Journal Reviews archive for May 2017
Airway intervention for epiglottitis
This Japanese study was a retrospective review of 83 patients admitted with epiglottitis over a 9.5-year period. The authors found that the factors that were significantly more likely to be present in patients who received airway intervention were: odynophagia; drooling;...
Comparison of outcomes after septoplasty
For this prospective study, the authors assessed the quality of life (QoL) with the rhinosinusitis SNOT-20 (Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-20) questionnaire and the symptoms on a visual analogue scale (VAS) in all patients undergoing nasal septal surgery. The patients reported the...
Microbiome changes after endoscopic sinus surgery: all is not what it seems
As we keep fighting a losing battle with bacteria and antibiotics, it becomes clear that it is not about killing bacteria, not even diminishing the bacterial load, but rather about shifting the different types of bacteria that colonise and live...
Long-term swallowing function in bilateral vocal cord immobility
Vocal cord immobility is the second most common abnormality of the larynx in the paediatric population. The team from New York aimed to characterise the long-term swallowing function in a cohort of patients with bilateral vocal cord immobility over a...
Surgery for class III malocclusions pharyngeal airway and sleep apnoea effects
Thirty-three patients from Brazil were assessed for obstructive sleep apnoea and hypopnoea syndrome pre- and six months postoperatively. The 33 patients were made up of nine having mandibular set back surgery, six maxillary advancement and 18 bi-maxillary surgery. They identified...
Vestibular paroxysmia, diagnostic controversy clarified?
Historically, the cause of vestibular paroxysmia (VP) had been attributed to neurovascular compression of the eighth cranial despite the observation that such compression is very common in asymptomatic subjects. This paper, part of International Classification of Vestibular Disorders (ICVD) by...
Gardasil vaccination as an adjuvant treatment for established recurrent laryngeal papillomatosis in male adults - does it stimulate an immune response?
Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is well known to be caused by infection with the human papilloma virus (types 6 and 11). Recurrence after surgical removal is common and potentially frequent and severe. Previous research has established that many patients with...
To drain or not to drain
These two separate papers neatly tie together the same ideas. The first, a retrospective study of 107 patients and 116 procedures over a 10-year period who underwent a CSF leak repair, 82.2% without a lumbar drain and 17.8% with. The...
Microsurgical trainees to avoid strenuous exercises?
It is commonly believed among microsurgeons that over-exertion can impair microsurgical performance. The authors aimed to investigate if they could prove this theory and compared the performance of medical students, postgraduate trainees and expert controls who were microsurgery tutors. A...
Factors determining success of adenotonsillectomy in paediatric obstructive sleep apnoea
Patient selection is important for any successful surgical procedure. Adenotonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnoea secondary to adenotonsillar hypertrophy is no exception. This retrospective Taiwanese study attempts to find preoperative factors that have a positive influence for this commonly performed operation....
IV dexamethasone versus LA infiltration during paediatric tonsillectomy
Postoperative nausea and vomiting following tonsillectomy is important to control for improved oral intake and satisfaction following surgery. Optimal management is still debated. This team from Beirut conducted a randomised double blind clinical trial comparing the effect of intravenous dexamethasone...
Hearing provides cues for the maintenance of balance
It is well known that balance relies on the integration of vestibular, visual and proprioceptive cues. However not much mention or attention has been given to the importance of auditory cues for balance maintenance. The authors set up experiments to...
