Journal Reviews archive for September 2024
Lonely, so lonely
The pandemic has evidenced the negative mental and physical health outcomes that are associated with isolation and loneliness. This study was undertaken in Australia, where one quarter of the population live alone. Giving our ageing population worldwide, the number of...
Safety factors in use of balloon tuboplasty
Various medications used to restore eustachian tube function have unpredictable results and these are often disappointing. Balloon dilatation of eustachian tube came around 2010 but has not really gained momentum, mainly due to apprehended complications. In this review article, the...
A safe management pathway for low-risk head and neck cancer suspected referrals
Head and neck cancer is the eighth most common malignancy and numbers are increasing. This has led to increasing number of suspected cancer referrals which, with imposition of the 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard implemented in 2020, has further burdened the...
Decreased paediatric myringotomy and insertion of ventilation tube rates during Covid 2019 pandemic
This study involves a province in Canada and claims that the need for paediatric myringotomy and insertion of grommets reduced to a third with public health measures aimed at reducing transmission of respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, in the Covid-19 pandemic....
Small vestibular schwannomas (VS) – is waiting the right thing to do?
VS management can be surgical, by radiosurgery or watchful waiting. Middle fossa approach (MCF) can be implemented in small and some medium-size tumours, and has the potential to preserve hearing. The authors measured quality of life of VS patients who...
How would you like your cartilage served – diced, crushed or shaved?
Harvested cartilage can be used to enhance the structural, functional and aesthetic properties of the nose in rhinoplasty. The practice of mechanical fragmentation of harvested cartilage in rhinoplasty is varied with no clear consensus with respect to its indication. This...
How are swallowing and voice affected following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF)?
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) requires an anterior transcervical approach (ACA) to allow decompression of the cervical spine and nerve roots. This approach is also occasionally used for corpectomy and osteophyte removal. Key neurovascular structures related to swallowing and...
Paediatric conductive hearing loss management
This review article discusses the current guidelines for the management of paediatric otitis media, tympanostomy tube placement indications, management of risk factors for chronic otitis media, intraoperative and postoperative management guidelines and the management of complications. The important takeaways include...
How can we treat a patient with aural fullness?
Aural fullness is a common complaint that we often come across in many of our otology patients. Management of this condition can be quite challenging. Common differentials include eustachian tube dysfunction, patulous eustachian tube dysfunction, otitic barotrauma, superior canal dehiscence...
Not to be underestimated
Equipment may differ, formulas and hearing aids alter, but I am in agreement with what this article points out: the test box can be considered a vastly under-used and under-appreciated piece of equipment. It can provide an alternative verification for...
Are we now safe at work?
Fifty years is a long time, yet the years pass in a blink of an eye. Where are we in comparison to where we were then, in terms of the occupational protection from noise exposure and ototoxicity, other than being...
All present and correct
You have ear protection, but are you using it properly? What are the risks over time? The design of standard earplugs has changed a lot in a decade. Earplug attenuation did reduce over time but still remained safe, however the...
