Journal Reviews
Age and sleep disorders as risk factors for Ménière’s disease
Decades after it was first described, the pathophysiology of Ménière’s disease is still a subject for research and discussion, with several controversies regarding its management. Several factors have been reported to cause Ménière’s disease including viral infections, allergies, genetic factors,...
Inpatient or outpatient thyroidectomy?
This systematic review and meta-analysis discusses the safety of hemithyroidectomy in an outpatient vis-à-vis an inpatient setting. Thyroidectomy has traditionally been performed as an inpatient procedure. Currently, an increasing number of surgeons are performing thyroidectomy in outpatient settings. The main...
Pharmacological treatment of glue ear in children
Otitis media with effusion (OME), also known as glue ear, is a common cause of hearing loss in children. Most cases resolve spontaneously within three months. Early and proper management of OME can help avoid hearing and speech impairment that...
Cuff up or cuff down; to occlude or not to occlude? What effect does tracheostomy tube modification have on swallowing outcomes?
Dysphagia is commonly seen in patients with tracheostomy. The current global pandemic has increased interest in the impact of a tracheostomy on swallowing outcomes. This systematic review is therefore a timely addition to the literature and a useful read for...
Hearing outcomes after retrosigmoid resection of smaller vestibular schwannomas are better
The authors reviewed published literature reporting hearing outcomes in patients after retrosigmoid (RS) resection of vestibular schwannoma (VS). Aggregate hearing preservation of 31% and 35% under fixed and random models respectively was observed in the 2034 patients meeting eligibility criteria...
Cognition outcomes after cochlear implantation – is there an improvement?
Older adults with a severe to profound hearing loss are more at risk of cognitive decline than adults of a similar age with milder losses or normal hearing. This poses challenges, not only in the assessment process, but also for...
Systematic review comparing transoral laser surgery versus open partial laryngeal surgery for advanced laryngeal cancer
The aim of this Italian systematic review was to establish outcomes (local control and survival) of conservative laryngeal surgery for advanced T stage laryngeal cancers. Articles published from 1980 onwards, had at least 10 patients that underwent partial laryngeal surgery...
Cochlear implantation in children with cognitive disabilities
Additional disabilities are frequently encountered in children born with hearing loss or deafness. A study from Denmark attempted to systematically review to what extent hearing-impaired children with cognitive disabilities benefit from cochlear implantation. The authors conducted an extensive search in...
