Journal Reviews archive for 2020
Do we need contrast MRI when screening for vestibular schwannoma?
Gadolinium contrast enhanced T1-weighted (gT1w) MRI images of the internal acoustic meati have long been considered the gold standard in the diagnosis of vestibular schwannoma (VS). However, the addition of contrast to the MRI examination increases the cost and time...
Does minimally invasive surgery under local anaesthesia have a role in the management of chronic rhinusinusitis?
A formal FESS procedure usually done under local anaesthesia is considered as gold standard in the management of chronic rhinusinusitis. However, success is hampered by a significant recurrence rate of polyps requiring revision surgery, long waiting lists, reluctance of elderly...
Speech analysis via mobile phone – is there an app for that?
Experienced ENT surgeons will often be able to discern the likelihood of significant laryngeal pathology in a patient referred with dysphonia by the sound of their voice during the initial history-taking phase of a consultation. With the move earlier in...
How has management and outcomes of necrotising otitis externa changed over the past decade?
Necrotising otitis externa (NOE) remains a challenging condition for ENT departments, particularly with the increased prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in the general population. There is no international consensus on treatment, although many institutions now have local guidelines drawn up...
Sinus airflow after FESS using models and fluid dynamics
This is a very interesting study from Australia and New Zealand looking at flow of air into the nose and sinuses after FESS surgery. There is plenty of data regarding computational fluid dynamics for preoperative cases but not much for...
Dead regions in patients with cochlear implants
The very nature of a dead region (DR) in a cochlea means that they are often found in patients who are eligible for cochlear implants. However, a variety of different hearing configurations are found in those with DRs because of...
Horizontal canal PPV: is Gufoni manoeuvre better than barbecue manoeuvre?
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common kind of vertigo that we come across in our out-patient clinic. Horizontal canal BPPV (HC-BPPV) accounts for 10–30% of total BPPV. Two techniques, namely Guffoni and barbecue roll manoeuvres, are generally...
Quality of life in children following balloon Eustachian tuboplasty
This study aimed to demonstrate the efficacy of balloon Eustachian tuboplasty (BET) in children by assessing their quality of life with the Otitis Media-6 questionnaire (OM-6). The OM-6 questionnaire is the most frequently used instrument to measure health-related quality of...
Potential benefits of turbinate sparing medial maxillectomy
Whilst endoscopic medial maxillectomy (EMM) has good results as the standard treatment option for tumours arising in the maxillary sinus, postoperative problems of crusting, epiphora and paraesthesia are not uncommon. This paper looks at modified EMM aimed at sparing the...
How much does CRS affect Eustachian tube dysfunction symptoms?
We know that chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) are both very common, and that the two often co-exist but this paper looks to establish the prevalence and severity of ETD in CRS patients, and how much treatment...
The septum and breathing
The authors compared the improvement in nasal obstructive symptoms in two groups of patients. One group underwent septoplasty alone and the other septoplasty accompanied with compensatory turbinoplasty. They used the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) [12] and visual analog scale...
Surgical outcomes of myringoplasty using platelet-rich plasma
Tympanic membrane (TM) perforations can affect people’s quality of life due to recurrent infections. Management is often by surgical repair. In this study, the authors investigated the outcomes of a minimally invasive approach of patch myringoplasty using an atelocollagen sponge...
