ENT features
The pioneers of endoscopy and the sword swallowers
Adolf Kussmaul drew inspiration from an unlikely source to further the development of endoscopy… The early pioneers of airway endoscopy and oesophagoscopy were bedevilled by two major and seemingly insurmountable problems. One was the paucity of light sources, with reliance...
Sushruta and Indian rhinoplasty
Vijay Pothula explains rhinoplasty’s roots in ancient Indian Ayurvedic medicine, and how it was introduced to the Western world. In 1794 The Gentleman’s Magazine published a surgical operation which was long established in India but unknown in Europe [1]. A...
Experience on the front line
21st January 2021 Back to basics Yesterday I went right back to where my medical career began. I grew up in Germany, bilingual. A prerequisite to studying medicine in Germany is that applicants have to spend two months working as...
Reflections on virtual teaching
In a situation where we cannot meet our students (whether they be medical professionals or non-medical), how do we maintain their education? Peter Samuel has been speaking to some colleagues on how they have risen to the challenge. The COVID-19...
The ENT operating theatre viewed down the retrospectoscope
We learn much of our future by looking at our past; Douglas MacMillan provides us with a fascinating glimpse into his years as a junior doctor. The operating theatre was a somewhat alien environment in the late 1960s: theatre sisters...
The future role of technology in rhinology
Technology is moving our speciality forward very rapidly in all domains, but none more so than in rhinology. David Whitehead looks at current and future trends. How will a surgeon justify their position in a team where artificial intelligence (AI)...
Introduction to virtual healthcare job interviews
What’s the best way to run a video job interview? Matthew Wu and Elliott Kozin provide some top tips – both for interviewer and interviewee. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has changed almost every aspect of society. For the foreseeable future,...
Chocolates for laryngectomees
When The Chocolate Line in Bruges, Belgium, was approached by the charity, Shout at Cancer, there was always going to be something very special and innovative in the pipeline! Shout at Cancer’s Thomas Moors has been chatting with Julius Persoone,...
The HEARO Procedure for cochlear implantation
Cochlear implants have become the state-of-the-art treatment for profound to severe sensorineural hearing loss. Since its popularisation, many aspects of this technology have constantly been optimised. Processors have become smaller, are worn behind the ear and are even water resistant....
How can we be SMART with virtual consultations?
At the beginning of 2020, video conferencing and phone consultations accounted for less than 1% of all consultations. Now it is probably 70%. Whilst there are many remote consultation solutions available, Tina Marshall describes what the ideal solution should look...
Innovation in medical product technologies
There is a point in all innovation projects where the clinician has exhausted their knowledge and needs expert help to create a prototype. Mark Prince, Design Engineer, discusses this phase of the project and how engineers’ analytical thinking brings a...
How good ideas become great products: in conversation with three medical innovators
Ever had a great idea for an innovation that would significantly improve your practice, but wondered how to go about developing it? Lucy Dalton interviewed three consultant ENT surgeons-come-successful innovators (one international, one novice and one experienced) who explain what...
