This book is Vol. 81 of a series - Advances in Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - of which there are three current volumes: Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyposis, Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders, and Advances in Hearing Rehabilitation. A fourth volume on Vestibular Disorders is imminent. The books are part of a rolling series, the earliest currently available being Vol. 17: Transtemporal Surgery of the Internal Auditory Canal, edited by Ugo Fisch in 1970.
It was a guilty pleasure to peruse these titles. Each volume is aimed at clinicians with a narrow subspecialty interest, but they all look so interesting, I can’t help imagining that owning a complete set would be a reasonable life goal.
Claiming to be essential reading to otolaryngologists, audiologists and hearing rehabilitation professionals, the content is clearly aimed at clinicians with a specialised hearing rehabilitation practice. I doubt it would be a great deal of interest to rhinologists or laryngologists, unless they were partaking in extreme outside reading.
I would, however, boldly state that this is essential reading for otologists, audiologists and rehabilitations specialists who provide care for patients with complex hearing needs. It would be particularly useful also, for senior trainees and fellows keen to pursue a career in this fascinating and immensely rewarding subspecialty.
The content is well-presented, well-written, and referenced with up-to-date literature. As well as the expected coverage of auditory implants, topics also include imaging, pharmacology, hearing rehabilitation in NF2, and perhaps obscurely, the role of the Eustachian tube in middle ear disease.
Each chapter’s abstract and conclusion offers valuable, bite-sized insights to each topic, often making recommendations for future work. Indeed, this is a rapidly-advancing topic, and the next volume may not be many years away.
