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Dravet Syndrome (DS), is a rare form of epilepsy that is considered to be drug-resistant, and effective treatment has proven to be historically challenging to demonstrate. This systematic review was performed to inventory research, discover commonalities, and compare the efficacy of medications investigated for the treatment of DS from 2015-2020. Inclusion criteria were a) oral drug interventions, b) used to reduce the frequency of seizures, c) individuals with DS under the age of 18, and d) peer-reviewed clinical trials published in English. Articles were excluded with a) an emphasis on diet, lifestyle choices, or surgical remedies, and b) concentration on scientific research, patient safety, or medical education. Methodology utilized to compile this scoping review was divided into 5 stages: 1) establishing the research question, 2) identifying relevant studies, 3) selecting applicable studies, 4) charting and extracting data, and 5) summarizing and reporting results. Nine articles from several databases meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected for final review of efficacy and common adverse effects. CBD, in addition to more conventional antiepileptic medications, including fenfluramine, perampanel, and stiripentol, are also all promising candidates when considering drug regimens approved with DS. Fenfluramine was demonstrated to be the most efficacious of these 4 options when considering reduction in seizure frequency. CBD may prove to be a valuable option because of its ability to reduce the frequency of many different types of seizures and improve patients’ overall condition. Also, perampanel should be considered since it may allow for complete seizure control, as shown in Asian populations. There appear to be several medications demonstrating efficacy in this typically drug-resistant epileptic condition, and each is accompanied by adverse effects meriting further consideration in medical practice. It is desired that this review may provide physicians and families pharmacotherapeutic options when treating patients with this poorly understood disease.

The normal anatomy of the larynx, which includes true vocal and false vestibular folds, are integral to everyday life including functions in phonation and respiration. These vocal folds function by abduction and adduction to manipulate vibratory sound waves to produce sound, as well as adjust aperture size in response to breathing demands. It has been well established through previous studies that true and false vocal folds undergo changes in tensity as a part of the normal human aging process. Traditional methods to diagnose asymmetry of the laryngeal tract and recurrent nerve paralysis are a challenge. Laryngoscopy alone cannot reliably distinguish between normal laryngeal asymmetry and pathologic hypomobility caused by paresis. These changes can be assessed and quantified using different techniques of ultrasound imaging. Previously published articles demonstrate the feasibility of ultrasound strain imaging (USI) in measuring mechanical properties and false vocal fold (FVF) symmetry between healthy volunteers and patients with vocal fold paralysis. Studies also show that shear wave elastography (SWE) is a feasible modality of non-invasively imaging the laryngeal anatomy. However, there is no report of assessing changes in mechanical properties and motion characteristics of FVF in abduction and adduction in different age groups using SWE and USI. The hypothesis is that the tissue of FVF is stiff in seniors and soft in young age, which can be quantified by SWE and USI. The aim of our study is to quantify patterns, symmetry, and commonalities of FVF amongst different age groups, and between men and women using SWE and USI. Results of this pilot study may be used as a reference in future clinical patient care to assess age-related vocal cord changes and diagnose laryngeal pathologies.