Introduction: A rapid deploy of unexpected early impact of the COVID pandemic in Spain was described in 2020. Oncology practice was revised to facilitate decision-making regarding multimodal therapy for prevalent cancer types amenable to multidisciplinary treatment in which the radiotherapy component searched more efficient options in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic, minimizing the risks to patients whilst aiming to guarantee cancer outcomes. Methods: A novel Proton Beam Therapy (PBT), Unit activity was analyzed in the period of March 2020 to March 2021. Institutional urgent, strict and mandatory clinical care standards for early diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 infection were stablished in the hospital following national health-authorities' recommendations. The temporary trends of patients care and research projects proposals were registered. Results: 3 out of 14 members of the professional staff involved in the PBR intra-hospital process had a positive test for COVID infection. Also, 4 out of 100 patients had positive tests before initiating PBT, and 7 out of 100 developed positive tests along the weekly mandatory special checkup performed during PBT to all patients. An update of clinical performance at the PBT Unit at CUN Madrid in the initial 500 patients treated with PBT in the period from March 2020 to November 2022 registers a distribution of 131 (26%) pediatric patients, 63 (12%) head and neck cancer and central nervous system neoplasms and 123 (24%) re-irradiation indications. In November 2022, the activity reached a plateau in terms of patients under treatment and the impact of COVID pandemic became sporadic and controlled by minor medical actions. At present, the clinical data are consistent with an academic practice prospectively (NCT05151952). Research projects and scientific production was adapted to the pandemic evolution and its influence upon professional time availability. Seven research projects based in public funding were activated in this period and preliminary data on molecular imaging guided proton therapy in brain tumors and post-irradiation patterns of blood biomarkers are reported. Conclusions: Hospital-based PBT in European academic institutions was impacted by COVID-19 pandemic, although clinical and research activities were developed and sustained. In the post-pandemic era, the benefits of online learning will shape the future of proton therapy education.

Purpose: Current studies show that frequency tuning modification is a good marker for the detection of endolymphatic hydrops (EH) employing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with Ménière's disease (MD). The purpose of the present study is to analyze the auditory and vestibular function with audiometric and vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) responses, respectively, in both the affected and unaffected ears of patients with unilateral MD using MRI as diagnostic support for the degree of EH. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 76 consecutive patients with unilateral definite MD (age 55 (28-75); 39 women, 37 men). MRI was used through intravenous gadolinium administration, audiometry, and VEMPs. Functional tests were performed up to a week after the MRI. All were followed up one year after imaging utilizing clinical, auditory, and vestibular testing to rule out bilateral involvement. Results: In the unaffected ear, the mean pure-tone average is normal even in cases with hydrops and, for a similar severity of hydrops is significantly lower than in the affected ear. Significant differences for the amplitude of the response at 0.5 kHz, at 1 kHz between the affected and unaffected ears were found to be lower in the affected ears. The relative amplitude ratio (1 Kz-0.5 kHz) was significantly lower in the affected ear and in the case of the oVEMP response depends on the degree of EH. The response in the unaffected ear was not modified by the presence or the degree of hydrops. Conclusion: In the unaffected ear, hydrops is not associated with hearing deterioration. For a similar degree of hydrops, hearing loss is significantly greater in the affected ear. The endolymphatic hydrops in the vestibule induces a frequency bias in the VEMP response only in the affected ear and not in the unaffected ear. Because of these findings we consider that hydrops does not represent an active disorder in the unaffected ear.

Background: Although diagnostic criteria have been established for superior canal dehiscence syndrome, cases in which the diagnosis is not easy are frequent. On those occasions, some tests such as vibration-induced nystagmus or vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials can offer invaluable help due to their high sensitivity and specificity. Methods: We studied 30 patients showing superior canal dehiscence or "near-dehiscence" in a CT scan. Skull vibration-induced nystagmus and high frequency ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials are performed in each patient. The aim of the study is to determine how useful both tests are for detection of superior canal dehiscence or near-dehiscence. Results: Of the 60 temporal bones studied, no dehiscence was the result in 22, near-dehiscence in 17 and a definite finding in 21. In 10/30 patients, there was no SVIN (Skull vibration induced nystagmus) during otoneurological testing, while in 6/30, induced nystagmus was mainly horizontal, and in 14/30 there was vertical up-beating. All patients had a positive oVEMP (Ocular vestibular evoked myiogenic potentials) at 0.5 kHz in both ears and the HFoVEMP (High frequency ocular vestibular evoked myiogenic potentials) response was positive in 25/60 (41.6%) of the ears studied and in 19/30 of the patients evaluated (in 6 it was positive in both ears). Up-beat SVIN will point to a SCD (Superior Canal Dehiscence) mainly when HFoVEMP are present, and when this is negative there is a high probability that it is not a SCD. Conclusions: When SVIN and HFoVEMP results are added (or combined), they not only improve the possibilities of detecting SCD, but also the affected side.

Background: Meniere's disease is often characterized by a changing horizontal nystagmus during the crisis; however, vertical nystagmus is not often detected. The horizontal nystagmus is frequently studied in the irritative or destructive phases of the disease. Clinical findings: We report the case of a 70 years-old man suffering for 3 years of Meniere's disease in his right ear. During an attack we found an infrequent nystagmus that was a downbeat nystagmus in primary position. He was then closely followed in the ward during 5 days and daily tests were performed. We first ruled out a central cause and were able to explain that as due to a peripheral deficit in the right posterior semicircular canal. Other features of the vertigo attacks in patients with MD were recorded. We studied a patient presenting a vertigo attack with a downbeat nystagmus. Our findings show that this nystagmus was caused by his own Meniere's disease, specifically by a posterior canal hypofunction, and not by a central disorder. There is no evidence about this kind of nystagmus in Meniere disease and, to the best to our knowledge, this is one of the first reports its evaluation using the test nowadays available. Conclusion: In this case, our result demonstrate that the downbeat nystagmus was caused by a hypofunction of the posterior semicircular canal.

Background: Endolymphatic hydrops (EH) is the histopathological hallmark of Ménière's disease (MD) and has been found by in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with several inner ear syndromes without definite MD criteria. The incidence and relevance of this finding is under debate. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of EH and audiovestibular test results in groups of patients with fluctuating audiovestibular symptoms not fulfilling the actual criteria for definite MD and compare them with a similar group of patients with definite MD and a group of patients with recent idiopathic sudden neurosensory hearing loss (ISSNHL). Material and Methods: 170 patients were included, 83 with definite MD, 38 with fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss, 34 with recurrent vertigo, and 15 with ISSNHL. The clinical variables, audiovestibular tests, and EH were evaluated and compared. Logistic proportional hazard models were used to obtain the odds ratio for hydrops development, including a multivariable adjusted model for potential confounders. Results: No statistical differences between groups were found regarding disease duration, episodes, Tumarkin spells, migraine, vascular risk factors, or vestibular tests; only hearing loss showed differences. Regarding EH, we found significant differences between groups, with odds ratio (OR) for EH presence in definite MD group vs. all other patients of 11.43 (4.5-29.02; p < 0.001). If the ISSNHL group was used as reference, OR was 55.2 (11.9-253.9; p < 0.001) for the definite MD group, 9.9 (2.1-38.9; p = 0.003) for the recurrent vertigo group, and 5.1 (1.2-21.7; p = 0.03) for the group with fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss. Conclusion: The percentage of patients with EH varies between groups. It is minimal in the ISSNHL group and increases in groups with increasing fluctuating audiovestibular symptoms, with a rate of severe EH similar to the known rate of progression to definite MD in those groups, suggesting that presence of EH by MRI could be related to the risk of progression to definite MD. Thus, EH imaging in these patients is recommended.

Background The main sequences used to assess degree of endolymphatic hydrops (EH) are the 3D- inversion-recovery (IR) with real reconstruction and the 3D- fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR). Objectives The purpose of this study is to describe and compare both sequences. Material and methods Forty-two consecutive patients diagnosed with probable or definite Menier ' s disease were referred for hydrops MR examination. Vestibular and cochlear EH in both sequences were read by two independent radiologists, unaware of the patient's clinical status. The primary study endpoint was the concordance in the hydrops detection and severity with both imaging sequences. This was assessed using the Cohen's kappa Kappa statistic for disease grading and Pearson X(2)test to test the difference in detection rates of hydrops. Statistical significance was defined as two-sidedp < .05. Results We obtained an excellent overall concordance, with a kappa of 0.821, (p < .001) when comparing hydrops detection. The degree of concordance is higher in vestibular hydrops than in cochlear hydrops. The 3D-IR sequence detected more hydrops than the 3D FLAIR, (62 vs. 39.5%,p < .03). Conclusion The 3D-IR sequence seems to be superior to the 3D-FLAIR for the assessment of EH. Significance:The 3D-IR sequence should be considered as a standalone parameter for a shorter and optimized EH magnetic resonance imaging protocol.

Magnetic resonance imaging has become a fundamental tool for the evaluation of head and neck tumors. The anatomic details that magnetic resonance images provide are fundamental for diagnosing, characterizing, and staging both primary tumors and lymph node metastases. In addition to technical improvements in anatomic sequences, such as Dixon techniques to improve fat suppression, other sequences being developed, such as diffusion and perfusion, provide molecular, biological, and physiological information about the tumor and are yielding imaging biomarkers that can help in determining the tumor's biology at the time of diagnosis and in the follow-up of the disease. Magnetic resonance imaging also provides very useful information about the response to treatment. (C) 2019 SERAM. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.