Journal Reviews
What is the quality of patient-reported outcomes of salivary function?
Salivary gland dysfunction has multiple causes and can have significant impact on quality of life, particularly when symptoms are severe. There are several patient-reported outcomes (PROMS) that assess these issues; however, these are variable in what they measure. This systematic...
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...
Should we be utilising the pre-lacrimal approach for maxillary sinus inverted papilloma?
For some time now, gold standard management of the maxillary sinus inverted papilloma has been endoscopic medial maxillectomy (EMM). Recently the endoscopic prelacrimal recess approach (EPLRA) has been reported to provide good access whilst preserving the nasolacrimal duct and inferior...
Hierarchy of orthognathic surgical stability
This study was designed as “an overview” of secondary studies and analysed 15 articles. Two procedures were considered highly unstable: a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy for clockwise rotation of the mandible with bi-cortical screw rigid internal fixation, and posterior maxillary...
Outcomes of temporal bone-resurfacing for pulsatile tinnitus associated with vascular wall anomalies
This month’s Ed’s choice is an interesting systematic review into the management of pulsatile tinnitus. There are impressive results from resurfacing of symptomatic anatomical abnormalities of the temporal bone and I suspect that referrals for further imaging and otology clinic...
Bone grafting in orthognathic surgery
In this systematic review of 48 articles the authors reviewed the complication, stability, aesthetics and healing of Le Fort I, sagittal split, chin and zygomatic osteotomies. They concluded that there was strong evidence that bone grafting promotes healing of a...
Does Tranexamic acid reduce intraoperative bleeding during FESS?
Intraoperative bleeding during FESS can reduce visibility and obscure important landmarks. This can result in longer operative times, increase risks of complications and even lead to incomplete surgery. Tranexamic acid is a drug which prevents fibrinolysis and stabilises blood clots....
What is the prognostic value of lymph node yield and density in head and neck cancer?
Neck dissection in addition to surgery of the primary site is commonly recommended in head and neck cancer treatment. However, there has been no consensus on the number of nodes that need to be removed to constitute a sufficient neck...
What is balloon eustachian tuboplasty (BET)?
Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) is the result of a combination of factors that interfere with the mucosal functional or cartilaginous structures. Failure to open the eustachian tubes can cause aural pain, pressure in the ears, muffled hearing, crackling/popping sounds in...
Quality of life measurement tools in children with speech and language difficulties
The authors of this paper reviewed various quality of life measurement tools which are used to assess the effects of speech and language difficulties in children and adolescents. Measuring quality of life outcomes in children with these difficulties is not...
Efficacy of interventions for stuttering: literature review
This is the first part of a two-article review of the efficacy of different modalities of treatments used for treatment of stuttering / stammering. In this article, the authors describe their efforts to identify and quantify evidence on various interventions...
Evidence for balloon eustachian tuboplasty
Balloon eustachian tuboplasty is an emerging intervention aimed at the management of eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) and its sequelae. The authors acknowledge that ETD is a common but frequently ill-defined problem, with no well-established direct treatment. They performed a systematic...
