Journal Reviews archive for November 2017
Evidence for diagnostic role of narrow band imaging in the outpatient setting for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Narrow band imaging (NBI) uses light in the blue and green spectrum to differentiate areas of carcinoma from normal or inflammatory tissue. This tertiary referral head and neck unit in Spain used white light endoscopy as initial screening for all...
Predicting postoperative respiratory complications following paediatric adenotonsillectomy
This systematic review aimed to compare the presence of clinical features versus the polysomnography results in predicting major postoperative respiratory complications in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy for OSA. The study was prepared according to the PRISMA checklist. Overall 22 studies met...
Should we routinely perform steroid injections following microlaryngeal excision of benign lesions?
This retrospective cohort study assessed a single surgeon’s outcomes before and after the routine administration of intralesional triamcinolone following microsurgical removal of benign vocal fold lesions (polyps, nodules and cysts). A total of 211 patients were recruited for the study....
Surgical approach to trigeminal neuralgia
This article provides a summary of the operative techniques available for treating patients with trigeminal neuralgia who have medication resistant pain or medication intolerance. Microvascular decompression is performed via suboccipital craniotomy to find and resolve the underlying nerve compression. The...
Rhinology and 3D printing
3D printing has increasing applications in rhinology, for instance to create patient-specific preoperative models for procedure planning, including designing a template for reconstruction planning following tumour resection, patient consultation and customised prostheses. The authors focused their review on the role...
A review of topical treatments for chronic rhinosinusitis
Topical nasal treatment is considered the mainstay treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The authors reviewed the effectiveness of saline irrigation, topical corticosteroids, topical antibiotics and topical antifungals in the treatment of CRS. Large volume saline irrigation was found to be...
Reconstructing post-resective auricular defects
The auricle is split into six specific anatomic subunits that vary in skin thickness, contour, structural integrity and the availability of healthy surrounding tissues. It is important to reconstruct an aesthetically pleasing auricle as slight deformities may be prominent. The...
Which self-reported tinnitus and hyperacusis questionnaires are useful?
Tinnitus and hyperacusis may have very negative psychological side-effects. Due to their subjective nature it is important to have appropriate tools to assess them. In addition to the routine questionnaires such as THI, HQ, ISI, HADS or VAS, the authors...
Use of technological aids and interpretation services
Hearing loss attracts large interest among researchers all over the world due to its prevalence and negative psychological side-effects. Usually hearing loss is managed with hearing aids. However, there are several additional technologies that can be of great help for...
Can telemetry predict sleep apnoea in Pierre Robin sequence?
The aim of this study was to see if telemetry data gathered on patients with Pierre Robin sequence (PRS) correlated with sleep study data. A retrospective review of 46 patients from a tertiary referral centre were included in the study....
Live versus e-learning – which is the most effective communication training approach for health care staff?
If staff are unable to communicate with their patients this can impact negatively on the patient’s healthcare. They may be excluded from decisions about their own care and their rights to informed consent may be violated. Conversation partner training has...
Predicting the prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma after salvage surgery
Loco-regional recurrence of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) continues to be a life-threatening and difficult clinical situation. Salvage surgery can result in significant morbidities, and survival following recurrence is generally poor. In this study from Ontario, Canada, prognostic factors...
