weight, tracheal deviation, and dyspnea. Logit modeling for dyspnea was significant for tracheal compression as a predictor for the likelihood of dyspnea., Conclusion: Dyspnea was closely related to preoperative airway encroachment and most indicative of a clinically relevant thyroid in our cohort with benign thyroid disease. Tracheal compression was found to have predictive value for the likelihood of a dyspneic outcome., Level of Evidence: 4. Laryngoscope, 127:993-997, 2017., (© 2016 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)