Journal Reviews
Outcomes and progress of a well-designed one-stop head and neck lump clinic
With increasing caseload of head and neck cancer and the fact, as reported by UK Government in October 2024, that over half of these cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage, the need for early diagnosis and prompt management is...
25 years of forearm free flaps – 1 vein or 2?
This is a prospective 25-year study from 1998 to 2023 of 368 forearm free flaps, 314 of which were radial and 54 ulnar in 364 patients. Of these, 68 had 1 venous anastomosis whilst 238 had 2. These were assessed...
Frozen sections; a systematic review
This systematic review and meta-analysis looked at 5 studies assessing the impact of intraoperative frozen section analysis on final margin status, locoregional recurrence and survival in patients with an oral squamous cell carcinoma. The analysis showed no significant difference in...
Biometric facial recognition after bimaxillary surgery
This paper aimed to assess the facial recognition capability of a commercially available software program in patients who’d undergone orthognathic surgery. It is a retrospective study of 24 patients, 12 class II and 12 class III dentofacial deformities. The preop...
Adjuvant radiotherapy for locally advanced (T3–4) major salivary gland cancer – survival benefits quantified
Complete surgical excision of major salivary gland cancers (MSGCs) is the current mainstay of curative treatment for this disease. Indications for postoperative radiotherapy according to current UK national guidelines include high-grade tumours, advanced-stage (stage 3–4) tumours, involved resection margins, perineural...
Management of peritonsillar abscesses – should we be offering a hot tonsillectomy?
Peritonsillar abscesses (PTAs) are one of the most common reasons for patients being referred to ENT services on an emergent basis worldwide. The conventional treatment for adult patients with a PTA in the UK involves needle aspiration or incision and...
You’re under arrest, you damned post-tonsillectomy bleed!
Tonsillectomy is a common, well-tolerated procedure most commonly performed in children for recurrent tonsilitis and sleep apnoea. Post-tonsillectomy bleeding (PTB) is a relatively uncommon complication that poses significant risks to patients and high rates of readmission and reintervention. Institutional guidance...
Endolymphatic sac surgery (ESS) revisited
Ever since the destructive articles by Toss and coworkers, ESS was considered a taboo. However more and more centres are reviving it and report favourable results in properly selected patients. In this article the authors conducted a retrospective, single-centre observational...
Risk factors for postop ventilation following free flap reconstruction
This study, conducted in the United States, analysed 144 patients undergoing free flap surgery. Of these, 51 patients were extubated within 48 hours postoperatively, while 93 remained intubated for more than 48 hours. The mean duration of ventilation was 36...
3D planning of soft-to-hard tissue ratios in orthognathic surgery
This multinational systematic review examined publications over a six-year period up to December 2023, focusing on orthognathic surgery. It follows an earlier review by the same group, which had reported low validity in the use of 3D software for soft-to-hard...
Laryngocele: a rare but complex disease associated with laryngeal cancer
The incidence of laryngocele is very low – 2.5 per million but its occurrence can be associated with cancer of the larynx. In this retrospective study of 14 cases over 10 years, the authors have elaborated on aetio-pathology, which is...
An otological cure for globus?
Globus pharyngeus is a common benign condition frequently encountered in ENT practice. Laryngopharyngeal reflux and psychological stressors are often considered to be contributory factors, but globus symptoms do not always respond to antacid medications. Such medications can also be limited...
