Pediatric otolaryngologist to earn Charles Ferguson Clinical Science recognition

Stephen Maturo, MD, of Boston, MA, will receive the first place Charles Ferguson Clinical Science Award for outstanding achievement in the field of pediatric otolaryngology for his research paper titled "Intraoperative Laryngeal Electromyography (EMG) in Children with Vocal Fold Mobility: Results of a Multicenter Longitudinal Study," during their annual meeting, April 29 - May 1, 2011, in Chicago, IL. The award will be presented during a banquet reception on Saturday, April 30, 2011, at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers.

Laryngeal EMG is a neurophysiologic study used to determine the function of the nerve that controls the movement of the vocal folds (cords.) EMG is widely used in adults who have paralyzed vocal folds, but it is not widely used in pediatrics. In contrast to adults, vocal fold paralysis is less frequently encountered in children, yet it is the second most common cause of noisy breathing in infants and can be clinically challenging to manage.

"I am honored to be receiving this award on behalf of my co-authors from the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Massachusetts General Hospital, and the senior author, Dr. Christopher Hartnick, the fellowship director at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary," stated Stephen Maturo, MD. "Also, I would like to thank the members of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology and the program committee chairman, Dr. Diego Preciado, for the opportunity to present our work."

The goal of the study was to determine if laryngeal EMG could be used to predict vocal fold function return in children and to determine if the study could help with management decisions. Study authors analyzed EMG and clinical findings in 25 children with at least a 12 month follow up period. Results showed that in certain scenarios EMG can help predict whether or not the vocal fold function would return.

The Charles Ferguson Clinical Science Award is given annually to the top clinical research papers presented at the Annual Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology. Charles Ferguson was one of the first full time pediatric otolaryngologist in the United States. He was a co-founder of the pediatric otolaryngology department at Children's Hospital Boston, the oldest otolaryngology department at a children's hospital in the United States.