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Although unilateral peritonsillar abscesses (PTA) are a common complication of acute bacterial tonsillitis, bilateral PTA are quite rare. We present the case of a 14-year-old female teenager with a 1-week history of acute tonsillitis. Physical examination revealed significant trismus, symmetrically inflamed tonsils and soft palate, and a midline uvula. A contrast-enhanced CT scan of the neck demonstrated bilateral PTA. After bilateral needle aspiration and administration of antibiotics, complete disease resolution was rapidly achieved. Patients with bilateral PTA present a diagnostic dilemma because they do not demonstrate the classic asymmetric signs and symptoms seen in the more prevalent unilateral PTA. Contrast-enhanced CT imaging can help diagnose bilateral PTA and should be considered in the presence of marked trismus but with the absence of unilateral inflammatory findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Cumulative, probability-based metrics are regularly used to measure quality in professional sports, but these methods have not been applied to health care delivery. These techniques have the potential to be particularly useful in describing surgical quality, where case volume is variable and outcomes tend to be dominated by statistical "noise." The established statistical technique used to adjust for differences in case volume is reliability-adjustment, which emphasizes statistical "signal" but has several limitations. We sought to validate a novel measure of surgical quality based on earned outcomes methods (deaths above average [DAA]) against reliability-adjusted mortality rates, using abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair outcomes to illustrate the measure's performance., Methods: Earned outcomes methods were used to calculate the outcome of interest for each patient: DAA. Hospital-level DAA was calculated for non-ruptured open AAA repair and endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) in the Vascular Quality Initiative database from 2016 to 2019. DAA for each center is the sum of observed - predicted risk of death for each patient; predicted risk of death was calculated using established multivariable logistic regression modeling. Correlations of DAA with reliability-adjusted mortality rates and procedure volume were determined. Because an accurate quality metric should correlate with future results, outcomes from 2016 to 2017 were used to categorize hospital quality based on: (1) risk-adjusted mortality; (2) risk- and reliability-adjusted mortality; and (3) DAA. The best performing quality metric was determined by comparing the ability of these categories to predict 2018 to 2019 risk-adjusted outcomes., Results: During the study period, 3734 patients underwent open repair (106 hospitals), and 20,680 patients underwent EVAR (183 hospitals). DAA was closely correlated with reliability-adjusted mortality rates for open repair (r = 0.94; P < .001) and EVAR (r = 0.99; P < .001). DAA also correlated with hospital case volume for open repair (r = -.54; P < .001), but not EVAR (r = 0.07; P = .3). In 2016 to 2017, most hospitals had 0% mortality (55% open repair, 57% EVAR), making it impossible to evaluate these hospitals using traditional risk-adjusted mortality rates alone. Further, zero mortality hospitals in 2016 to 2017 did not demonstrate improved outcomes in 2018 to 2019 for open repair (3.8% vs 4.6%; P = .5) or EVAR (0.8% vs 1.0%; P = .2) compared with all other hospitals. In contrast to traditional risk-adjustment, 2016 to 2017 DAA evenly divided centers into quality quartiles that predicted 2018 to 2019 performance with increased mortality rate associated with each decrement in quality quartile (Q1, 3.2%; Q2, 4.0%; Q3, 5.1%; Q4, 6.0%). There was a significantly higher risk of mortality at worst quartile open repair hospitals compared with best quartile hospitals (odds ratio, 2.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-3.76; P = .03). Using 2016 to 2019 DAA to define quality, highest quality quartile open repair hospitals had lower median DAA compared with lowest quality quartile hospitals (-1.18 DAA vs +1.32 DAA; P < .001), correlating with lower median reliability-adjusted mortality rates (3.6% vs 5.1%; P < .001)., Conclusions: Adjustment for differences in hospital volume is essential when measuring hospital-level outcomes. Earned outcomes accurately categorize hospital quality and correlate with reliability-adjustment but are easier to calculate and interpret. From 2016 to 2019, highest quality open AAA repair hospitals prevented >40 perioperative deaths compared with the average hospital, and >80 perioperative deaths compared with lowest quality hospitals., Competing Interests: Disclosures None., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Several concerns have been raised over the past several years about the potential for overuse of vascular interventions for peripheral artery disease. These interventions can have serious complications, including limb loss. Given that the natural history of intermittent claudication rarely includes limb loss, it is critically important that interventions to treat it have appropriate indications., Methods: To address this matter, the Society for Vascular Surgery published an appropriate use criteria (AUC) document for the management of intermittent claudication in 2022. Using the rigorously studied University of California Los Angeles RAND Appropriateness Method, the rating panel assessed the appropriateness of 2,280 scenarios for [1] the initial management and [2] the management after a failed trial of exercise therapy., Results: The findings of the rating panel included that medical management and exercise therapy are appropriate initial management in all scenarios. There were several scenarios in which revascularization was also considered appropriate, mainly influenced by severity of physical limitations and favorable lesion characteristics. When considering management after a failed trial of exercise, guiding principles cited by the rating panel included durability of intervention, smoking cessation, and evidence of prior good-faith effort at exercise therapy. There were many scenarios which were indeterminate. With respect to the infrapopliteal segment, the rating panelists unanimously agreed to forgo individual scenario ratings, since they deemed the risks outweigh the benefits in all cases., Conclusions: The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) AUC for intermittent claudication represents an important effort to identify and reduce overuse. There are several considerations for how they should be used. The simplest application is by practicing clinicians, at the bedside, as they engage in shared decision-making with patients. The matter of their use by payors is more complex. Ideally, decisions on how to best use AUC require additional study of their performance before they are used by payors for anything. Finally, these AUC have identified a myriad of areas where evidence is lacking. The AUC provide important targets for future research to improve the care of patients with intermittent claudication., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Disclosures None.

Otolaryngology residency training, along with the world of online medical education, has been continuously evolving and refining methods to educate and produce competent otolaryngologists. Numerous resources have been developed to assist otolaryngology residents in enhancing their clinical training. Although these resources greatly enhance clinical training, the growing volume of material presents a challenge within the constrained schedule of otolaryngology residents. This challenge is compounded by the variability in quality among resources which lack standardization or validation. Recently, the Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation has proposed a unified otolaryngology curriculum designed to address these issues. This curriculum aims to incorporate high-quality educational materials, evidence-based adult learning principles, accessible learning sources, and diverse instructional methods within a structured program. Such a curriculum promises a significant positive impact, mirroring successes observed in various other surgical specialties., (© 2024 American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.)

Objective: Antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant therapy are commonly prescribed after fenestrated/branched endovascular aortic repair (F/BEVAR). However, the optimal regimen remains unknown. We sought to characterize practice patterns and outcomes of antiplatelet and anticoagulant use in patients who underwent F/BEVAR., Methods: Consecutive patients enrolled (2012-2023) as part of the United States Aortic Research Consortium (US-ARC) from 10 independent physician-sponsored investigational device exemption studies were evaluated. The cohort was characterized by medication regimen on discharge from index F/BEVAR: (1) Aspirin alone OR P2Y12 alone (single-antiplatelet therapy [SAPT]); (2) Anticoagulant alone; (3) Aspirin + P2Y12 (dual-antiplatelet therapy [DAPT]); (4) Aspirin + anticoagulant OR P2Y12 + anticoagulant (SAPT + anticoagulant); (5) Aspirin + P2Y12 + anticoagulant (triple therapy [TT]); and (6) No therapy. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards modeling were used to compare 1-year outcomes including survival, target artery patency, freedom from bleeding complication, freedom from all reinterventions, and freedom from stent-specific reintervention., Results: Of the 1525 patients with complete exposure and outcome data, 49.6% were discharged on DAPT, 28.8% on SAPT, 13.6% on SAPT + anticoagulant, 3.2% on TT, 2.6% on anticoagulant alone, and 2.2% on no therapy. Discharge medication regimen was not associated with differences in 1-year survival, bleeding complications, composite reintervention rate, or stent-specific reintervention rate. However, there was a significant difference in 1-year target artery patency. On multivariable analysis comparing with SAPT, DAPT conferred a lower hazard of loss of target artery patency (hazard ratio [HR], 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.27-0.84; P = .01). On sub-analyses of renal stents alone or visceral stents alone, DAPT no longer had a significantly lower hazard of loss of target artery patency (renal: HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.35-1.27; P = .22; visceral: HR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.05-1.9; P = .21). Lastly, duration of DAPT therapy (1 month, 6 months, or 1 year) did not significantly affect target artery patency., Conclusions: Practice patterns for antiplatelet and anticoagulant regimens after F/BEVAR vary widely across the US-ARC. There were no differences in bleeding complications, survival or reintervention rates among different regimens, but higher branch vessel patency was noted in the DAPT cohort. These data suggest there is a benefit in DAPT therapy. However, the generalizability of this finding is limited by the retrospective nature of this data, and the clinical significance of this finding is unclear, as there is no difference in survival, bleeding, or reintervention rates amongst the different regimens. Hence, an "optimal" regimen, including the duration of such regimen, could not be clearly discerned. This suggests equipoise for a randomized trial, nested within this cohort, to identify the most effective antiplatelet/anticoagulant regimen for the growing number of patients being treated globally with F/BEVAR., Competing Interests: Disclosures A.S. reports consultant for Artivion, Cook Medical, and Philips; and receives research support from Cook Medical and Philips. All proceeds go to the UMass Memorial Hospital Foundation. A.W.B. reports onsultant for Artivion, Cook Medical, Medtronic, Philips, and Terumo Aortic; and receives research support from Cook Medical, Endospan, Medtronic, Philips, Terumo Aortic, and W.L. Gore & Associates. All proceeds go to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. M.A.F. reports consultant for WL Gore, Cook Medical, ViTAA, Centerline Biomedical, and Getinge; and receives research support from Cook Medical, WL Gore ViTAA, and Centerline Biomedical. W.A.L. reports consultant for Terumo Aortic. G.S.O. reports consultant for Cook, Centerline Biomedical, GE Healthcare, and Gore; and receives research support from GE Healthcare. F.E.P. reports stock options from Centerline Biomedical; and receives research support from Cook Medical. D.B.S. reports consultant for WL Gore, Cook Medical, Medtronic, and Philips; and receives research support from Cook Medical, Philips, and W.L. Gore. C.H.T. reports consultant for Cook Medical, WL Gore, and Philips; and receives research support from Cook Medical, Philips, and WL Gore., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Polyvascular disease is strongly associated with increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, its prevalence in patients undergoing carotid and lower extremity surgical revascularization and its impact on outcomes are unknown., Methods: The Vascular Quality Initiative was queried for carotid endarterectomy (CEA) or infrainguinal lower extremity bypass (LEB), 2013-2019. Polyvascular disease was defined as presence of atherosclerotic occlusive disease in more than one arterial bed: carotid, coronary, and infrainguinal. Primary outcomes were (1) composite perioperative myocardial infarction (MI) or death and (2) 5-year survival. Patient characteristics and perioperative outcomes were evaluated using the χ 2 test and multivariable logistic regression. Survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards multivariable models., Results: Polyvascular disease was identified in 47% of CEA (39.0% in 2 arterial beds, 7.6% in 3 arterial beds; n = 93,736) and 47% of LEB (41.0% in 2 arterial beds, 5.7% in 3 arterial beds; n = 25,223). For both CEA and LEB, patients with polyvascular disease had more comorbidities including hypertension, congestive heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and end-stage renal disease (P < .0001). Perioperative MI/death rates increased with increasing number of vascular beds affected following CEA (0.9% in 1 bed vs 1.5% in 2 beds vs 2.7% in 3 beds; P < .001) and LEB (2.2% in 1 bed vs 5.3% in 2 beds vs 6.6% in 3 beds; P < .001). Polyvascular disease was associated independently with perioperative MI/death after CEA (odds ratio, 1.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.40-1.81;P < .0001) and LEB (odds ratio, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.52-2.08; P < .0001). Five-year survival was decreased in patients with polyvascular disease after CEA (82% in 3 beds vs 88% in 2 beds vs 92% in 1 bed; P < .01) and LEB (72% in 3 beds vs 75% in 2 beds vs 84% in 1 bed; P < .01) in a dose-dependent manner, with the lowest 5-year survival observed in those with three arterial beds involved. Polyvascular disease was independently associated with 5-year mortality after CEA (hazard ratio, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.24-1.40; P = .0001) and LEB (hazard ratio, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.20-1.41; P = .0001)., Conclusions: Polyvascular disease is common in patients undergoing CEA and LEB and is associated with a higher risk of perioperative MI/death and decreased long-term survival. After revascularization, patients with polyvascular disease should be considered for more aggressive cardioprotective medications and closer follow-up., Competing Interests: Disclosures None., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Postoperative readmissions are common and costly. Office-initiated phone calls to patients shortly after discharge may identify concerns and allow for early intervention to prevent readmission. We sought to evaluate our 30-day readmission rate after the implementation of a standardized postoperative discharge phone call (PODPC) intervention, compared with a historical aggregated cohort., Methods: From July 2020 to 21, postoperative patients were prospectively identified at 48 hour after discharge. Medical assistants performed PODPCs, administering a survey designed to identify medical/surgical issues that could signify a complication and warrant escalation to a nurse practitioner (NP) for further management. Demographics, comorbidities, and procedure type were obtained retrospectively. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate PODPC responses, frequency of escalation, readmission, and reasons. The electronic medical record identified a historical aggregated cohort (July 2018 to 2019) and the 30-day readmission rate. A χ 2 analysis was used to compare readmission rates between the preintervention historical and PODPC intervention groups. Predictors of 30-day readmission were modeled with multivariable logistic regression., Results: Of 411 PODPCs conducted, 106 patients (26%) reported not feeling well; having concerns. Eighty-four PODPCs (20%) triggered escalation to a NP; of these, 60 patients (71%) were counseled over the phone by an NP, 16 (19%) were brought into clinic, 6 (7%) were sent to the emergency department, and 2 (2%) did not answer the NP call. Of 411 patients, 17% (n = 68) were readmitted within 30 days. Comparatively, the historical aggregated cohort readmission rate was significantly higher at 28% (n = 346; P < .001). On multivariable analysis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (odds ratio [OR], 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-3.65; P = .046), and feeling run down; having difficulty with movement; needing assistance for most activities (OR, 3.94; 95% CI, 2.09-7.43; P < .0001) were predictive of 30-day readmission when controlling for procedure type., Conclusions: Although readmissions remained common (>15%), being in the intervention cohort was associated with a significantly lower readmission rate compared with the historical aggregated cohort. One-fifth of PODPCs identified a concern; however, >90% of these could be managed by an NP by phone or in clinic. This PODPC intervention holds promise as a viable mechanism for decreasing readmissions., Competing Interests: Disclosures None., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Geographic information systems (GIS) provide a unique set of tools to spatially analyze health care and identify patterns of health outcomes to help optimize delivery. Our goal is to create maps of pediatric tracheostomy patients using GIS to assess socioeconomic and other factors that impact postoperative care after discharge to home., Methods: A retrospective study was performed on patients (≤21 years old) who underwent tracheostomy at a tertiary care pediatric hospital from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2020. Using GIS, we geocoded patient addresses and conducted spatial analyses of the relationship between patients and access to health care providers as well as vulnerable population factors including poverty, educational attainment, and single-parent households., Results: A total of 156 patients were included. Patients initially discharged to transitional care (108/156, 69.2%) had significantly higher likelihood of presenting to the ED regardless of socioeconomic status (OR: 2.28, 95% CI: 1.03-5.05; p = 0.042). There was no relationship between ED visit rate and median household income, poverty level, and percentage of uneducated adults (p = 0.490; p = 0.424; p = 0.752). Median distance to the tertiary care pediatric hospital was significantly longer for patients with no ED visit (median = 61.28 miles; SD = 50.90) compared with those with an ED visit (median = 37.75 miles; SD = 35.92) (p = 0.002)., Conclusion: The application of GIS could provide geo-localized data to better understand the healthcare barriers to access for children with tracheostomies. This study uniquely integrates medical record data with socioeconomic factors and social determinants of health., Level of Evidence: 4 Laryngoscope, 134:1919-1925, 2024., (© 2023 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)

Exercise therapy is first-line treatment for intermittent claudication due to peripheral artery disease. We sought to synthesize the literature on sex differences in response to exercise therapy for the treatment of intermittent claudication due to peripheral artery disease. A scoping review was performed (1997 to 2023) using Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Embase, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science. Articles were included if they were a scientific report of any measures of health-related quality of life or walking performance after an intervention that included a structured walking program. Of the 13 studies, 11 included measures of walking distance; 7 included measures of walking time, 5 included measures of walking speed, and 4 included quality of life measures. Overall, exercise therapy resulted in significant improvements across most measures of walking performance for both men and females. When comparing magnitudes of outcome improvement by sex, results of walking-based measures were contradictory; some studies noted no difference and others found superior outcomes for men. Results of quality of life-based measures were also contradictory, with some finding no difference and others reporting substantially more improvement for females. Both men and females experienced considerable improvement in walking performance and quality of life with exercise therapy. Evidence regarding the differential effect of exercise therapy on outcomes by sex for intermittent claudication is limited and contradictory. Further efforts should be directed at using standardized interventions and metrics for measuring the outcomes that match the indications for intervention in these patients to better understand the expected benefits and any variance according to sex., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To characterize the prevalence and presentation of laryngomalacia and efficacy of supraglottoplasty (SGP) in a cohort of patients with Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS)., Design: Retrospective cohort study., Setting: Tertiary-care children's hospital., Patients, Participants: Consecutive patients with PRS born between January 2010 and June 2018., Main Outcome Measures: Chart review included demographics, comorbid airway obstruction including laryngomalacia, timing of surgical interventions, clinical symptoms, sleep study data, and modified barium swallow study data., 126 patients with PRS were included; 54% had an associated syndrome, 64% had an overt cleft palate, and 22% had a submucous cleft palate. 64/126 were noted to have laryngomalacia (51%). Patients with concurrent PRS and laryngomalacia were significantly more likely to have submucous cleft palate ( P  = .005) and present with aspiration with cough ( P  = .01) compared to patients with PRS without laryngomalacia. Patients with concurrent laryngomalacia and PRS showed a significant decrease in apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and obstructive AHI (OAHI) after mandibular distraction, with a median AHI and OAHI improvement of 22.3 ( P  = .001) and 19.8 ( P  = .002), respectively. Patients who underwent only SGP did not show significant improvement in these parameters ( P  = .112 for AHI, P  = .064 for OAHI)., The prevalence of laryngomalacia in our PRS cohort was 51%. Patients with PRS and laryngomalacia are more likely to present with overt aspiration compared to patients with PRS without laryngomalacia. These data support that laryngomalacia does not appear to be a contraindication to pursuing MDO., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objective: Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs frequently in complex aortic surgery and has been implicated in perioperative and long-term survival. This study sought to characterize the relationship between AKI severity and mortality after fenestrated and branched endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (F/B-EVAR)., Methods: Consecutive patients enrolled by the US Aortic Research Consortium in 10, prospective, nonrandomized, physician-sponsored investigational device exemption studies evaluating F/B-EVAR, between 2005 and 2023, were included in this study. Perioperative AKI during hospitalization was defined by and staged using the 2012 Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria. Determinants of AKI were evaluated with backward stepwise mixed effects multivariable ordinal logistic regression. Survival was analyzed with conditionally adjusted survival curves and backward stepwise mixed effects Cox proportional hazards modelling., Results: In the study period, 2413 patients with a median (interquartile range [IQR]) age of 74 years (IQR, 69-79 years) underwent F/B-EVAR. The median follow-up duration was 2.2 years (IQR, 0.7-3.7 years). The median baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and creatinine were 68 mL/min/1.73 m 2 (IQR, 53-84 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ) and 1.1 mg/dL (IQR, 0.9-1.3 mg/dL), respectively. Stratification of AKI identified 316 patients (13%) with stage 1 injury, 42 (2%) with stage 2 injury, and 74 (3%) with stage 3 injury. Renal replacement therapy was initiated during the index hospitalization in 36 patients (1.5% of cohort, 49% of stage 3 injuries). Thirty-day major adverse events were associated with AKI severity (all P ≤ .0001). Multivariable predictors of AKI severity included baseline eGFR (proportional odds ratio, 0.9 per 10 mL/min/1.73 m 2 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.85-0.95 per 10 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ]; P < .0001), baseline serum hematocrit (0.58 per 10% [95% CI, 0.48-0.71 per 10%]; P < .0001), renal artery technical failure during aneurysm repair (3 [95% CI,1.61-5.72]; P = .0006), and total operating time (1.05 per 10 minutes [95% CI, 1.04-1.07 per 10 minutes]; P < .0001). One-year unadjusted survivals for AKI severity strata were 91% (95% CI, 90%-92%) for no injury, 80% (95% CI, 76%-85%) for stage 1 injury, 72% (95% CI, 59-87%) for stage 2 injury, and 46% (95% CI, 35-59%) for stage 3 injury (P<.0001). Multivariable determinants of survival included AKI severity (stage 1, hazard ratio [HR], 1.6 [95% CI, 1.3-2]); stage 2, HR, 2.2 [95% CI, 1.4-3.4]); stage 3 HR, 4 [95% CI, 2.9-5.5]; P < .0001), decreased eGFR (HR, 1.1 [95% CI, 0.9-1.3]; P = .4), patient age (HR, 1.6 per 10 years [95% CI, 1.4-1.8 per 10 years]; P < .0001), baseline chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (HR, 1.5 [95% CI, 1.3-1.8]; P < .0001), baseline congestive heart failure (HR, 1.7 [95% CI, 1.6-2.1]; P < .0001), postoperative paraplegia (HR, 2.1 [95% CI, 1.1-4]; P = .02), and procedural technical success (HR, 0.6 [95% CI, 0.4-0.8]; P = .003)., Conclusions: AKI, as defined by the 2012 Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria, occurred in 18% of patients after F/B-EVAR. Greater severity of AKI after F/B-EVAR was associated with decreased postoperative survival. The predictors of AKI severity identified in these analyses suggest a role for improved preoperative risk mitigation and staging of interventions in complex aortic repair., (Copyright © 2023 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess the validity of the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (ACR TI-RADS) for evaluating thyroid nodules in children., Methods: Patients aged <19 years with thyroid nodule(s) evaluated by ultrasound (US) from 2007-2018 at a tertiary children's hospital were included. Two radiologists scored de-identified thyroid US images using ACR TI-RADS (from 1, "benign" to 5, "highly suspicious"). The radiologists recorded size and rated vascularity for each nodule. Ultrasound findings were compared to pathology results (operative cases, n = 91) and clinical follow-up without disease progression (non-operative cases, n = 15)., Results: Thyroid images from 115 patients were reviewed. Nine patients were excluded due to the absence of an evaluable nodule. Forty-seven benign and 59 malignant nodules were included. Median age at ultrasound was 15 years (range 0.9-18 years). Twenty (18.9%) patients were male. There was moderate agreement between TI-RADS levels assigned by the two raters (kappa = 0.57, p < 0.001). When the raters' levels were averaged, >3 as the threshold for malignancy correctly categorized the greatest percentage of nodules (68.9%). Eleven (18.6%) malignant nodules received a TI-RADS level of 2 (n = 3) or 3 (n = 8). Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 81.4%, 53.2%, 68.6%, and 69.4%, respectively. Although not part of TI-RADS, vascularity was similar between benign and malignant nodules (p = 0.56)., Conclusion: In a pediatric population, TI-RADS can help distinguish between benign and malignant nodules with comparable sensitivity and specificity to adults. However, the positive and negative predictive values suggest TI-RADS alone cannot eliminate the need for FNA., Level of Evidence: 3 Laryngoscope, 133:2394-2401, 2023., (© 2022 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)

Objective: To report key characteristics and patterns of captive insurance claims not publicly reported in otolaryngology across a large tertiary-level academic health system over the previous 2 decades., Study Design: Case series., Setting: The tertiary care health system., Methods: The internal captive insurance database at a tertiary level healthcare system was queried to identify otolaryngology-related malpractice claims regardless of final disposition (settled or dismissed) filed from 2000 to 2020. The date of the incident, date of claim, error type, patient outcome, provider subspecialty, total expenses, disposition, and final reward amount were recorded., Results: Twenty-eight claims were identified. There were 11 (39.3%) claims from 2000 to 2010 and 17 (60.7%) claims from 2011 to 2020. Head and neck surgery was the most frequently implicated subspecialty (n = 9, 32.1% of all cases), followed by general otolaryngology (n = 7, 25.0%), pediatrics (n = 5, 17.9%), skull base/rhinology (n = 4, 14.3%), and laryngology (n = 1, 3.6%). Improper surgical performance was cited in 35.7% of cases (n = 10), followed by failure to diagnose (n = 8, 28.6%), to treat (n = 4, 14.3%), and to obtain informed consent (n = 3, 10.7%). While 2 cases are ongoing, a total of 17/26 (65.4%) cases were settled and 20/26 (76.9%) dismissed some or all parties. Dismissed claims had significantly higher expenses (p = .022) and duration from incident to disposition (p = .013) compared to settled claims., Conclusion: This study expands the malpractice landscape in otolaryngology by including data not readily available through public sources and compares it to national trends. These findings encourage otolaryngologists to better gauge current quality and safety measures that best protect patients from harm., (© 2023 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.)

Background: Peripheral arterial disease, characterized as arterial atherosclerotic disease, can lead to insufficient flow in the lower extremities and ischemia, with the most common clinical manifestation being intermittent claudication (IC). In 2022, the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) developed appropriate use criteria for the management of IC that used this systematic review as a source of evidence. The objective of this study is to synthesize the findings of the systematic review and identify evidence gaps., Methods: A comprehensive search of literature databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus was conducted from January 1, 2000, to November 30, 2022. Noncomparative and comparative observational studies and randomized controlled trials were included. Included studies evaluated exercise therapy, endovascular or open revascularization for the treatment of IC. Outcomes of interest (freedom from major adverse limb event, health-related quality of life, and walking distance) were compared in various subgroups (age, sex, diabetes, smoking status, anatomical location of disease, and optimal medical therapy)., Results: Twenty-six studies reported the outcomes of interest for the evidence map. The general conclusions of the studies that reported freedom from major adverse limb events were that reintervention rates for endovascular therapy at ≥2 years were >20%, major amputation rates were often not reported, and, after endovascular therapy, the 1-month mortality was low (<2%). Quality of life and walking distance data were sparse, limited to only endovascular intervention, and insufficient to make any strong conclusions., Conclusions: IC in patients with peripheral arterial disease poses a significant socioeconomic and health care burden. Major, consequential gaps exist in the IC literature with respect to the assessment of patient reported outcome measures, standardized measures of walking distance and the comparative effectiveness of initial exercise therapy vs invasive intervention. The evidence gaps identified by the Society for Vascular Surgery appropriate use criteria on IC systematic review serve as a guide for future research efforts to optimize care for this patient population., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is associated with worse survival following abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. However, little is known about the impact of PAD and sex on outcomes following open infrarenal AAA repair (OAR)., Methods: All elective open infrarenal AAA cases were queried from the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative from 2003 to 2022. PAD was defined as history of non-cardiac arterial bypass, non-coronary percutaneous vascular intervention (PVI), or non-traumatic major amputation. Cohorts were stratified by sex and history of PAD. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were constructed to assess the primary endpoints: 30-day and 5-year mortality, respectively., Results: Of 4910 patients who underwent elective OAR, 3421 (69.7%) were men without PAD, 298 (6.1%) were men with PAD, 1098 (22.4%) were women without PAD, and 93 (1.9%) were women with PAD. Men with PAD had prior bypass (45%), PVI (62%), and amputation (6.7%). Women with PAD had prior bypass (32%), PVI (76%), and amputation (5.4%). Thirty-day mortality was significantly higher in men with PAD compared with men without PAD (4.4% vs 1.7%; P = .001) and in women with PAD compared with women without PAD (7.5% vs 2.4%; P = .01). After risk adjustment, when compared with men without PAD, women with PAD had nearly four times the odds of 30-day mortality (odds ratio, 3.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.55-9.64; P = .004) and men with PAD had almost three times the odds of 30-day mortality (odds ratio, 2.77; 95% CI, 1.42-5.40; P = .003). Five-year survival was 87.8% in men without PAD, 77.8% in men with PAD, 85% in women without PAD, and 76.2% in women with PAD (P < .001). After risk adjustment, only men with PAD had an increased hazard of death at 5 years (hazard ratio, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.07-2.17; P = .019) compared with men without PAD., Conclusions: PAD is a potent risk factor for increased perioperative mortality in both men and women following OAR. In women, this equates to nearly four times the odds of perioperative mortality compared with men without PAD. Future study evaluating risk/benefit is needed to determine if women with PAD reflect a high-risk cohort that may benefit from a more conservative OAR threshold for treatment., (Copyright © 2023 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Endoleaks are more common after fenestrated/branched endovascular aneurysm repair (F/B-EVAR) than infrarenal EVAR secondary to the length of aortic coverage and number of component junctions. Although reports have focused on type I and III endoleaks, less is known regarding type II endoleaks after F/B-EVAR. We hypothesized that type II endoleaks would be common and often complex (associated with additional endoleak types), given the potential for multiple inflow and outflow sources. We sought to describe the incidence and complexity of type II endoleaks after F/B-EVAR., Methods: F/B-EVAR data prospectively collected at a single institution in an investigational device exemption clinical trial (G130210) were retrospectively analyzed (2014-2021). Endoleaks were characterized by type, time to detection, and management. Primary endoleaks were defined as those present on completion imaging or at first postoperative imaging, and secondary were those on subsequent imaging. Recurrent endoleaks were those that developed after a successfully resolved endoleak. Reinterventions were considered for type I or III endoleaks or any endoleak associated with sac growth >5 mm. Technical success defined as the absence of flow in the aneurysm sac at procedure conclusion and methods of intervention were captured., Results: Among 335 consecutive F/B-EVARs (mean ± standard deviation follow-up: 2.5 ± 1.5 years), 125 patients (37%) experienced 166 endoleaks (81 primary, 72 secondary, and 13 recurrent). Of these 125 patients, 50 (40% of patients) underwent 71 interventions for 60 endoleaks. Type II endoleaks were the most frequent (n = 100, 60%), with 20 identified during the index procedure, 12 (60%) of which resolved before 30-day follow-up. Of the 100 type II endoleaks, 20 (20%; 12 primary, 5 secondary, and 3 recurrent) were associated with sac growth; 15 (75%) of those with associated sac growth underwent intervention. At intervention, 6 (40%) were reclassified as complex, with a concomitant type I or type III endoleak. Initial technical success for endoleak treatment was 96% (68 of 71). There were 13 recurrences, all of which were associated with complex endoleaks., Conclusions: Nearly half of the patients who underwent F/B-EVAR experienced an endoleak. The majority were classified as type II, with nearly a fifth associated with sac expansion. Interventions for a type II endoleak frequently led to reclassification as complex, with a concomitant type I or III endoleak not appreciated on computed tomography angiography and/or duplex. Further study is needed to determine if the primary treatment goal for complex aneurysm repair is sac stability or sac regression, as this would inform both the importance of properly classifying endoleaks noninvasively and the intervention threshold for managing type II endoleaks., (Copyright © 2023 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Although the Society for Vascular Surgery recommends repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) at 5.5 cm or greater in men and 5.0 cm or greater in women, AAA repair below these thresholds has been well-documented. There are clear indications for repair other than these strict size criteria, but the expected proportion of such repairs in one's practice has not been studied. We sought to characterize the indications for repairs of aneurysms below diameter recommendations at a single academic center. Using the assumption that this real-world experience would approximate that of other practices, we then used national data to extrapolate these findings., Methods: A single-center retrospective review was conducted of all elective open AAA (oAAA) and endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) from 2010 to 2020 to assess the incidence of and indications for repair of aneurysms below diameter recommendations (defined as <5.5 cm in men and <5.0 cm in women). Reasons for these repairs were defined as (1) iliac aneurysm, (2) saccular morphology, (3) rapid expansion, (4) patient anxiety, (5) distal embolization, (6) other, and (7) no documented reason. The Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) was queried for all asymptomatic oAAA and EVAR (2010-2020) and repairs below diameter recommendations were identified. Findings from the single-center analysis were applied to the VQI cohort to extrapolate estimates of reasons for repairs done nationally. In-hospital mortality and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were compared between those below size recommendations and those meeting size recommendations., Results: Of 456 elective AAA repairs at our center, 147 (32%) were below size recommendations. This finding was more common for EVAR (35% vs 28%). Reasons were: not documented (41%), iliac aneurysm (23%), saccular (10%), rapid expansion (10%), patient anxiety (7%), other (6%), and distal embolism (3%). Of 44,820 elective AAA repairs in the VQI, 17,057 (38%) were below size recommendations (40% EVAR, 26% oAAA). Patients who were repaired below size recommendations had lower in-hospital death (oAAA, 2.4% vs 4.6% [P < .0001]; EVAR, 0.3% vs 0.8% [P < .0001]). When single-center findings were applied to the VQI dataset, an estimated 10,064 repairs were performed nationally for acceptable indications other than size criteria. Conversely, there may have been 6993 repairs (with an associated 35 deaths) performed without documented indication., Conclusions: Repairs for AAA below the recommended diameter guidelines account for approximately one-third of all elective AAA procedures in both the VQI and our single-center experience. Assuming our practice is typical, nearly 60% of repairs below size recommendations meet the criteria for other clear reasons. The remaining 40% lack a documented reason, meaning that 13% of all elective AAA repairs were done for aneurysms below size recommendations without an acceptable indication. As awareness of overuse and underuse is heightened, these data help to estimate the expected proportion of repairs for less common pathologies. They also provide a potential baseline data point for efforts at decreasing overuse., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: In the present study, we have described the technical success using Fiber Optic RealShape (FORS) endovascular guidance and its effects on the overall procedural time and radiation usage during complex endovascular aortic repair (EVAR)., Methods: Fenestrated and branched EVARs performed at a single center from 2017 to 2022 were prospectively studied. FORS-guided procedures were matched retrospectively 1:3 to non-FORS-guided procedures by the incorporated target arteries and body mass index. Technical success was defined as successful target vessel cannulation using FORS for the entirety of navigation (wire insertion to exchange for a stiff wire). The predictors of technical success were evaluated via logistic regression. The procedural times and radiation doses were compared between the matched cohorts using the Wilcoxon rank sum test., Results: A total of 21 FORS-guided procedures were matched to 61 non-FORS-guided procedures. A total of 95 FORS cannulations were attempted (87 for the visceral target artery and 8 for the bifurcate gate). Technical success was achieved in 81 cannulations (85%); 15 (16%) were completed without the use of live fluoroscopy. The univariate predictors of FORS technical success included <50% target artery stenosis, <50% target artery calcification, and the target vessel attempted (P < .05 for each). FORS failures were attributed to device material properties in six cases, device failure in two cases, and the wire/catheter combination in six. The use of FORS guidance was associated with shorter median procedural and fluoroscopy times and a lower dose area product and air kerma (P ≤ .0001 for each)., Conclusions: The results from our initial experience with FORS during complex EVAR, including our learning curve, has shown promise, with acceptable technical success and reductions in procedural times and radiation usage., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are often identified incidentally on imaging studies. Patients and/or providers are frequently unaware of these AAA and the need for long-term follow-up. We sought to evaluate the outcome of a nurse-navigator-run AAA program that uses a natural language processing (NLP) algorithm applied to the electronic medical record (EMR) to identify patients with imaging report-identified AAA not being followed actively., Methods: A commercially available AAA-specific NLP system was run on EMR data at a large, academic, tertiary hospital with an 11-year historical look back (January 1, 2010, to June 2, 2021), to identify and characterize AAA. Beginning June 3, 2021, a direct link between the NLP system and the EMR enabled for real-time review of imaging reports for new AAA cases. A nurse-navigator (1.0 full-time equivalent) used software filters to categorize AAA according to predefined metrics, including repair status and adherence to Society for Vascular Surgery imaging surveillance protocol. The nurse-navigator then interfaced with patients and providers to reestablish care for patients not being followed actively. The nurse-navigator characterized patients as case closed (eg, deceased, appropriate follow-up elsewhere, refuses follow-up), cases awaiting review, and cases reviewed and placed in ongoing surveillance using AAA-specific software. The primary outcome measures were yield of surveillance imaging performed or scheduled, new clinic visits, and AAA operations for patients not being followed actively., Results: During the prospective study period (January 1, 2021, to December 30, 2021), 6,340,505 imaging reports were processed by the NLP. After filtering for studies likely to include abdominal aorta, 243,889 imaging reports were evaluated, resulting in the identification of 6495 patients with AAA. Of these, 2937 cases were reviewed and closed, 1183 were reviewed and placed in ongoing surveillance, and 2375 are awaiting review. When stratifying those reviewed and placed in ongoing surveillance by maximum aortic diameter, 258 were 2.5 to 3.4 cm, 163 were 3.5 to 3.9 cm, 213 were 4 to 5 cm, and 49 were larger than 5 cm; 36 were saccular, 86 previously underwent open repair, 274 previously underwent endovascular repair, and 104 were other. This process yielded 29 new patient clinic visits, 40 finalized imaging studies, 29 scheduled imaging studies, and 4 AAA operations in 3 patients among patients not being followed actively., Conclusions: The application of an AAA program leveraging NLP successfully identifies patients with AAA not receiving appropriate surveillance or counseling and repair. This program offers an opportunity to improve best practice-based care across a large health system., (Copyright © 2022 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The United States healthcare system uses different methods for assigning medical center reimbursement (MCR) and professional reimbursement (PR) for clinical services. We hypothesized that PR has not increased proportionately to MCR for the same vascular services., Methods: MCR and PR were compared for commonly performed inpatient and outpatient vascular procedures between 2012 and 2021. MCR was calculated using the Medicare inpatient prospective payment system and outpatient prospective payment system. MCR is based on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services definition and criteria for comorbidities and the occurrence of complications; thus, changes in MCR were reported as a range based on the degree of comorbidities and complications using the Diagnosis Related Group. PR was calculated using the Medicare physician fee schedule, which assigns a numerical work relative value unit to each surgical service, with final compensation determined by an annually adjusted conversion factor to yield a final dollar amount. The expected reimbursement based on the observed inflation during the study period using the consumer price index was calculated and compared to the actual reimbursement., Results: From 2012 to 2021, MCR for inpatient procedures increased 20% to 26% for carotid endarterectomy, 24% to 27% for femoral endarterectomy, 24% to 27% for femoropopliteal bypass with vein, 14% to 19% for thoracic endovascular aortic repair, and 15% for aortobifemoral bypass. During the same period, PR increased 3.3% for carotid endarterectomy but decreased for femoral endarterectomy (-5.0%), femoropopliteal bypass (-4.6%), thoracic endovascular aortic repair (-4.2%), and aortobifemoral bypass (-5.0%). Comparing the expected reimbursement, adjusted for inflation, to the actual reimbursement, PR experienced a 10% to 17% reduction but MCR outpaced inflation by 3.7% to 10%. For outpatient procedures, MCR increased 117% for tibial angioplasty, 24% for superficial femoral artery (SFA) stenting, 62% for tunneled dialysis catheter (TDC) insertion, and 24% for iliac stenting but decreased 0.43% for arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation and 7.6% for radiofrequency ablation (RFA). PR increased 0.91% for SFA stenting but decreased for tibial angioplasty (-17%), AVF creation (-6.4%), TDC insertion (-7.1%), iliac stenting (-3.8%), and RFA (-22%). Comparing the expected reimbursement, adjusted for inflation, to the actual reimbursement, PR experienced a 13% to 32% reduction. In contrast, MCR outpaced inflation 7.5% to 88% for tibial angioplasty, SFA stenting, TDC insertion, and iliac stenting but experienced a reduction for AVF (-13%) and RFA (-19%)., Conclusions: MCR for commonly performed vascular procedures has increased and outpaced inflation. In contrast, PR for these same services has decreased across all procedure types. This decrease in PR was exacerbated when adjusted for inflation. This inequity in the reimbursement methods between MCR and PR poses a threat to the viability of the physician workforce. Either changes to the reimbursement methods or a reallocation of reimbursement to physicians are imperative to sustain physician practices., (Copyright © 2022 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Traditionally, data regarding thyroidectomy were extracted from billing databases, but information may be missed. In this study, a multi-institutional pediatric thyroidectomy database was used to evaluate recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury and hypoparathyroidism., Study Design: Retrospective multi-institutional cohort study., Setting: Tertiary care pediatric hospital systems throughout North America., Methods: Data were individually collected for thyroidectomies, then entered into a centralized database and analyzed using univariate and multivariable regression models., Results: In total, 1025 thyroidectomies from 10 institutions were included. Average age was 13.9 years, and 77.8% were female. Average hospital stay was 1.9 nights and 13.5% of patients spent at least 1 night in the pediatric intensive care unit. The most frequent pathology was papillary thyroid carcinoma (42%), followed by Graves' disease (20.1%) and follicular adenoma (18.2%). Overall, 1.1% of patients experienced RLN injury (0.8% permanent), and 7.2% experienced hypoparathyroidism (3.3% permanent). Lower institutional volume (odds ratio [OR], 3.57; 95% CI, 1.72-7.14) and concurrent hypoparathyroidism (OR, 3.51; 95% CI, 1.64-7.53) correlated with RLN injury on multivariable analysis. Graves' disease (OR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.35-3.80), Hashimoto's thyroiditis (OR, 4.67; 95% CI, 2.39-9.09), central neck dissection (OR, 3.60; 95% CI, 2.36-5.49), and total vs partial thyroidectomy (OR, 7.14; 95% CI, 4.55-11.11) correlated with hypoparathyroidism., Conclusion: These data present thyroidectomy information and complications pertinent to surgeons, along with preoperative risk factor assessment. Multivariable analysis showed institutional volume and hypoparathyroidism associated with RLN injury, while hypoparathyroidism associated with surgical indication, central neck dissection, and extent of surgery. Low complication rates support the safety of thyroidectomy in pediatric tertiary care centers.

As an emerging technology, fenestrated and branched endovascular aneurysm repair (F/BEVAR) shows tremendous promise for managing complex aortic disease. However, pathways for building and growing a clinical program capable of successfully performing these repairs remain ill-defined. Fundamental to the process of program building is determining a clear vision of what defines success for the group and organization. First steps include decisions about the scope of the program and involvement of the US Food and Drug Administration. These decisions are interrelated with decisions about the extent of aneurysms that a program will treat and the types of devices needed to do so. The required financial resources and organizational infrastructure must be considered, with a thoughtful approach to the feasibility of such a clinical program. As for any clinical program, growth requires a track record of good clinical outcomes, patient experiences, and referring physician experiences. We describe an overview of these general considerations, while recognizing that local factors may dictate the applicability or lack thereof., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interests The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Patients undergoing revascularization for chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) are at elevated risk for both mortality and limb loss. To facilitate therapeutic decision-making, a mortality prediction model derived from the Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) database has stratified patients into low, medium, and high risk, defined by 30-day mortality estimates of ≤3%, 3%-5%, or >5% and 2-year mortality estimates of ≤30%, 30%-50%, or ≥50%, respectively. The purpose of this study was to compare expected mortality risk derived from this model with observed outcomes in a tertiary center., Methods: Consecutive patients treated at a single center between 2016 and 2019 were analyzed. Baseline demographics, approach, and mortality events were reviewed. Observed mortality was obtained using life-table methods and compared using a log-rank test with the expected mortality risk that was calculated using the VQI model., Results: This study cohort consisted of 195 revascularization procedures in 169 unique patients stratified into 128 (66%) low-, 50 (26%) medium-, and 17 (8%) high-risk cases based on the VQI model. Ninety percent of revascularizations were performed for tissue loss. Compared with the VQI population, comorbidities were prevalent and included unstable angina or myocardial infarction within 6 months (6% vs 2.4% in VQI; P < .001), congestive heart failure (30% vs 23%; P < .001), and dialysis dependence (14% vs 0.9%; P < .001). Patients were also older (31% vs 21% ≥80 years old; P < .001) and more likely to be frail (45% vs 64% independent; P < .001). High-risk patients were more prevalent in the endovascular group (11% of 132 endovascular interventions vs 3% of 63 bypasses; P = .056). Thirty-day observed mortality exceeded expected VQI prediction model mortality in all groups, although was not statistically significant. The VQI model adequately stratified the studied population into risk groups (P < .001). Low-risk patients with CLTI (65% of the overall cohort) experienced 2-year mortality of 18.9%. However, observed mortality rates for medium- and high-risk VQI strata were similar. After a median follow-up of 28 months, medium-risk patients incurred a significantly higher mortality than predicted (53.5% ± 2.1% vs 36.8% ± 1.1%; P = .016)., Conclusions: The VQI mortality prediction model discriminates mortality risk after limb revascularization in CLTI, accurately identifying a majority subgroup of patients who are suitable for either open or endovascular intervention. However, it may underestimate mortality in a tertiary referral population with high comorbidity burden and was not well calibrated for the medium-risk group. It may be more appropriate to dichotomize patients with CLTI who are candidates for limb salvage into an average-risk and high-risk group., (Copyright © 2022 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives/hypothesis: Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (HT) is a common cause of hypothyroidism. Among adults with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), HT appears to be associated with less severe disease burden. In the absence of information regarding HT and disease burden among children with DTC, we assessed the relationship between pediatric DTC severity and HT., Study Design: Retrospective cohort., Methods: Charts from 90 pediatric patients who underwent surgical removal of DTC from 2002 to 2017 at tertiary-care children's hospital were reviewed. Demographic, clinical, surgical, pathology, and outcome details were compared between patients with and without HT. Consistency among diagnostic modalities of HT was also evaluated., Results: Median age at presentation was 16.0 years (range 4.2-18.9 years). Twenty-two patients were male (24%). Forty-five patients (50%) had HT based on presence of thyroid autoantibodies and/or surgical pathology findings and 45 patients did not have HT. Patients with HT had increased odds of microcalcifications (odds ratio [OR]: 3.01, P = .031) and decreased odds of palpable nodules (OR: 0.212, P = .024) and T2 lesions (vs. T1) (OR: 0.261, P = .015) compared with non-HT. No significant differences in demographics and the incidence of multifocality, extrathyroidal extension, lymphovascular invasion, lymph node or pulmonary metastases, disease recurrence, or radioactive iodine treatment were found between the two groups. Thyroglobulin/thyroid peroxidase autoantibodies and surgical pathology indicative of HT were concordant in 82.4% (κ = 0.635, P < .001)., Conclusion: HT was present in 50% of children with DTC. Patients with DTC and HT presented with smaller tumors compared to non-HT patients. No significant differences in other markers of disease aggressiveness were found between the two groups., Level of Evidence: 3 Laryngoscope, 132:1668-1674, 2022., (© 2021 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)

Objective: Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is used as a marker of glycemic control, but the role of HbA1c before lower extremity bypass (LEB) in patients with diabetes remains unclear. We sought to characterize patients with diabetes undergoing LEB with and without HbA1c monitoring and to determine if HbA1c monitoring practices correlate with better outcomes., Methods: The Vascular Quality Initiative was queried for all LEB in patients with diabetes (2010-2020). Patients with diabetes were characterized based on therapy: diet-controlled, noninsulin medication use, or insulin use. Glycemic control was characterized by preoperative HbA1c within 6 months of surgery: unknown control (no HbA1c), well-controlled (HbA1c <7%), poorly-controlled (HbA1c 7%-10%), and uncontrolled (HbA1c >10%). Centers with >5 LEB/y were stratified into terciles according to rate of HbA1c monitoring. The unadjusted associations between glycemic control and in-hospital major adverse limb events, major adverse cardiac events, and mortality were assessed with univariate methods. The independent association of center-level HbA1c monitoring with 5-year survival and 3-year amputation-free survival (AFS) was determined with Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox regression modeling, adjusted for differences in patient characteristics and center volume., Results: Of 16,092 patients with diabetes undergoing LEB, 4055 (25%) did not have a documented HbA1c. Insulin use was less common in no A1c (48%) and well-controlled diabetes (39%) compared with poorly controlled (67%) and uncontrolled diabetes (78%) (P < .01). In univariate analyses, glycemic control was not associated with differences for in-hospital major adverse limb events, major adverse cardiac events, or mortality. Of 162 centers, HbA1c monitoring practices varied widely (range: 12.5%-100% of LEB). The 3-year AFS and 5-year survival were worse in the highest monitoring tercile vs the lowest (73.6% vs 77.3%, P < .01, 72.1% vs 77.5%, P < .01, respectively). On multivariable analyses, centers in the highest tercile of monitoring had the greatest hazard of AFS (hazard ratio: 1.21, 95% confidence interval: 1.1-1.3, P < .001) and overall mortality (hazard ratio: 1.19, 95% confidence interval: 1.1-1.3, P < 0.001), compared with the centers in the lowest tercile of monitoring., Conclusions: Patients with diabetes and no preoperative HbA1c monitoring do not have worse LEB outcomes compared with those with HbA1c monitoring. Preoperative HbA1c monitoring varies widely, suggesting broad differences in practice and documentation. Centers with the highest rates of monitoring demonstrated inferior outcomes, likely due to other confounding unmeasured variables. These findings indicate that HbA1c monitoring before LEB, unto itself, should not be used as a measure of surgical quality., (Copyright © 2022 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)