Serena Bertin - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Serena Bertin

PubMed, 2014

Objectives: Sinonasal disease (SND) is a common finding in subjects with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Ev... more Objectives: Sinonasal disease (SND) is a common finding in subjects with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Even though it does not play a key role in the life expectancy of these patients, it increases the morbidity rate of CF, with deterioration of the quality of life and of general health status. The aim of this study is the evaluation of the impact of sinonasal disease and Extensive Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (eESS) on the quality of life (QOL) of CF patients by means of the 22 item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) and define if there is a correlation between SNOT-22 and the Lund-Mackay score. Patients and methods: We performed a prospective study in 33 CF patients with medically refractory SND. The extent of polyposis was graded both endoscopically and on computed tomography images in accordance with the Lund-Mackay score. All patients underwent eESS. The SNOT was administered in order to assess the quality of life related to SND both before surgery and during follow-up at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years postoperatively. Results: The SNOT-22 and Lund-Mackay score showed a remarkable mean improvement during follow-up. The differences between the initial examination and last score were significant (p < 0.001), but there was no statistic correlation between SNOT-22 and Lund-Mackay. Conclusions: More attention should be paid to sinonasal symptoms in CF patients and SNOT-22 is a simple and effective tool for this purpose. This score is also important for indicating the outcome of the eESS procedure. In all patients SNOT showed a significant improvement in QoL.

Poster al XX Congresso Nazionale SIOP 2009. Contributi Scientific

Adenoid hypertrophy (AH) is a very common problem in children. Nasal Fiberoptic Endoscopy (NFE) r... more Adenoid hypertrophy (AH) is a very common problem in children. Nasal Fiberoptic Endoscopy (NFE) represents the gold standard method to diagnose AH. Rhinomanometry represents a valid diagnostic support. The aim of our study was to analyze the grade of nasal obstruction caused by AH, in a group of children, with rhinomanometry standard and after ND test versus NFE. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred and eighty-four of 300 collaborative children, diagnosed as chronic oral breathers, were enrolled. All children underwent a complete physical examination, anterior active rhinomanometry and a second rhinomanometry after the administration of the nasal decongestant (ND) xylometazoline. All children were evaluated using Nasal Fiberoptic Endoscopy (NFE). RESULTS: At rhinomanometry nasal obstrucion was found of grade 1 in 102 (35.9%) children, of grade 2 in 41 (14.4%), of grade 3 in 52 (18.3%), of grade 4 in 37 (13%) and of grade 5 in 52 (18.3%). Those patients were tested also with rhinomanometry after ND: grade 1 in 108 (38%) children, grade 2 in 52 (18.3%), grade 3 in 56 (19.7%), grade 4 in 23 (8.1%) and grade 5 in 45 (15.8%). At NFE: 83 (29.2%) patients presented a grade 0, 73 (28.7%) a grade 1, 51 (17.9%), 34 (11.9%) a grade 3 and 43 (15.1%) a grade 4. Comparing the grade of nasal obstruction in NFE and in RM after ND we found a great correlation for grade 1 and grade 5 (respectively 84.3% and 79,1%, p < 0.001) and low correlation for the others grades of obstruction. When compared to NFE, rhinomanometry test after ND had 81.1% sensitivity and 84.3% specificity. Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were derived using data related to rhinomanometry vs NFE, and to Rhinomanometry after ND vs NFE. CONCLUSIONS: Rhinomanometry after ND, compared to rmhinomanometry, is more specific and useful to evaluate nasal obstruction due to AH in children. RM after ND is a great tool to assess the severity of nasal obstruction. In fact, the minimum and maximum degrees of ob

Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, 2016

Three nurses (of 4) and four physicians (of 4) charted each patient initiated contact, recording ... more Three nurses (of 4) and four physicians (of 4) charted each patient initiated contact, recording the mode of communication, reason for contact, and time spent on response. The reasons were grouped into 5 categories. Results: 384 patients (of 424 followed at our centre) initiated 2959 contacts, 43% of which were directed at physicians and 57% at nurses; 32% via email, 64% by telephone. Time spent handling patient requests was on average 2:15 h/week for physicians and 3:45 h/week for nurses but was most likely underestimated. Patient requests were related to: clinical symptoms 18%; daily management 29%; administrative tasks 25%; IV antibiotic courses 21% and miscellaneous 7%. Seasonal variations were observed in all categories, with an increase in requests in the winter in relation to CF exacerbations. Further analysis of the data will include evaluating associations with patient clinical severity, socioeconomic status and distance from the CF centre. Conclusion: Evaluating the time spent responding to unscheduled patient contacts and the nature of their requests can help improve response to patient needs.

European review for medical and pharmacological sciences, 2014

OBJECTIVES Sinonasal disease (SND) is a common finding in subjects with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Eve... more OBJECTIVES Sinonasal disease (SND) is a common finding in subjects with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Even though it does not play a key role in the life expectancy of these patients, it increases the morbidity rate of CF, with deterioration of the quality of life and of general health status. The aim of this study is the evaluation of the impact of sinonasal disease and Extensive Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (eESS) on the quality of life (QOL) of CF patients by means of the 22 item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) and define if there is a correlation between SNOT-22 and the Lund-Mackay score. PATIENTS AND METHODS We performed a prospective study in 33 CF patients with medically refractory SND. The extent of polyposis was graded both endoscopically and on computed tomography images in accordance with the Lund-Mackay score. All patients underwent eESS. The SNOT was administered in order to assess the quality of life related to SND both before surgery and during follow-up at 6 months, 1 year and...

<p>Severity of snoring and nasal patency stratified according to sex, adenoid (AH), tonisll... more <p>Severity of snoring and nasal patency stratified according to sex, adenoid (AH), tonisllar (TH), adenoid plus tonsillar hypertrophy (AH and TH) and no adenoid or tonsillar (No AH or TH) hypertrophy.</p

$Research paper thumbnail of Cephalometric parameters in our sample of children with primary snoring and their correlation with nasal patency as fraction of predicted values of nasal flows expressed by Pearson's correlation coefficient$

<p>Cephalometric parameters in our sample of children with primary snoring and their correl... more <p>Cephalometric parameters in our sample of children with primary snoring and their correlation with nasal patency as fraction of predicted values of nasal flows expressed by Pearson's correlation coefficient.</p

Otology & Neurotology, 2011

Pediatric Reports, 2021

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Comunicazione al XX Congresso Nazionale SIOP 2009. Contributi Scientific

INTRODUCTION To our knowledge, few papers have addressed preoperative evaluation of the impact of... more INTRODUCTION To our knowledge, few papers have addressed preoperative evaluation of the impact of adenoid hypertrophy (AH) on the pathogenesis of eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) in children with otitis media with effusion (OME). AIM The aim of this study was 2-fold: first, to evaluate ETD using tubomanometry and Eustachian Tube Score 7 (ETS-7), in a group of children having AH; second, to assess the clinical impact of adenoidectomy on the ETD of these patients. METHODS Fifty patients, aged 4 to 15 years, underwent adenoidectomy based on various parameters: size of the adenoids causing canal obstruction (grades 1-4), the presence of OME, and recurrent episodes of rhinosinusitis. The function of the eustachian tube was evaluated using ETS-7 before and after surgical treatment. The patients were followed up for 6 months. RESULTS Forty children presented ETD. Of these, 36 had a grade 4 AH. The preoperative mean value for ETS-7 was 6.62. The mean postoperative ETS-7 score showed a valu...

European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology

Purpose To compare and analyze the incidence of otitis media with effusion (OME), before and duri... more Purpose To compare and analyze the incidence of otitis media with effusion (OME), before and during the COVID-19-related pandemic period, to evaluate the effects of the social changes (lockdown, continuous use of facial masks, social distancing, reduction of social activities) in the OME incidence in children and adults. Methods The number of diagnosed OME in e five referral centers, between 1 March 2018 and 1 March 2021, has been reviewed and collected. To estimate the reduction of OME incidence in children and adults during the COVID-19 pandemic period the OME incidence in three period of time were evaluated and compared: group 1—patients with OME diagnosis achieved between 1/03/2018 and 01/03/2019 (not pandemic period). Group 2—patients with OME diagnosis achieved between 1/03/2019 and 1/03/2020 (not pandemic period). Group 3—patients with OME diagnosis achieved between 1/03/2020 and 1/03/2021 (COVID-19 pandemic period). Results In the non-pandemic periods (group 1 and 2), the in...

International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology

American Journal of Rhinology and Allergy, 2016

Local allergic rhinitis (LAR) is a phenotype of rhinitis that has been poorly studied in children... more Local allergic rhinitis (LAR) is a phenotype of rhinitis that has been poorly studied in children. It is characterized by the same symptoms of allergic rhinitis but with the absence of markers of systemic atopy. To identify children affected by LAR and to analyze the pathogenesis of this disease. We chose to focus our attention on interleukin (IL) and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). We enrolled 20 children affected by nonallergic rhinitis (negative skin-prick test results and serum specific immunoglobulin E [sIgE] values). Each patient underwent a nasal allergen provocation test (NAPT) with dust mite and grass pollen. Before and after NAPT, nasal lavage was performed to detect sIgE, IL-5, and TSLP; anterior active rhinomanometry was used to evaluate changes in nasal obstruction. Two patients were positive to a nonspecific NAPT and, thus, were excluded from the study. Of the remaining 18 children, 12 (66.7%) had positive results to at least one NAPT. Among these 12 patients, nasal sIgE levels for Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, and Lolium perenne increased significantly after NAPT (D. pteronyssinus, p &amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.005; D. farinae, p &amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05; L. perenne, p &amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05). Nasal IL-5 levels showed a significant increase after NAPT (p ≤ 0.006), and this increase was significantly higher in children who had positive NAPT results than in those patients with negative NAPT results (p ≤ 0.03). Among the 12 children who had a positive NAPT result, nasal TSLP was detected in 4 patients (33.3%) and its levels showed a relevant increase after NAPT, even though the difference did not reach statistical significance (p ≤ 0.061). Observed results raise the importance of better refining the diagnostic protocol for LAR in children. Nasal TSLP and IL-5 levels offer new insights concerning localized allergic inflammation, although the role of nasal sIgE has still to be clarified.

Argomenti Di Acta Otorhinolaryngologica Italica, 2008

PLoS ONE, 2014

Introduction: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) might affect craniofacial growth and children with... more Introduction: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) might affect craniofacial growth and children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome present an increase in total and lower anterior heights of the face and a more anterior and inferior position of the hyoid bone when compared to nasal breathers.

Skull Base, 2002

Meningiomas represent 3 to 12% of the tumors that involve the cerebellopontine angle and internal... more Meningiomas represent 3 to 12% of the tumors that involve the cerebellopontine angle and internal auditory canal (IAC). Intracanalicular meningiomas, however, are rare. Only 10 well-documented cases have been reported in the English literature. The differential diagnosis includes acoustic neuromas, facial nerve neuromas, hemangiomas, lipomas, and meningiomas. We report two new cases of intracanalicular meningioma. Both patients had unilateral tinnitus. In case 1, the patient also experienced sensorineural hearing loss with unilateral tinnitus. In case 1, the lesion appeared hyperintense on T1-weighted and hypointense on T2-weighted magnetic resonance images. In case 2, the patient had an enhancing lesion in the right IAC. The tumors were moderately cellular, and meningeal whorls and meningothelial inclusions were present. Immunohistochemical staining revealed the tumors to be positive for epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) and negative for S-100 protein. The radiologic findings that help distinguish a meningioma from other lesions are reviewed.

Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2010