Journal Reviews
A new treatment for smell loss?
It has been well established that smell training can be effective in the recovery of smell function post Covid-19 infection, and many other treatment modalities have been assessed. There have been limited studies to date evaluating the effects of dietary...
Systematic review and meta-analysis showing benefit of cochlear implantation in adults with single-sided deafness
This article presents results of a systematic review and meta-analysis to further investigate the impact of unilateral cochlear implantation (CI) in adults with single-sided deafness (SSD) with regards to speech perception in quiet and noise, tinnitus, sound localisation and quality...
Does sleep quality improve when we adequately treat CRS?
In addition to the well-known symptoms associated with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), patients often suffer with poor sleep quality which is also detrimental to health and wellbeing. This meta-analysis looked at 35 papers reporting outcomes for CRS patients post surgery on...
A new era in the treatment of recalcitrant nasal polyps?
Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) can be difficult to treat effectively in patients with aggressive or recalcitrant disease. Omalizumab (Xolair) is a monoclonal anti-IgE antibody with proven benefits for patients with moderate/severe asthma and CRSwNP, but this study looks...
Quality of life after cochlear implantation in the older population
Cochlear implants (CI) have been increasingly adopted in older adults with severe to profound hearing loss as a result of the growing and ageing world population. There is much interest in the cost-effectiveness and quality of life in CI users....
Quick and valid: a new measure of aphasia
Aphasia can be caused by a stroke, brain injury or dementia. It is defined as a language disorder that impacts the domains of speaking, understanding, reading and writing. Given the impact on quality of life and conversation, there is a...
Can we avoid FESS in patients with true isolated odontogenic sinusitis?
This is a useful study looking at how best to manage patients with odontogenic sinusitis and if FESS can be safely avoided. The authors treated patients by removing the odontogenic cause of the rhinosinusitis by extracting the offending tooth and...
Is the greater auricular nerve important in parotid surgery?
The greater auricular nerve (GAN) is often partially or totally sacrificed during parotidectomy procedures. This was a retrospective study comparing auricular sensation and quality of life in patients that either had their GAN preserved or sacrificed. In the shortterm, patients...
SNOT-25 to assess CRS - a new tool
The SNOT-22 is a well-established validated instrument, designed to evaluate the rhinosinusitis-specific health status and health-related QOL, however makes only one broad reference to productivity. The objective of this paper is to evaluate a modified SNOT-25 created to better assess...
Long-term quality outcomes of bimaxillary surgery of obstructive sleep apnoea
This is a review of 12 patients at two years postoperatively and again at at least 17 years. Successful outcome of a decrease in apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) of greater than 50% was thought to be success. Eight of the initial...
Questionnaire to determine quality of life in Parkinson’s disease patients with swallowing problems
The quality of life (QoL) in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) is often influenced by changes in their swallowing abilities. The authors of this paper have developed a valid, statistically appropriate questionnaire which is also clinically effective and can be...
Is non-allergic rhinitis as bad as allergic?
Non-allergic rhinitis (NAR) occurs when rhinitis symptoms are not associated with allergic, infective or anatomical reason. It is responsible for almost half of all cases of rhinitis and affects around 300 million worldwide. Assessing NAR patients’ quality of life (QoL)...
