Journal Reviews archive for May 2019
The applicability and reliability of SHIMP, a new vestibular test, in adolescents
The video head impulse (now called the head impulse paradigm – HIMP) is now a routine test battery in neuro-otological practice. Few will be familiar with the new suppression head impulse paradigm (SHIMP) test. The key difference is that, in...
Acoustic schwannoma regression post-Gamma Knife treatment
In this retrospective study the authors studied the optimal interval following radiosurgery for differentiating between true growth of tumour versus pseudoprogression using serial volumetric data. A total of 118 patients with a median tumour volume of 0.74cm3 at Gamma Knife...
Oral versus oral and intratympanic corticosteroid treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss
The 2012 American Academy of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) clinical practice guidelines on sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) have two statements that address steroid use. Statement eight indicates an option to offer corticosteroid as initial treatment for...
Can and should vestibular schwannoma surgery be carried out via the endoscopic transcanal approach?
The extent and scope of endoscopic ear surgery has rapidly progressed in recent years, and this paper, from one of the leading proponents of this technique, reports on the outcomes of a case series of patients who have had total...
A trial of house dust mite sublingual tablet in children with allergic rhinitis
The house dust mite (HDM) is one of the commonest causative agents in allergic rhinitis (AR), affecting patients across all demographics. Recently, sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) has been shown in clinical trials and meta-analysis to be effective compared to placebo in...
Eustachian tube function before and after FESS
This is a prospective study from the UK looking at Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) undergoing surgery. Fifty-seven consecutive patients who had failed medical therapy and were scheduled for endoscopic sinus surgery completed SNOT-22 and...
Maintaining a voice throughout the MND journey
Amytrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as motor neurone disease (MND), is a progressive neurological disease that destroys the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movements resulting in severe dysarthria in 95% of people with MND. It may lead to...
DISE as a rationalising tool for sleep apnoea surgery
This retrospective study on 85 adult obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients provides further interesting information for sleep surgeons. These patients were all investigated with polysomnography (PSG) and drug induced sleep endoscopy (DISE). They all then underwent a simple uvulopalatoplasty with...