Journal Reviews
Antibiotics in orthognathic surgery
This paper from the Netherlands looked at 137 patients over a one-year period, 18 of whom had Le Fort I procedures, 68 bilateral sagittal split surgery, and 51 bi-maxillary surgery. A further 54 surgical procedures were undertaken, including 15 having...
Functional considerations in reconstruction after laryngectomy
With a plethora of different reconstructive options and techniques available after laryngectomy, it can be difficult to clearly see which give the lowest complication rates and best functional outcomes. This article aims to summarise the current evidence in swallowing and...
Bone thickness and split pattern in mandibular osteotomies
This paper looked at 63 sagittal split ramus osteotomy sites. The type of split was classified according to the Plooij paper and bone measurements were taken at four sites. Of these sites, the thickness of the bone in one point,...
Patient factors associated with spontaneous CSF leak
This article highlights the role of obesity, sleep apnoea and raised intracranial pressure as linked pathologies in the aetiology of the spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (sCSF) leak. The authors link sCSF leak with obesity and comment on sCSF leak incidence increasing...
The search for the holy grail of rhinosinusitis: another step towards phenotyping in CRS wNP?
For many years, scientists and clinicians have been trying to understand the infinite variability within the term ‘rhinosinusitis’ using radiology, basic science, epidemiology and then using their insights to solve the riddle of management: how to explain why some patients...
Using autologous blood to reduce postoperative infections
The removal of impacted wisdom teeth is a common surgical procedure with possible complications including postoperative bleeding and wound infection and alveolar osteitis. Preventing osteitis is dependent on retaining the blood clot in the socket with no infection. There are...
Risks of tracheostomy in head and neck cancer
Tracheostomy is associated with several complications, with rates quoted as high as 8-45%, including: bleeding; displacement; obstruction; surgical emphysema; pneumothorax; fistulae and failure to decannulate. There are now many studies that confirm the increased length of stay and complications of...
Rib grafts for mandibular reconstruction
Reconstruction of the mandible following ablation requires good bone stock to allow optimal function and the placement of dental implants. In the developed world, vascularised bony flaps are accepted as the gold standard but these may not be widely available...
Loneliness and hearing loss treatment
It is well-known that hearing loss can lead to social isolation and consequent loneliness. This study aimed to research whether hearing loss treatment helps in overcoming loneliness long-term. Two types of treatment - hearing aids (HA) and cochlear implants (CI)...
New biomarkers for salivary gland tumours
Salivary gland tumours comprise approximately 6-8% of head and neck neoplasms. Elevated haematological inflammatory markers, such as neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), have been shown to be predictive and prognostic in various malignancies. This...
Swallow this: management of dysphagia post-stroke
We know that between 50% and 80% of people who have had a stroke present with swallowing difficulties that may be associated with even a small lesion of the cortical or subcortical brain regions. This article provides an up-to-date overview...
Daflon – a new way to treat idiopathic epistaxis
Epistaxis is a common ENT emergency and most cases are idiopathic. Flavonoids are natural substances with variable phenolic structures that are found in fruit and vegetables and take effect on blood vessels. Daflon is proposed to control epistaxis by “improving...
