Journal Reviews archive for January 2017
Another use for Tisseel – plugging of the round window
After insertion of a cochlear implant electrode through the round window, there are several methods of sealing the perilymph leak and in my experience fascia (with varying amounts of attached muscle) seems to be most commonly used. Stephen O’Leary’s group...
Is bone cement a cost-effective solution?
This study looks at the functional results of 52 patients who underwent bone cement ossiculoplasty. Patients were divided into four groups based on ossicular disruption. Group 1 (30 patients) had lenticular erosion only. Group 2 (13 patients) had absent incus....
More is better
The authors reviewed 119 patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery for sinonasal polyposis. Of these, 45 patients were operated upon by a traditional functional technique preserving the middle turbinate and keeping its position. In addition, the second group underwent a partial...
Outcomes in endoscopic sinus surgery
This study assessed the effect of endoscopic sinus surgery with regard to olfactory function and nasal obstruction, in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients with, and without, nasal polyposis. One hundred and thirteen patients entered the study, and assessments were performed pre-...
Do tonsillotomies have a higher revision rate than tonsillectomies?
Tonsillotomies have gained popular acceptance in children with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in recent years. Short-term advantages that have been shown in the literature include lower haemorrhage rates, shorter operation times and less pain. Evidence for long-term effects are sparse due...
Outpatient closure of CSF leaks: a good idea or a step too far?
After day-case septoplasty, day case thyroidectomy, now day case CSF leak repair – has the pendulum moved too far? The authors put forward a convincing case for what, only 10 years ago, would have sounded like a provocation. They quote...
An easy way to take intraoperative videos and pictures using a smart phone
Intraoperative visual documentation is a useful addition for personal archiving and for research purposes. Many commercially available systems are available for video and or photo documentations but these often require costly equipment. Smart phones would make ideal recording devices. However,...
Does ‘weekend effect’ alter post tonsillectomy haemorrhage rates?
Staffing levels are generally low over the weekends and senior physicians are less easily available. It is generally believed that this affects patients undergoing high-risk surgery. Whether doing tonsillectomy at weekends adds to the risks of post tonsillectomy haemorrhage is...
Lateral wall augmentation for patulous eustachian tube
The problem more commonly attributed to the eustachian tube is lack of its patency rather than it being unduly patulous. This lesser recognised condition is due to loss of peritubal fat volume resulting in concavity of the lateral wall and...
Laryngeal oedema as a side-effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as Imatinib are increasingly being used to treat haematological and solid malignancies. These agents have revolutionised the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia in particular. Although better tolerated than most conventional chemotherapy drugs, multiple side-effects have...
Cystic fibrosis – sinus surgery delays chronic Gram-negative lung infection
This prospective clinical follow-up study is of 106 patients with cystic fibrosis in Copenhagen. Morbidity and mortality in CF are significantly associated with pulmonary colonisation and infection, usually with Gram-negative bacteria. Initially this can be well treated with antibiotics until...
Role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in managing papillary thyroid cancer
Although studies have shown that the presence of lymph nodes metastases in papillary thyroid carcinoma does not alter survival, other studies have shown that it increases morbidity and mortality and that the presence of cervical lymph node metastasis at diagnosis...
