Journal Reviews
Quality of life in children following balloon Eustachian tuboplasty
This study aimed to demonstrate the efficacy of balloon Eustachian tuboplasty (BET) in children by assessing their quality of life with the Otitis Media-6 questionnaire (OM-6). The OM-6 questionnaire is the most frequently used instrument to measure health-related quality of...
Surgical outcomes of myringoplasty using platelet-rich plasma
Tympanic membrane (TM) perforations can affect people’s quality of life due to recurrent infections. Management is often by surgical repair. In this study, the authors investigated the outcomes of a minimally invasive approach of patch myringoplasty using an atelocollagen sponge...
Two reliable endoscopic myringoplasty techniques for anterior tympanic membrane perforations
Difficulties that arise in closing anterior perforations in the tympanic membrane are due to a narrow isthmus of the external auditory canal and an anterior wall bulge which obscures the most anterior part of the tympanic membrane. The conventional microscopic...
Audiometric outcomes following endoscopic stapes surgery
Adding to the evidence base for endoscopic stapes surgery, this systematic review and analysis of outcomes sought to establish the efficacy and safety of this approach. This review included 14 studies with a pooled sample of 314 adult patients. The...
A novel graft material for endoscopic tympanoplasty using the pre-tragal SMAS layer
The traditional biological graft materials for providing a scaffold for tympanic membrane reconstruction include temporalis fascia as well as conchal and tragal perichondrium/cartilage. This group from Taiwan present a novel graft option using the superficial musculo-aponeurotic system (SMAS) layer. They...
Cochlear implant use in young children
There are clear and well-established links between those identified and fitted with amplification early and good spoken language outcomes, but how much does the time an appropriately fitted hearing instrument is used each day contribute to this? During the first...
Cochlear implants in single sided deafness
Whilst the benefit of a second cochlear implant in people with bilateral deafness is well established, the benefits of implantation for single sided deafness with normal contralateral hearing have been much more modest. The reasons for this are varied, in...
Is canal wall down with obliteration a useful compromise between canal wall up procedure and open mastoid cavities?
Controversy has raged for many years between open mastoid cavity procedures and canal wall up techniques in terms of postoperative recidivism and ear discharge. It is generally believed that canal wall up procedures can miss hidden cholesteatoma but preserve useful...
Possible correlation of ABR changes with prognosis in sudden sensorineural hearing loss
A sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) of 30dB or more affecting at least three frequencies and occurring over less than three days is classified as ‘sudden’ SNHL (SSNHL). Treatment is urgently undertaken with systemic and/or intra-tympanic steroids, and ijn some cases...
Outcomes following endoscopic vs. microscopic ossiculoplasty
Endoscopic ear surgery continues to increase in popularity with an expanding range of applications in otology. The variety of angled scopes allow for superior visualisation of the surgical field and difficult to reach areas. However, use of endoscopes reduce the...
The association between pregnancy and otosclerosis could be due to psychosocial factors around parenthood rather than biological factors
The association between pregnancy and otosclerosis is controversial. If pregnancy physiologically increases the likelihood of otosclerosis progression, then one would expect that there would be a difference between male and female patients with regards to whether having children affects how...
Minimally invasive surgery vs. linear incision for BAHA – outcomes compared at six months
The postoperative outcomes which are clinically relevant now in bone anchored hearing device surgery have come a long way over the past decade. The newer techniques have meant that previous concerns with skin numbness and cosmesis are now such rare...
