Journal Reviews
QOL studies for anterior skull base surgeries
The Anterior Skull Base Nasal Inventory-12 (ASK Nasal-12) is a standard tool for assessment of quality of life (QOL) in patients who have undergone endonasal transsphenoidal surgery. As nasal trauma and rhinological complications following endonasal transsphenoidal surgery can influence QOL,...
Anatomy revision
This article is well-received as an article that goes into appropriate length and depth regarding the embryology and subsequent growth of the paediatric nose (internal and external), nasopharynx and all of the individual sinuses. It has excellent line diagrams of...
Outcomes in rhinosinusitis
This review goes through the various different ways of assessing outcomes and describes the pros, cons and limitations of each. The different methods are described in the context of guidelines in diagnosis and management and compared with other conditions such...
Sarcoidosis and the nose
This retrospective case note review from Mount Sinai in New York looked at just 14 patients with sarcoidosis. Individual ENT units in the UK are likely to see relatively few of these patients, unless there is a major tertiary referral...
Cadaveric variation of nasolacrimal duct lateral nasal wall landmarks
Twenty mid-sagittal head sections of 10 fresh frozen cadavers were studied after removal of the nasal septum. This study showed that the most anterior projection of the middle turbinate head was noted to be anterior to the nasolacrimal duct in...
Waiting for smell to recover after post-viral hyposmia
The patient with post-viral anosmia will always want to know how long they must wait to reach a plateau. This study from South Korea of a comparatively small group (20 controls and 63 patients) tells us that favourable prognostic indicators...
The stubborn polyp cases are ‘different’
The widely different behaviour of nasal polyp disease between patients is a major feature of rhinology practice and makes counselling of patients difficult when approaching their first operative intervention. Setting aside aspirin sensitivity (Samter’s triad), which is known to be...
What are the best minimal surgical techniques used for concha bullosa?
This prospective endoscopic and radiologic evaluation studied 42 patients who underwent concha bullosa surgery, amounting to a total of 55 conchae surgeries. The patients were allocated consecutively to either of the two groups. The presurgical and one year postsurgical endoscopic...
The effect of cocaine or adrenaline dressing during endoscopic sinus surgery
A randomised controlled study of 37 patients took place that underwent endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis and received adrenaline or cocaine-soaked patties. The study showed no difference in the mean surgical field scores between adrenaline and cocaine sides. Adequate...
Comparing patient and surgeon concerns in sinus surgery
This prospective observational study had a total of 180 patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis with or without polyposis. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. Subjects felt the greatest level of concern regarding potential...
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...
Nasal peak inspiratory flow (NPIF) as a diagnostic tool for differentiating decongestable from structural nasal obstruction
Identification of the cause of nasal obstruction is critical before surgical intervention such as septoplasty. This study assesses changes in nasal peak inspiratory flow (NPIF) as a tool for discriminating decongestable versus structural obstruction. A cross-sectional study of 52 patients...
