Experience with Telemedicine in a Tertiary Academic Otologic Clinic During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: To examine the utility of telemedicine in a tertiary otologic practice.

Study design: Retrospective case series.

Setting: Tertiary neurotology clinic.

Patients: Consecutive adult patients presenting via video visit between January 2020 and January 2021.

Interventions: Televideo modality to conduct visits with patients seeking evaluation for new concerns, second opinions, or routine follow-up for established conditions.

Main outcome measures: Success of the televideo visit defined by the televideo visit being sufficient for determining a definitive plan and not requiring deferment of recommendations for a subsequent in-person visit.

Results: A total of 102 televideo visits were performed among 100 unique patients. Of those, 92 (90.2%) visits were for second opinions or evaluation of new concerns, most commonly for vestibular schwannoma (n = 32, 31.4%), followed by sensorineural hearing loss (n = 20, 19.6%). Other visits were conducted for early postoperative follow-up and established general follow-up. In 91.2% of cases (n = 93), patients were successfully evaluated and provided recommendations from the initial video visit. All visits with patients having a diagnosis of meningioma (n = 7), and nearly all with vestibular Schwannoma (97%, n = 31) and sensorineural hearing loss (95%, n = 19) were successful. Of the 79 patients offered surgery as one potential treatment option, 31 patients underwent surgery at our institution by time of review. Patients with unsuccessful visits (n = 9, 8.8%) were advised to schedule additional in-person diagnostic imaging, vestibular testing, or cochlear implant candidacy evaluation to establish a more definitive care plan.

Conclusion: Virtual televideo visits were successful for a high percentage of selected patients seen at a tertiary neurotology practice, particularly those seeking evaluation of vestibular schwannoma or sensorineural hearing loss.