ENT features
The outer ear in the visual arts
The ear is an exceptional organ, and quite rightly takes its place in the visual arts, as described by Albert Mudry, who takes us on a whistle-stop tour of the appearance of the ear and its depictions in art throughout...
How the earwig got its name
What are earwigs, and how are they connected with the ear? Amr Abdelhamid explains the etymology, myths and beliefs behind the pesky creature with the otological name. Earwigs are harmless insects of the order Dermaptera that are amongst the most...
The evolution in management of microtia and atresia
The management of microtia and atresia has evolved significantly. Ossama Abdelhamid and Amr Abdelhamid explain how a multidisciplinary approach has become standard, with the aim of delivering individualised assessment and intervention that should target functional, structural, cosmetic and psychological aspects...
OBITUARY: James Milner Robinson (1937 - 2021)
James Milner Robinson FRCS, formerly a consultant otologist to Gloucester and Cheltenham hospitals, died peacefully on 3 November 2021 at the age of 84 after several years of ill-health. In keeping with his lifelong love of nature and care for...
Mastoid surgery for cholesteatoma
Landmark Paper: Toner JG, Smyth GDL. Surgical Treatment of Cholesteatoma: a comparison of three techniques. Am J Otol 1990;11(4):247-9. Canal wall up or canal wall down? Chris Aldren discusses the landmark paper that attempted to provide a definitive answer for...
Prednisolone and/or acyclovir for Bell’s palsy
Landmark Paper: Sullivan FM, Swan IRC, Donnan PT, et al. Early treatment with prednisolone or acyclovir in Bell’s Palsy. N Engl J Med 2007;357(16):1598-607. Facial nerve paralysis as a consequence of Bell’s palsy can result in devastating long-term effects on...
Endolymphatic sac surgery: controversial procedure for the treatment of Ménière’s disease
Landmark Paper: Thomsen J, Bretlau P, Tos M, Johnsen NJ. Ménière’s disease: endolymphatic sac decompression compared with sham (placebo) decompression. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1981;374:820-30. Of all of the chapters in the Landmark Papers book, the chapter that discussed...
Tonsillitis and tonsillectomies: where do we go from Paradise?
Landmark Paper: Paradise JL, Bluestone CD, Bachman RZ, et al. Efficacy of tonsillectomy for recurrent throat infection in severely affected children – results of parallel randomized and nonrandomized clinical trials. N Engl J Med 1984;310(11):674-83. The Paradise paper on tonsillectomy...
Emerging robotic systems for head and neck surgery
As of December 2020, seven robotic surgical systems have received approval for use in different jurisdictions, and many more task-specific robots are in the pipeline. Jack Faulkner takes us through what’s on the horizon for head and neck cancer surgery....
Detecting cancer margins during robotic head and neck cancer surgery using ambient mass spectrometry
We have known about altered metabolism in cancer cells since Otto Warburg described it 97 years ago. But can we take advantage of this knowledge in curing cancer? Jim Higginson explains the value of smoke generated during cancer surgery. The...
Setting up a robotic surgical practice: view from India
Transoral robotic surgery has an established role in head and neck cancer surgery. But how easy is it to set up a service in a resource-constrained environment? Gouri Pantvaidya and Ameya Pai give us a view from the Indian subcontinent....
Robotic surgery for squamous cell cancer: the new frontiers
Although the da Vinci platform was FDA approved for early-stage oropharyngeal cancers, the indications have expanded. In this article, John Hardman explains how surgeons, with greater understanding of the strengths and limitations of robotic surgery, have systematically set out to...
