BACKGROUND: Without timely and effective rehabilitation, hearing loss may profoundly affect human life quality. China has a large population of hearing-impaired individuals, which imposes a heavy health burden on society. Moreover, this population is projected to increase rapidly owing to China's aging society. METHODS: We used data from a population-representative epidemiological investigation of hearing loss and ear diseases in four Chinese provinces. We estimated the national prevalence using multiple linear regression of the age-group proportions and prevalence in 31 provinces with clustering analysis. We used years lived with disability (YLDs) to analyze the disease burden and forecasted the prevalence of hearing loss by 2060 in China. RESULTS: An estimated 115 million people had moderate-to-complete hearing loss in 2015 across the 31 provinces of China (8.4% of 1.37 billion people). Of these, 85.7% were older than age 50 years (99 million people) and 2.4% were younger than 20 years old (2.8 million people). Of all YLDs attributable to hearing loss, 68.9% were attributable to moderate-to-complete cases. By 2060, a projected 242 million people in China will have moderate-to-complete hearing loss, a 110.0% increase from 2015. CONCLUSIONS The hearing loss prevalence in China is high. Population aging and socioeconomic factors substantially affect the prevalence and severity of hearing loss and the disease burden. The prevalence and severity of hearing loss are unevenly distributed across different provinces. Future public health policies should take these trends and regional variations into account.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Hearing Loss/epidemiology* ; Prevalence ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Aged ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Infant ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cost of Illness

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of ectopic bronchogenic cysts in children.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data including the clinical characteristics, auxiliary examination and treatment of 21 children with ectopic bronchogenic cysts diagnosed pathologically at Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from July 2015 to December 2023. There were 16 males and 5 females, with a male-female ratio of 3.2∶1, and the age ranged from 4 days to 8 years old (median age 2 years and 8 months).Results:Among the 21 cases of ectopic bronchogenic cysts, 11 cases were found in the pharynx, with symptoms including dyspnea (4 cases), snoring during sleep (3 cases), and choking on milk(4 cases).Ten cases were found in the head, neck or anterior chest, 5 of these cases had infection history, and 5 showed progressive mass growth.Imaging and endoscopy showed 9 patients underwent preoperative color ultrasonography revealed cystic masses with well-defined boundaries. CT examination was performed on 13 patients, which showed round or nearly round masses with homogeneous density, smooth margins, and regular cyst walls. CT attenuation values ranged from 2 to 52 Hounsfield Units (HU). Four cystic lesions were assessed via MRI, 3 cases demonstrated long T1 and long T2 signals, while 1 case had a slight short T1 and long T2 signal, with high signal intensity on fat-suppressed images. Eleven cases of pharyngopharyngeal cysts were examined by electronic nasopharyngoscopy. The cysts appeared as spherical or ovoid masses with smooth surfaces, close to or slightly light in color with the surrounding tissue, with one cyst presenting with a bluish blue in the oropharynx. All 11 pharyngeal cysts were excised using low-temperature plasma under general anesthesia and intubation assisted by a nasal endoscope. The cysts were pulled and excised as completely as possible.Ten cases of neck and anterior chest cysts were completely excised. Postoperative histopathology confirmed bronchogenic cyst. Twenty-one children were followed up postoperatively for 4 months to 7 years without recurrence, except for 1 patient who was lost to follow-up.Conclusions:Ectopic bronchogenic cysts are uncommon and lack of typical imaging and clinical features.Combination of ultrasonography, CT and MRI is recommended for cases occuered in neck and anterior chest, while electronic nasopharyngoscopy complements pharyngeal evaluations. Surgical intervention is the preferred treatment choice for this disease.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and endoscopic surgical procedures of the second branchial cleft cyst type Ⅳ in children.Methods:A retrospective review was conducted on 15 pediatric cases with type Ⅳ second branchial cleft cysts treated at the Beijing Children′s Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University and Henan Children′s Hospital from September 2019 to November 2023. All patients underwent excision via a two-person, three-hand endoscopic transoral approach. The cohort included 12 males and 3 females, with an age range of 10 months to 10 years and 5 months, and a median age of (59.20±32.05) months. The clinical data of initial symptoms, sides, imaging features, treatment methods, complications, length of hospital stay, prognosis and outcome were recorded and analyzed. SPSS 22.0 software was used for statistical analysis.Results:Of the 15 children, 13 cases presented with snoring as the primary symptom, 1 case with dysphagia, and 1 case was asymptomatic and was found unintentionally. The mean disease duration was (6.74±9.05) months (range, from 3 days-2 years). MRI revealed cystic lesions on the right side in 12 cases and on the left side in 3 cases, characterized by uniform long T2 signal, equal T1 or short T1 signal. The cysts appeared dumbbell-shaped in 10 cases with the pharyngeal constrictor muscle as the waist, the posterior outside of the mass was adjacent to the internal carotid artery. The remaining 5 cases showed an isolated cyst located inside the pharyngeal constrictor muscle. The intraoperative MRI findings were consistent. Partial cystectomy was performed in 10 cases near the internal carotid artery, leaving only the portion with a clear arterial pulse intact. Five cases with isolated cysts on the medial side of the pharyngeal constrictor muscle were totally removed. The average length of hospital stay was (4.53±0.52) days (4-5 days). All patients were followed up for 7-56 months [median (30±15.12) months] with no recurrence of symptoms observed.Conclusions:The second branchial cleft cyst type Ⅳ in children is characterized by prominent pharyngeal cystic mass, with snoring as a predominant initial symptom, MRI provides excellent diagnostic value. The two-person, third-hand endoscopic transoral approach for cyst excision is feasible, safe, and offers the benefits of minimal invasiveness and reduced hospitalization time.

Objective:To investigate the pathogenesis, clinical signs and diagnosing procedures of relapsing polychondritis(RP) in children with airway involvement.Methods:The medical history, clinical symptoms, physical examination, electronic laryngoscopy and imaging findings of six patients were retrospectively analyzed. The patients diagnosed as relapsing polychondritis with involving the airway from January 2018 to December 2021 were in our hospital. The clinical features of the 6 cases were summarized.Results:All 6 patients were male, ranging in age from 8 years 1 month to 14 years 1 month, with a median age of 12.04 years. Stridor and dyspnea were observed in all patients, with hoarseness in 2 patients and frequently nocturnal dyspnea during sleep in 2 patients. Initially, all children were diagnosed as laryngitis or laryngotracheitis, and were treated symptomatically with glucocorticoids and aerosol inhalation. Immunosuppressants and targeted therapy with biologics were given after patients diagnosed as RP. All patients were ultimately required tracheostomy. The time from the onset of airway symptoms to tracheostomy ranged from 1 month to 27 months. Two children had a history of endotracheal intubation prior to tracheostomy. All 6 patients underwent electronic laryngoscopy, revealing involvement of the laryngeal and subglottic mucosa and cartilage structures, which showed gradual improvement with medical therapy. Computed tomography (CT) of the trachea with three-dimensional reconstruction was performed in all patients, demonstrating moderate to severe subglottic stenosis. Two patients exhibited complete airway obstruction at the C4-C6 cervical level. Three children underwent suspension laryngoscopy under general anesthesia and endotracheal mucosal biopsy.Of the 6 children, 3 presented with nasal tip collapse or saddle nose, 2 had auricular cartilage changed, and 1 had scleralinvolvement. One patient underwent PET-CT scanning, which revealed tracheal collapse, diffuse increase in FDG(Flurodeoxyglucose)metabolism with increased FDG uptake in the nasal alar regions. All children were followed up for 2-3 years, 1 child died, while the remaining five continued to receive medical treatment.Conclusions:Relapsing polychondritis with airway involvement has an insidious onset and is difficult to diagnose. The airway stenosisresulting from RP is always severe and necessitating tracheotomy to maintain airway patency in the majority of cases.The treatment coursef or RP is prolonged, requiring long-term tracheostomy tube placement.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the therapeutic effect of autologous costal cartilage transplantation with anterior/posterior split of cricoid cartilage on laryngotracheal stenosis in children.METHODS A retrospective analysis of 12 cases of laryngotracheal stenosis in children treated with anterior/posterior split of cricoid cartilage combined with T-tube implantation in Beijing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University in recent years.There were 5 males and 7 females,aged from 2 years and 6 months to 16 years and 9 months,with an average age of 8 years and 9 months.There were 2 cases of grade Ⅱ stenosis,9 cases of grade Ⅲ stenosis and 1 case of grade Ⅳ stenosis.All cases underwent tracheotomy before operation.The course of disease ranged from 4 months to 6 years,with an average of 3 years.RESULTS Of the 12 patients,10(83.3％)were cured,and the tracheotomy cannula was successfully removed to restore normal breathing and pronunciation function.There were 2 cases of extubation failure,including 1 case of grade Ⅲ stenosis and 1 case of grade Ⅳ stenosis.CONCLUSION The etiology of laryngotracheal stenosis in children is complex and difficult to treat.Anterior/posterior split costal cartilage transplantation combined with T-tube implantation through internal/external cervical approach can achieve good therapeutic effect in the treatment of laryngotracheal stenosis in children.

Objective:To investigate long-term auditory changes and characteristics of Alport syndrome（AS） patients with different degrees of renal injury. Methods:Retrospectively analyzing clinical data of patients diagnosed AS from January 2007 to September 2022, including renal pathology, genetic detection and hearing examination. A long-term follow-up focusing on hearing and renal function was conducted. Results:This study included 70 AS patients, of which 33（25 males, 8 females, aged 3.4-27.8 years） were followed up, resulting in a loss rate of 52.9%.The follow-up period ranged from 1.1to 15.8 years, with 16 patients followed-up for over 10 years. During the follow-up, 10 patients presenting with hearing abnormalities at the time of diagnosis of AS had progressive hearing loss, and 3 patients with new hearing abnormalities were followed up, which appeared at 5-6 years of disease course. All of which were sensorineural deafness. While only 3 patients with hearing abnormalities among 13 patients received hearing aid intervention. Of these patients,7 developed end-stage renal disease（ESRD）, predominantly males （6/7）. The rate of long-term hearing loss was significantly different between ESRD group and non-ESRD group（P=0.013）. There was no correlation between the progression of renal disease and long-term hearing level（P>0.05）. kidney biopsies from 28 patients revealed varying degrees of podocyte lesion and uneven thickness of basement membrane. The severity of podocyte lesion was correlated with the rate of long-term hearing loss（P=0.048）, and there was no correlation with the severity of hearing loss（P>0.05）. Among 11 cases, theCOL4A5mutationwas most common （8 out of 11）, but there was no significant correlation between the mutation type and hearing phenotype（P>0.05）. Conclusion:AS patients exhibit progressive hearing loss with significant heterogeneity over the long-term.. THearing loss is more likely to occur 5-6 years into the disease course. Hearing abnormalities are closely related to renal disease status, kidney tissue pathology, and gene mutations, emphasizing the need for vigilant long-term hearing follow-up and early intervention.
Male ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Nephritis, Hereditary/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Kidney ; Deafness ; Hearing Loss/genetics* ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/pathology* ; Mutation

Objective To investigate the predictive value of urinary exosomal microRNA(miR)-29 c in the clinical outcome of organ-and non-organ-confined bladder urothelial carcinoma(BUC).Methods From January 2017 to March 2022,152 patients with BUC were recruited from the Department of Urology in our hospital as a validation set.In addition,126 non-cancer controls were selected from the physical examination center of our hospital.The expression level of urinary exosomal miR-29c was detected by real-time quantitative PCR.Results In the validation set,urinary exosomal miR-29c level in BUC patients was significantly lower than that in non-cancer control group(P＜0.05),while urinary exosomal miR-17-5p level and miR-590-5p level were not significantly different(P＞0.05).The area under ROC curve of urinary exosomal miR-29c for the diagnosis of BUC was 0.969(95％CI:0.953～0.986),and the corresponding sensitivity and specificity were 92.1％and 90.2％,respectively.In subtype analysis,urinary exosomal miR-29c levels were further reduced in patients with non-organ-confined BUC compared with patients with organ-confined BUC(P=0.009).Overall survival(OS),disease-free survival(DFS)and disease-specific survival(DSS)were longer in the urinary exosomal miR-29c high expression group(P＜0.05).Conclusion Low levels of urinary exosomal miR-29c are an adverse prognostic factor for survival in patients with BUC,and are promising as a predictor of adverse clinical outcomes of organ-and non-organ-confined BUC.

This article reports a case of congenital choanal atresia with additional nostril and nasal deformities admitted to Henan Children's Hospital. A 43-day-old female patient was admitted to the hospital because of wheezing with mouth opening breathing and restricted feeding after birth'. The patient was diagnosis as bilateral congenital posterior nostril membranous atresia, congenital extra nostril nasal deformity and nasal stenosis by fiberoptic nasopharyngoscopy, CT, gene detection, and physical examination results. Under general anesthesia, endoscopic bilateral posterior nostril plasty and left anterior nostril plasty were performed. The child recovered well after operation.
Humans ; Choanal Atresia/surgery* ; Female ; Nasal Cavity/abnormalities* ; Infant ; Nose/surgery* ; Endoscopy/methods*

The patient has complained of fullness in her right ear since she took a flight 5 years ago. Pure tone audiometry indicated normal hearing threshold and acoustic immitance proved type A tympanogram in both ears. She visited different doctors over and over again, with every doctor diagnosed her with psychogenic ear fullness. The patient was treated with vasodilative and neurotrophic medicine, together with psychotherapy, but her ear fullness didn't relieve. Three months ago she visited our department. Tubomanometry (TMM) can't find R value under 50mBar and ETS-7 score was zero in her right ear. Eustachian tube dysfunction was diagnosed and the patient was then given nasal decongestants, intranasal corticosteroids and myrtol for treatment. A month later the patient's symptom relieved and TMM showed R value less than 1 under 30mBar and EST-7 score was 14 in the right ear.
Audiometry, Pure-Tone ; Ear Diseases ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Eustachian Tube ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: To describe our experience in the clinical manifestation and treatment of malignant tumors of the external and middle ear. METHOD: The study reviewed 39 patients between 1994-2011 in our hospital, including 15 pinna tumors, 18 external canal tumors and 6 middle ear tumors. 23 males and 16 females were enrolled in this study. The mean age of patients at the time of surgery was 59. Radiotherapy or radiotherapy and chemotherapy were the only possible treatment in 6 cases. Thirty-three patients were treated surgically, and 9 patients also received radiotherapy after surgery. RESULT: All of the patients had been followed up over 3 years, except for 1 case of external canal and 1 case of middle ear tumor. The 3-year survival of pinna, external canal and middle ear tumors were 86.7%, 82.4% and 60.0% respectively. At the last follow up, the pinna tumors showed that the survival rate was 100% in T1, T2 and Tx stage, and 0% in T4 stage; the external canal tumors showed that the survival rate was 90% in T1 stage, and 66.7% in T2, T3 stage; the middle ear tumors showed that the survival rate was 100% in T1 and T2 stage, 0% in T3 stage. CONCLUSION The T staging system is for an important prognostic factor, and it is important for an early diagnosis and radical surgery to achieve a better therapeutical result.
Ear Auricle ; pathology ; Ear Canal ; pathology ; Ear Neoplasms ; pathology ; Ear, Middle ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Staging ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate