Journal Reviews archive for November 2014
Mastoid obliteration for canal wall down surgery
Surgery for acquired cholesteatoma is varied amongst surgeons with some only performing combined approach tympanoplasty. The change in lifestyle for patients with canal wall down surgery is significant and hence this group in Japan looked at 118 adult patients with...
In the future there will be robots
This edition of review articles encompasses the emerging techniques of robotic surgery, written by international experts from centres that are increasing their repertoire of procedures. The treatment of oropharyngeal cancer is challenging irrespective of modality, as oncological and functional outcomes...
Importance of nasal septal cartilage perichondrium for septum strength mechanics: a cadaveric study
This experimental cadaver study aimed to investigate the biomechanical qualities of the perichondrium and cartilage, and to determine the strength of the septal cartilage against bending forces. The nasal septal cartilages of 14 fresh cadavers (eight hours post-mortem) without nasal...
Postconcussion syndrome: weighing up the options on balance
Balance problems, dizziness, headaches, nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound, are a few of the symptoms which may be associated with post concussion syndrome (PCS), concussion symptoms which persist longer than 21 days. This article presents a physical...
European position paper on drug induced sedation endoscopy (DISE)
DISE is a controversial topic but a practice that is largely accepted in the UK. There has been much variation about the technique, and how to interpret the results. For this reason, a collection of European DISE bigwigs aimed for...
Treatments for hyperacusis
Centred on a patient’s experience, this article provides a brief summary of the condition of hyperacusis as an introduction to the treatments that are currently available. It is enhanced by the fact that the individual mentioned is a musician by...
Viral induced hearing loss
Viruses are a common cause of hearing loss both in children and adults. This article provides a good review of the viral causes of hearing loss and can be regarded as an essential read. The authors divide the viruses into...
CT and intraoperative nerve monitoring to identify non-recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery
A non-recurrent laryngeal nerve (NRLN) is a rare (incidence 0.3% to 1.3%) anatomical variant that results in a higher rate of vocal cord palsy following thyroid surgery. This team from China examined the utility of preoperative CT and intraoperative nerve...