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Objective: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) represents a frequent complaint in general population and especially in patients with chronic sinonasal diseases. The aim of this study was the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Self-reported Mini Olfactory Questionnaire (Self-MOQ) into Italian., Methods: One hundred fifty patients affected by chronic sinonasal diseases and reporting hyposmia were enrolled. Other 150 normosmic subjects without inflammatory or neoplastic sinonasal disorders were used as a control group. The Short-form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire was used for clinical validity., Results: Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.825. The test-retest reliability was excellent. The good correlation between the Self-MOQ and the Visual Analogue Scale scores (p < 0.05) demonstrated the construct validity of the questionnaire. The Self-MOQ was able to distinguish between subjects with or without OD (p < 0.05). Higher Self-MOQ score was found in case of nasal obstruction and posterior rhinorrhoea (p < 0.05). Self-MOQ showed significant correlation with SF-36 general health, SF-36 role functioning/physical, and SF-36 pain (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: The Italian version of the Self-MOQ showed good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct, and clinical validity., (Copyright © 2024 Società Italiana di Otorinolaringoiatria e Chirurgia Cervico-Facciale, Rome, Italy.)

Objective: To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the Brief Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders (Brief-IT-QOD)., Methods: The study consisted of six phases: item generation, reliability analysis (112 dysosmic patients for internal consistency analysis and 61 for test-retest reliability analysis), normative data generation (303 normosmic subjects), validity analysis (comparison of Brief-IT-QOD scores of healthy and dysosmic subjects and scores correlation with psychophysical olfactory testing TDI and SNOT-22 scores), responsiveness analysis (10 dysosmic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps patients before and after biologic therapy), and cut-off value determination (ROC curve analysis of Brief-IT-QOD sensitivity and specificity)., Results: All subjects completed the Brief-IT-QOD. Internal consistency (α > 0.70) and test-retest reliability (ICC > 0.7) were acceptable and satisfactory for both questionnaire subscales. A significant difference between dysosmic and control subjects was found in both subscales (p < 0.05). Significant correlations between subscales scores and TDI and SNOT-22 scores were observed. Brief-IT-QOD scores before treatment were significantly higher than after biological therapy., Conclusions: Brief-IT-QOD is reliable, valid, responsive to changes in QoL, and recommended for clinical practice and outcome research., (Copyright © 2023 Società Italiana di Otorinolaringoiatria e Chirurgia Cervico-Facciale, Rome, Italy.)

Summary: Background. In December 2019, a Coronavirus 2019 epidemic (COVID-19) was reported, caused by a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which occurred in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province, China. Perceived risk of contracting diseases has led many Governments and Healthcare Organizations to implement a variety of control and protection measures for the population, in particular for health professionals who have made contact with positive Covid-19 patients. In this publication, we have carried out a review of the information available, in order to share the prevention and protection measures for health and safety at work, which a University Hospital of Pavia, in Northern Italy, has remodulated, according to the changed scenario in which professionals finds themselves carrying out their profession in the post lockdown, in account to the specificity of processes and methods of work organizing, which overall, they serve to characterize risks, in order to be able to prevent them in the best possible way for patients, visitors and healthcare professionals., Competing Interests: The authors of this article have no conflict of interests to disclose., (Copyright© by GIMLE.)

Objective: There are no instruments available to comprehensively assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in chronic otitis media (COM) in Italian-speaking countries. The Zurich chronic middle ear inventory (ZCMEI-21) is a well-established instrument for the assessment of HRQoL in COM. The objective of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the ZCMEI-21 into Italian and validate this questionnaire for measuring HRQoL in patients with COM., Study Design: Prospective multicenter study., Setting: Three University hospitals (northern Italy, central Italy, southern Italy)., Patients: Adult patients suffering from COM (n = 128)., Intervention: Following international guidelines, the ZCMEI-21 was translated into Italian (ZCMEI-21-It). Validation was performed by psychometric test statistics. Moreover, ZCMEI-21-It total and subscale scores were compared and correlated with 1) the scores of the original validation study, 2) to a question that directly addresses HRQoL, and 3) to the scores of the EQ-5D-5L, a generic questionnaire assessing HRQoL., Results: From three study centers, a total of 128 patients with COM were included. Cronbach's α was 0.86 indicating a high reliability. Between the ZCMEI-21-It total score and the question that directly addresses HRQoL, we found a strong correlation (r = 0.62, p < 0.0001). Between the ZCMEI-21-It total score and the EQ-5D-5L scores, we expectedly found moderate correlations (descriptive system score: r = 0.39, p < 0.0001; visual analog scale: r = 0.30, p = 0.008)., Conclusion: We translated the ZCMEI-21 questionnaire into Italian and validated the ZCMEI-21-It in a prospective multicenter study. The ZCMEI-21-It is the first instrument that comprehensively assesses relevant dimensions of HRQoL in Italian-speaking patients affected by COM.

Objective: The aim of this work was to assess through a questionnaire the features of vertiginous episodes, accompanying symptoms, familial history, and migraine precursors in a sample of 252 subjects with a diagnosis of definite vestibular migraine., Background: Migraine is a common neurological disorder characterized by episodic headaches with specific features. About two-thirds of cases run in families, and patients may refer symptoms occurring in infancy and childhood, defined as episodic syndromes that may be associated with migraine. Migraine is associated with episodic vertigo, called vestibular migraine, whose diagnosis mainly relies on clinical history showing a temporary association of symptoms., Methods: In this cross-sectional multicentric study, 252 subjects were recruited in different centers; a senior specialist through a structured questionnaire assessed features of vestibular symptoms and accompanying symptoms., Results: The age of onset of migraine was 23 years, while onset of vertigo was at 38 years. One hundred and eighty-four subjects reported internal vertigo (73%), while 63 subjects (25%) reported external vertigo. The duration of vertigo attacks was less than 5 minutes in 58 subjects (23%), between 6 and 60 minutes in 55 (21.8%), between 1 and 4 hours in 29 (11.5%), 5 and 24 hours in 44 (17.5%), up to 3 days in 14 (5.5%), and more than 3 days in seven (2.8%); 14 subjects (5.5%) referred attacks lasting from less than 5 minutes and up to 1 hour, nine (3.6%) referred attacks lasting from less than 5 minutes and up to 1 to 4 hours, six (2.4%) referred attacks lasting from less than 5 minutes and up to 5 to 24 hours, and five (2%) cases referred attacks lasting from less than 5 minutes and up to days. Among accompanying symptoms, patients referred the following usually occurring, in order of frequency: nausea (59.9%), photophobia (44.4%), phonophobia (38.9%), vomiting (17.8%), palpitations (11.5%), tinnitus (10.7%), fullness of the ear (8.7%), and hearing loss (4%). In total, 177 subjects referred a positive family history of migraine (70.2%), while 167 (66.3%) reported a positive family history of vertigo. In the sample, 69% of patients referred at least one of the pediatric precursors, in particular, 42.8% of subjects referred motion sickness. The age of onset of the first headache was lower in the subsample with a familial history of migraine than in the total sample. Among the pediatric precursors, benign paroxysmal vertigo - BPV, benign paroxysmal torticollis, and motion sickness were predictive of a lower age of onset of vertigo in adulthood; cyclic vomiting was predictive for vomiting during vertigo attacks in adults., Conclusions: Our results may indicate that vestibular symptoms in pediatric patients may act as a predisposing factor to develop vestibular migraine at an earlier age in adulthood., (© 2017 American Headache Society.)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of tobacco use on the Eustachian tube and inner ear function., Study Design: Case-control study., Subjects and Settings: Thirty-one nonsmoking volunteers and 34 smoking subjects recruited in an University Hospital, submitted to an audiological evaluation including pure tone audiometry, basal tympanogram, stapedial reflexes analysis, and nine-step eustachian tube (ET) function test., Results: Pure Tone Average (PTA) threshold at all frequencies tested was 12.5 dB in smokers and 3.7 in nonsmoking subjects. Nine smokers (27%) presented some degree of hearing loss versus none in the nonsmoker group. Linear regression analysis showed a higher degree of sensorineural hearing loss with age in smokers. Among the smokers, 20 subjects (59%) presented an impaired tubal function for the nine-step inflation/deflation tympanometric test, while only 6 (19%) subjects in the group of nonsmokers showed a tubal dysfunction., Conclusion: Tobacco use may reduce the ability to hear, mainly causing a sensorineural hearing loss for higher frequencies. We also found the presence of a high number of smokers suffering from tubal dysfunction. This has an important clinical relevance, not only because smoking increases the incidence of middle ear diseases, but also because tubal dysfunction may cause nonspecific symptoms characterised by ear fullness and difficulties in middle ear equalisation.

Objective: To evaluate the internal consistency, reliability and clinical validity of the Italian version of the Pediatric Voice Handicap Index (pVHI)., Patients and Methods: The parents of 30 children with dysphonia and 43 asymptomatic children were included in the study. Each parent was asked to complete the Italian pVHI autonomously. The voice of each child was assessed perceptually through the GRB parameters of the GRBAS scale. Internal consistency was analyzed through Cronbach's α coefficient. For test-retest reliability analysis, the Italian pVHI was filled twice, with a 2-week interval, and the scores obtained were compared through the Pearson correlation test. Clinical validity was assessed comparing the scores obtained in the pathological and the control group using the Mann-Whitney test. Finally, the correlation between pVHI and the perceptual parameters was assessed., Results: All of the parents filled in the entire questionnaire autonomously. An optimal internal consistency was found (α = 0.95); the test-retest reliability in the parents of both groups of children was high (r > 0.88). The control group scored significantly lower than the pathological group (p = 0.0001). The pVHI scores positively correlated with perceptual assessment of voice disorders., Conclusion: The Italian pVHI is easily administered, highly reproducible, and exhibits excellent clinical validity., (Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

The concept of informed consent was first used in the 60's. The meaning of this term is the need of a preliminary and valid consensus that places the doctor in an authorised condition whereby he is able to carry out his work. Notwithstanding the importance and delicacy of this topic and the potentially serious consequences, there is not, as yet, universal behaviour, on the part of doctors, regarding the mode of information and documentation on how the patient be informed. In a previous article, the authors outlined the best approach, on the part of the doctor in regard to the patient, in order to obtain valid informed consent. In particular, the specific information for each disease was proposed and this was not limited only to aspects related to type of treatment and possible risks, but thorough, with regard to adhering to the logical course (case history, objective tests, instrumental diagnosis carried out, etc.) that led the doctor to a certain diagnosis and a description of the proposed treatment possibilities as well as the treatment modalities excluded, with relative reasons. The study was designed in such a way as to define the degree of acceptance that this informative method has on the patients. This was achieved by means of a questionnaire filled in by 254 patients hospitalised in our department, about to undergo surgery. Judgement was substantially positive, in that, > 70% of patients agreed that the information was quite or very good, and 90% considered it sufficient or better. This demonstrates that even those subjects who received little information, were, in fact, satisfied with that given. The patient/doctor relationship was also judged positive. The patients felt that it was important to be kept informed about their condition, regardless of the form (written or spoken). In conclusion, the outcome of the questionnaire demonstrates the appreciation. on the part of the patients, regarding the procedure of information used in seeking consensus.