William B. Armstrong, MD

“This work is intriguing and may have clinical potential,” commented session co-moderator William B. Armstrong, MD, Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and Chair, Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, at the University of California, Irvine, Orange, California.

However, “I would regard the results as preliminary and would need confirmation and study in a larger series of patients,” he added. “Furthermore, the stimulation was done in the operating room for 1 hour [with patients] under general anesthesia. This is a significant period of time, and to be clinically useful, there needs to be a more efficient way to deliver the treatments.”

Dr. Armstrong concluded: “I consider this thought provoking and a technique that may be useful to help rehabilitate spinal accessory nerve weakness, and it may have applicability for other cranial nerves. It will require further study.” ■

Disclosure: Dr. Armstrong reported no potential conflicts of interest.