Journal Reviews
How to manage the cheek in gender affirming surgery
This publication discusses cheek augmentation surgery related to gender-affirming facial surgery. The publication describes the difference between the common male cheek anatomy and the desired ideal feminine appearance and how to achieve it. In the author’s experience, gender-affirming surgery patients...
Ramifications of the pandemic on acute paediatric mastoiditis: a national UK audit
Acute mastoiditis is a common presentation in the paediatric population across ENT services worldwide. An initial expectation of a rise in the numbers of acute mastoiditis associated with the initial findings of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus presence in middle ear in...
Is endoscopic stapes surgery safe and are outcomes comparable to microscopic stapes surgery
Endoscopic techniques for visualisation of the middle ear were described in 1967 by Mer and colleagues, and the use of transcanal endoscopic ear surgery (TEES) has since expanded to a wider range of otologic applications including tympanoplasty and excision of...
Reducing nasal changes in SARPE
This paper from Belgium highlights completing a sub-spinal cortectomy of the anterior nasal spine during the procedure of surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion (SARPE) as a means of reducing the alar and columella width as well as the nasolabial angle....
Piezoelectric saw reducing sensory disturbance in mandibular osteotomies
This paper from Seattle in the United States looked at 20 patients with a mean age of 19.9 +/- 3.2 years with a fairly standard surgical movement. They found that functional sensory recovery of the inferior alveolar nerve resulted in...
Age is not an issue in sinus surgery
We have an increasingly aged population, and hence older and older patients are presenting with sinonasal issues and the potential need for endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). The authors sought to identify if older patients (age >70) have more complications post...
Gastrostomy tube dependence following TORS
Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is now a well-established treatment modality for early (T1-T2) disease. Accumulating evidence suggests that one of its main benefits relative to conventional chemoradiotherapy is superior long-term functional outcome, especially with...
When to operate on a patient without chronic disease?
As ENT surgeons, we spend a lot of time managing chronic rhinosinusitis, so a review and update on the management of the acute disease is always helpful. The standard medical treatment of antibiotics, nasal steroids and nasal decongestants are reported...
Cochlear implantation following radiotherapy treatment of vestibular schwannomas
The authors presented a case report and systematic review assessing the outcomes of patients from cochlear implantation (CI) following radiotherapy treatment for vestibular schwannoma (VS). Outcomes of cochlear implantation in these patients are uncertain due to the combination of both...
Are there any benefits of postoperative antibiotics after endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary tumours?
This prospective randomised double-blind multicentre study evaluated whether postoperative antibiotics resulted in improvement in sinonasal quality of life (QoL) compared to placebo in patients undergoing endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal pituitary surgery. A total of 461 patients were screened for the study...
How safe is sinonasal surgery for the operating surgeon in times of COVID-19?
I’m sure we have all wondered how safe we are in the operating theatre from virus circulating in the room and therefore the risk of subsequent COVID-19 infection. The authors addressed this by measuring the airborne particle concentrations in the...
Ethanol ablation for benign cystic neck lesions
Benign cystic head and neck lesions have traditionally been managed conservatively or with surgical excision. Ethanol ablation (EA) has now established a role in the management of benign thyroid cysts, and its use has also been expanded to non-thyroid cysts....
