Journal Reviews
Surgical voice restoration after laryngopharyngectomy
Voice restoration is one of the key rehabilitative steps after laryngectomy or total laryngopharyngectomy (TLP). Patients who undergo TLP require reconstruction – increasingly commonly with microvascular free flaps. Despite their advantages in terms of fistula rates and swallowing outcomes, these...
An overview of microsurgical reconstruction of the head and neck worldwide
Microsurgical reconstruction is an integral part of the treatment following ablation for malignancy or trauma. Currently there are no clear treatment guidelines following tumour resection. This was recognised a few years ago and in 2008 various collaborative groups were founded...
Are upper respiratory symptoms and macroscopic changes in children always due to gastro-oesphageal reflux?
In children, symptoms such as chronic cough, wheezing, stridor, voice changes, persistent asthma and dental erosion are often presumed to be due to gastro-oesophageal reflux and empirical treatment with PPIs is offered. Usual investigations, such as a barium meal, gastroscopy...
Do I need Google maps in here?
Image guidance surgery (IGS) has grown in popularity. This review article discusses its application in endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). IGS technology has vastly improved with smaller, more mobile platforms that are easy to set up and use. IGS allows validation...
Are organ-preserving treatment strategies for T3 laryngeal cancers reducing patient survival?
This article presents the 10-year results of a single institution’s treatment of advanced laryngeal cancer. The institution established a protocol based on the Dutch Head and Neck Society consensus document on laryngeal cancer diagnostics and treatment published in 1991. This...
When ears go bad
Whilst rare, squamous cell carcinoma is the commonest primary malignancy of the temporal bone and is discussed in this review article. This tumour frequently presents with otalgia, ottorhoea and hearing loss; less commonly, with facial palsy or parotid mass. Investigations...
English language development in bilingual toddlers
It is known that bilingual children have a smaller vocabulary in each of their two languages than monolingual children and also take a little longer to reach the same levels as monolinguals on various grammatical tasks. The authors of the...
Relationship between ART and language development
Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) and especially more invasive techniques of ART may be associated with an increase in neurodevelopmental problems including language delay. Some studies have reported slightly worse perinatal outcomes of IVF babies compared to naturally conceived babies. The...
Specific language impairment in bilingual vs monolingual children
Research has focused mainly on the specific language impairment (SLI) in monolingual children. This article focuses attention on the SLI in bilingual children. The study was conducted with bilingual children from Luxembourg and monolingual children from Portugal who all had...
Postauricular advancement flap for partial helix defect repair
Ear defects can be the result of trauma, burns or ablative surgery. The three dimensional structure of the pinna presents a difficult reconstructive challenge as successful ear reconstruction requires both similar tissue cover and a supporting framework. Partial ear reconstruction...
Risk factors for post tonsillectomy bleeds
This paper reviews post-tonsillectomy bleeding in 692 patients and attempts to tease out risk factors. The overall bleed rate of 11.6% seems very high. The return to theatre rate was 2.6%. The paper identifies male patients and adult patients as...
Inflammation associated with presbyacusis
Inflammaging and presbyacusis is a topic that few audiologists consider in their daily clinical routine due to lack of training in this area. Inflammaging is a chronic state of inflammation present throughout the body. The classic 1965 work by Rosen...
