Journal Reviews
The vitamin D deficiency and recurrent BPPV debate revisited
The role of calcium metabolism and disorders of bone mineral density in the evolution and recurrence of BPPV has been debated over the years. As a contribution to this debate, the authors undertook a prospective study into the correlation between...
Efficacy of stereotactic radiosurgery for facial nerve schwannoma
This international multicentre study reviewed the results of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in 63 patients with facial nerve schwannoma over three decades. The facial nerve schwannoma were distinguished from vestibular schwannoma based on intraoperative findings or typical temporal or extra temporal...
Reflux, a pre-disposing factor in paediatric OME?
It is almost 20 years since the Lancet publication by Tasker et al describing gastric juice in the glue ear of children. This paper attempts to look at the body of literature which has focused specifically on the clinical association...
The medially-invasive cholesteatoma: a case series
In this small case series, Casazza et al describe their management of seven cases of complex cholesteatoma presenting during a 16-year period. Patients were included if imaging confirmed restricted diffusion and an endophytic, medially-destructive disease involving the otic capsule, petrous...
Dizziness in OSA patients– is there a link and can CPAP treat it?
This is a small study which proposes an interesting hypothesis - that in patients with both dizziness and OSA, treatment of their sleep disorder can provide resolution of their dizziness symptoms, which were otherwise refractory to standard treatment, particularly in...
Virtual reality surgical simulation for the temporal bone
This prospective study looked at 15 otorhinolaryngology residents in Belgium to see if using the VOXEL-MAN Tempo surgical simulator system improved their understanding of temporal bone radiological anatomy. As a secondary aim, they also assessed whether there was any improvement...
3D-printed temporal bone models - how good can they be?
In the era of increasingly difficult and expensive-to-come-by cadaveric temporal bones with which to practise drilling and learn the complex 3D anatomy of the temporal bone, decent alternatives would be welcome. McMillan et al report a prospective comparison study in...
Otosclerosis - to scan or not to scan?
In an era of insidiously reducing thresholds for investigating patients, Maxwell and colleagues pose an important question: is high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) prior to stapes surgery for otosclerosis worthwhile? Their practice typically considers HRCT for cases of suspected otosclerosis presenting...
Neuromodulation in drug resistant epilepsy
Treatment of epilepsy can be considered generally as medical or surgical. Anti-epileptic drugs achieve a five-year seizure freedom in 54-70% patients. It is estimated that 50-90% of patients with drug-refractory epilepsy may not be candidates for resective surgery. For example,...
Chronic phase of concussion and stability of gaze
It has been known that vestibular symptoms can persist for several months after concussion. The authors designed this study to assess the effect of chronic concussion (more than one year) on gaze stability and the relationship between deficits in gaze...
Managing hearing preservation expectations of adult CI patients
This paper is a single-centre review of adult cochlear implants in patients with preserved low-frequency hearing, focusing on the outcomes at 10 months post-implantation, and the rates of electroacoustic stimulation actually used in this group of patients. The centre identified...
Vestibular migraine or BPPV?
There are close similarities between benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and vestibular migraine (VM) as both can be presented by positional nystagmus. Though BPPV remains the commonest cause of pure positional vertigo, VM can mimic this condition. This study is...
