Journal Reviews
The septum, outside!
Extracorporeal sculpturing of the septum during septorhinoplasty (SRP) is a well-established technique. However, the extent of manipulations of the septum varies amongst authors. In a series of 630 patients undergoing SRP, the authors used a complex extracorporeal septal three dimensional...
Effects of nasal sprays on ciliary function
What do topical nasal sprays do to the nasal mucosa in the long term? This study reports the effect of corticosteroids, antihistamines and common preservatives in nasal sprays, benzalkonium chloride (BKC) and potassium sorbate (PS), on an in-vitro model of...
Treatment of olfactory dysfunction
The sense of smell is crucial to our being able to relish food and experience our environment. Olfactory dysfunction has been trivialised or ignored previously, but the negative consequences of the loss of sense of smell are being increasingly highlighted....
Management of necrotising otitis externa
Although uncommon, necrotising (previously malignant) otitis externa (nOE) can be very aggressive, particularly if not managed appropriately. In this study the authors perform a retrospective review of 25 patients admitted with nOE over a four year period at a tertiary...
Emerging antimicrobial resistance in ENT outpatients
Given the recent statement from the UK Prime Minister on this issue, it would appear timely to assess the ‘time bomb’ of antibiotic resistance in otology. Comparison of ear swabs over twelve months from 2007 and 2012 demonstrates an increasing...
Assessment in ENT: Intra-operative videos
An article examining the reliability and validity of remote scoring; a video assessment of myringotomy and grommet insertion. The primary outcome measures were to determine construct validity (differentiating between different grades of surgeons) and reliability of video scoring. Unfortunately, the...
Transnasal oesophagoscopy: prospective cohort review
This paper looked at 257 patients undergoing the procedure in a tertiary otolaryngology department. In light of the morbidity of upper GI endoscopy associated with the sedation required, the safety profile of transnasal oesophagoscopy is a clear advantage. This cohort...
CIs and the elderly
Although cochlear implantation (CI) is thought to be a predominantly paediatric procedure, more and more adults are candidates for cochlear implants. This retrospective study was performed on 80 adults aged above 50 who were implanted for at least nine months....
The unknown primary again
In this retrospective study of 35 patients, the authors followed a systematic protocol for the detection and management of malignant cervical lymph nodes without an apparent primary lesion. Although their one, three and five year survival results are consistent with...
Nasolabial flap to reconstruct periorbital defects
The authors present a series of 25, mainly geriatric patients that had ablative surgery with complex defects in the paranasal and orbital regions. The paranasal and periorbital regions are extremely important for facial aesthetics and quality of life. The authors...
The many uses of human amnion
Human amnion has historically been the focus of much myth and superstition. To be born with the ‘caul’ intact was considered lucky and the caul was often manufactured into clothing. In 1910 foetal membranes were first used in skin transplantation...
Coupler microvascular anastomoses: how good?
This paper is written by a group of reconstructive surgeons and a school of computing. The study used computational fluid dynamics to model blood flow through idealised sutured and coupled vessels, to investigate if differing anastomotic techniques affect intravascular blood...
