Journal Reviews
Can tympanometry be used to diagnose Ménière’s disease?
The authors proposed multifrequency tympanometry (MFT) as an in-office test which may be able to diagnose Ménière’s disease (MD) that is quicker and more cost-effective than other methods. MFT measures the acoustic admittance of the middle ear and external ear...
Early vs late activation of cochlear implant device
Device activation after cochlear implant surgery was typically performed after wound healing, and varies anytime from three to four weeks after surgery. Nowadays, activation is performed as early as two to three days after surgery. The authors evaluated the effect...
What is in the Fountain of Youth?
Does the auditory system have to age? Can we become more like turtles or jellyfish and keep our internals running without degradation? This essay considers the theoretical underpinnings of biological processes in the cochlear, in particular the role of the...
A time-saving method for faster cancer diagnosis and treatment
One of the main impediments in achieving UK Government cancer diagnosis and treatment targets is lack of diagnostic capacity. An increase in head and neck cancers by 50% in the last five years has put on additional strain. In this...
Success of butterfly myringoplasty in myringosclerosis
Butterfly inlay myringoplasty is a simple surgical technique used in the repair of tympanic membrane perforation. The authors evaluated the effects of myringosclerosis on the success of surgery by reviewing demographic data, perforation size and hearing outcomes of patients undergoing...
Transcutaneous vs. percutaneous bone conduction devices
Bone conduction devices (BCD) have proven to be effective options for hearing amplification in patients who are not candidates for conventional hearing aids. This study prospectively surveyed 70 patients with BCD using the COSI (Client Oriented Scale of Improvement) and...
Is it necessary to put ventilation tubes at the time of surgery in children with cleft palate?
It is commonly understood that existence of a palatal cleft is associated with abnormal action of tensor veli palatini muscle. Frequent middle ear effusions therefore occur because this muscle obstructs rather than opens the Eustachian tube on yawning and swallowing,...
Recurrent facial palsy
Recurrent facial palsy is relatively rare, and its clinical features are not well known. The authors set out to investigate this further by undertaking a retrospective study of patients with recurrent facial palsy over a 14-year period. Only Bell’s palsy...
Does salvage treatment in sudden sensorineural hearing loss work?
Many treatment strategies for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) have been discussed, but the high spontaneous recovery rate (32-65%) of idiopathic SSNHL and differing treatment guidelines make comparing outcomes difficult. Systemic steroids are the most common first-line therapy with significant...
COVID vaccination and its relation to Bell’s palsy
The SARS-CoV-2 virus outbreak in 2020 continues to be investigated as well as its after-effects on those infected by it. The vaccines created for the public were groundbreaking achievements, evidenced by the lives saved by them and the return to...
How reliable is non-echoplanar diffusion-weighted MRI in picking up postoperative cholesteatoma in children?
Cholesteatoma occurs more often in children than in adults and is more aggressive, often resulting in ossicular erosion and marked conductive loss, amongst other more serious possibilities. Recurrence happens in all three methods used, namely canal wall up, canal wall...
Hurdle jumping
This article deserves a little attention, rather like settling into conversation. As the writers state, listening is an effort and is a tricky field of study when combining multiple physiological measures. In order to gain an understanding, they suggest: consider...