JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery Mission Statement:JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery provides timely information for physicians and scientists concerned with diseases of the head and neck. Given the diversity of structure and function based in this anatomic region, JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery publishes clinical, translational, and population health research from an array of disciplines. We place a high priority on strong study designs that accurately identify etiologies, evaluate diagnostic strategies, and distinguish among treatment options and outcomes. Our objectives are to (1) publish original contributions that will enhance the clinician's understanding of otolaryngologic disorders, benefit the care of our patients, and stimulate research in our field; (2) forecast important advances within otolaryngology—head and neck surgery, particularly as they relate to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease through clinical and translational research, including that of the human genome and novel imaging techniques; (3) address questions of clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness that result from clinical intervention, which grow in importance as health care providers are increasingly challenged to provide evidence of enhanced survival and quality of life; (4) provide expert reviews of topics that keep our readers current with true advances and also to provide a valuable educational resource for trainees in the several disciplines that treat patients with diseases of the head and neck; (5) serve as a forum for the concerns of otolaryngologists such as socioeconomic, legal, ethical, and medical issues; (6) provide helpful critiques that enable contributing authors to improve their submissions. We encourage a concise presentation of information and employ an abstract format that efficiently assesses validity and relevance from a clinical perspective. This approach promotes succinct yet complete presentation for our readers and electronic information resources. We believe this approach typifies the commitment of JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery to providing important information that is easily interpreted by its diverse readership.

February Issue Highlights

Error in Figure Labels In the article titled "Is It Time to Rethink the Approach to Internal Nasal Valve Stenosis?," the 2 Figure labels (a and b) were transposed so that the labels corresponded to the incorrect descriptions in the Figure caption. The Figure has been corrected online.

Labels Reversed in Figure 1 In the Original Investigation titled "Association of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy With Survival in Patients With Advanced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck" by Harris et al, the labels in Figure 1 were reversed. This article has been corrected online.

Traumatic Lower Lip Myiasis This is the report of a case of a homeless man in his 50s who presented with traumatic lower lip myiasis.

Aspiration in Infants With Laryngomalacia and Respiratory and Feeding Difficulties This study evaluates the medical records of infants with laryngomalacia and associated breathing and feeding difficulties to determine the prevalence of aspiration among this pediatric patient population.

Silent Aspiration in Laryngomalacia? Laryngomalacia is the most common laryngeal anomaly in infants, with a presentation of inspiratory stridor being nearly ubiquitous. In addition, young children with laryngomalacia can demonstrate feeding difficulty, dysphagia, aspiration, failure to thrive, apnea, cyanosis, and/or obstructive sleep apnea. Managing the balancing act between sucking, breathing, and swallowing is anticipated to carry additional challenge in infants with airway abnormalities, potentially leading to dysphagia, aspiration, and feeding difficulties. Somewhat unsurprisingly, infants with laryngomalacia may cough and choke during feeding, take their feeds slowly, or develop a worsening of their stridor during feeding. The association between laryngomalacia and feeding disorders is further strengthened by a biological gradient relationship, with more severe laryngomalacia cases shown to be more likely to have symptoms of feeding difficulty. In addition to dyscoordination, other proposed causes for feeding challenges in patients with laryngomalacia include decreased laryngeal sensation secondary to acid reflux and an alteration in the sensorimotor integrative function of the larynx. The association between acid reflux and laryngomalacia is well established, although evidence is lacking for causality or even direction of causality (ie, which is the chicken and which is the egg). Sensorimotor impairment in laryngomalacia is evidenced by the finding that children with laryngomalacia have higher rates of neurologic abnormalities such as hypotonia, central apneas and developmental disorders, and histopathologic nerve differences in their laryngeal mucosa.

Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy Findings in Supine vs Nonsupine Body Positions in Obstructive Sleep Apnea This cross-sectional study examines drug-induced sleep endoscopy findings in the supine vs nonsupine body positions in positional and nonpositional obstructive sleep apnea using VOTE classification criteria.

Adjuvant Radiation Therapy in Patients With Advanced CSCC of the Head and Neck This study examines the association of adjuvant radiation therapy vs surgery alone with survival in patients with advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and assesses which patients benefit the most from addition of adjuvant therapy to surgical treatment.

Variation in the Quality of US Head and Neck Cancer Care This evaluation of quality metrics uses data from the National Cancer Database to summarize hospital-level overall quality of care for patients with head and neck cancer in the United States.

Alexandros Sfakianakis
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alsfakia@gmail.com