A new treatment for chronic rhinitis
The review paper looks at the efficacy of cryoablation of the posterior nasal nerve (PNN) to treat chronic rhinitis, an increasingly popular method of treating a highly prevalent and morbidity-inducing disease. Five studies were included in the meta-analysis, all dating...
More aggressive FESS for recalcitrant CRS is the key
3 November 2023
| Joanna Stephens
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Maxillofacial Surgery, ENTA - Rhinology / Sinus
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modified medial maxillectomy
This is an interesting paper assessing the effectiveness of endoscopic modified medial maxillectomy (MMM) in cases of recalcitrant chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), (the technique was also used for tumours, cystic fibrosis, FB, odontogenic disease and AFS) in 551 patients. The technique...
ChatGPT Quiz skills need refinement!
4 September 2023
| Gauri Mankekar
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ENTA - Head & Neck, Neurotology, ENTA - Rhinology / Sinus
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AI, Artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, Multiple-choice, Otolaryngology quiz, Single-choice
On 30 November 2022, ChatGPT was launched, free for all to use online. For those who are not aware, ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot which utilises the web to create detailed and natural human-like...
Do adhesions actually cause nasal blockage?
4 September 2023
| Joanna Stephens
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Maxillofacial Surgery, ENTA - Rhinology / Sinus
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CFD, NAO, computational fluid dynamics, mucosal cooling; nasal adhesions, nasal airflow dynamics, nasal airway obstruction, nasal patency, nasal synechiae, numerical simulation
All of us who perform nasal surgery are familiar with the disappointing presence of nasal adhesions (NA) or synechiae in our postop patients. These can often lead to patients deriving less perceived benefit from their surgery than that which they...
Does middle turbinate resection affect olfaction in endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery?
4 September 2023
| Richard (Wei Chern) Gan
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ENTA - Rhinology / Sinus, ENTA - Skull Base Surgery
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endoscopic endonasal approach, endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery, middle turbinate resection, olfaction
The middle turbinates (MT) are sometimes partially resected during endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal pituitary surgery to improve surgical access. Some outfracture the middle turbinates instead. This article presents results of the first prospective randomised study, investigating the effects of such surgery...
The future of biologics?
3 July 2023
| Joanna Stephens
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Maxillofacial Surgery, ENTA - Rhinology / Sinus
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biological therapy, eosinophil, interleukin-5, nasal polyps, Otorhinolaryngologic diseases
This paper takes a deep dive into how eosinophilia affects the responsiveness of the host to the two monoclonal antibodies mepolizumab and bendralizumab, both of which are active against IL5. We know that eosinophils are attracted and trapped into the...
How to improve olfaction and enhance quality of life after laryngectomy
Total laryngectomy diverts airflow away from the nose and, hence, olfaction is greatly impaired. Undoubtedly, this affects quality of life in terms of loss of taste and flavour. Surgery and devices to re-establish airflow into the nose can be difficult...
How best can we manage Samter’s Triad/AERD?
3 July 2023
| Sangeeta Maini
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ENTA - Rhinology / Sinus
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Aspirin intolerance, Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease, Asthma, Biological agents, Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis, NSAID intolerance, Samter's Triad
The classic ‘Samter’s Triad’ of asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP), and aspirin sensitivity is now referred to as aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory-exacerbated respiratory disease. We often come across in our rhinology setting, patients with recalcitrant...
Can ‘cone beam CT scan’ (CBCT) facilitate one-stop rhinology clinic?
4 May 2023
| Madhup K Chaurasia
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ENTA - Rhinology / Sinus
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Cone Beam, Nasal Sinuses, Paranasal Sinuses, Rhinosinusitis, sinusitis
Chronic rhinusinusitis can be diagnosed on the basis of its classical symptoms such as nasal obstruction, facial pains, postnasal drip and hyposmia, supported by endoscopic findings such as oedema of middle meatus, mucopus and polyps. However, CT scan findings are...
A new hope for post-COVID olfactory loss?
10 March 2023
| Joanna Stephens
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Maxillofacial Surgery, ENTA - Rhinology / Sinus, COVID-19
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COVID-19, Sniffin' Sticks, anosmia, calcium, chelating agent, hyposmia, olfaction, severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2, sodium chloride, sodium gluconate
Does anyone remember COVID? It seems that what happened between 2019 and 2021 is all but forgotten about. Aside from it cropping up on news feeds occasionally and a few out-of-date automated phone messages that start off with ‘During the...
A new idea for olfactory recovery, but not the evidence to support it
10 March 2023
| Joanna Stephens
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Maxillofacial Surgery, ENTA - Rhinology / Sinus, COVID-19
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COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, UPSIT, anosmia, hyposmia, olfactory dysfunction, olfactory fluctuations, olfactory improvement, olfactory training, training intensification
Smell training for olfactory loss of all types is a well-recognised treatment, and the typical regimen of rose, clove, lemon and eucalyptus is frequently used. This study looks to compare using eight essences rather than four to see if this...
Antioxidants for bacterial rhinosinusitis
10 March 2023
| Sunil Sharma
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ENTA - Rhinology / Sinus
This Turkish laboratory animal-based study looked at the effects of alpha-lipoic acid on inflammation, oxidative status, and tissue integrity in an animal model of experimentally induced acute rhinosinusitis and to compare these effects with antibiotic treatment using cephalosporins. Alpha-lipoic acid...
