Otolaryngology News

The use of sign language for deaf children who receive cochlear implants by 3 years provides no observable benefits in the learning of spoken language before or after implantation, according to a study published in Pediatrics.

Risk for any mental disorder, OCD and tic disorders was higher among individuals aged 18 years or younger with streptococcal or nonstreptococcal throat infection, particularly for those with strep throat.

Despite manufacturers’ warnings against using cotton-tipped applicators to clean the inside of the ear, foreign body and tympanic membrane perforation diagnoses continue to occur in children, especially when they use the products on their own, according to research published in The Journal of Pediatrics.

Although throat infection, utilization and school absences improved in children who received tonsillectomy compared with those who did not, the benefits did not persist longer than the first postsurgical year, according to findings published in Pediatrics.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery recently updated their recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of cerumen impaction, emphasizing that patients should avoid overcleaning their ears due to increased risk of ear canal damage, infection, and exacerbated cerumen impaction.

Young children treated with short-duration amoxicillin-clavulanate for acute otitis media experienced greater clinical failure compared with children treated over standard-duration, according to data published in New England Journal of Medicine.

Physicians are inappropriately prescribing broad spectrum antibiotics to treat otitis media, sinusitis and pharyngitis in nearly 50% of cases, according to data published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Cochlear synaptopathy, or hidden hearing loss, was associated with college students’ difficulty in comprehending speech in challenging auditory environments, according to recent study findings.

A questionnaire on adenotonsillectomy produced reliable assessments and differences in parental and clinician knowledge and decision-making regarding childhood obstructive sleep-disordered breathing, according to study results.

Children impacted by congenital Zika virus should be considered at an increased risk for hearing impairment and late-onset hearing loss, warranting regular follow-up after initial screenings, according to a recent MMWR.