Otolaryngology (ENT)

Systematic review: central meds and psychological therapies most consistent for functional globus

This systematic review of 15 studies (8 RCTs, 7 nonrandomized; N=784) evaluated treatments for adult functional globus pharyngeus. Controlled trials found SSRIs and low-dose tricyclic antidepressants outperformed acid suppression. Structured psychological interventions produced comparable symptom relief with fewer adverse effects. Peripheral neuromodulation (transcutaneous electroacupuncture, auricular VNS) showed short-term benefit in small studies and requires replication. 1

Family experiences in a pediatric precision-medicine trial: recommendations common and valued

In the PRISM trial, about 70% of families received a treatment recommendation after genomic review. Parents reported high involvement (93/100) and satisfaction (95/100) with decisions. Receiving a recommendation correlated with hope and perceived options and was not associated with increased trial regret. 2

Early postoperative voice-change phenotypes predict short-term burden after thyroidectomy

In a prospective cohort (n=245 analyzed), unsupervised clustering of POD2 voice spectra identified three phenotypes (A/B/C). Phenotype B had markedly greater short-term burden with a 53.6% VHI-30 responder rate at POD7 versus 1.7% and 1.5% for A and C. Phenotypes differed significantly in VHI-30 and Grade change, and phenotype B was not explained by operative extent or approach. 3