Journal Reviews
Righting the paralysed lip
Many surgical procedures that otolaryngologists perform put the facial nerve at risk of injury, a complication that the surgeon and patient fear alike. Unfortunately, injuries to the nerve can and do happen despite adequate precautions, and facial paralysis may be...
Research ethics and otolaryngology
The aim of this review was to assess the frequency of reporting of informed consent and regional ethical committee (REC) approval in all reports of trials published in the three major European otolaryngology journals in 2012 (including Clinical Otolaryngology itself!)....
Development of an ENT undergraduate curriculum
With over a third of medical schools not including any clinical attachment in the subject, this is a laudable attempt to confront the deficiencies in undergraduate ENT teaching within the UK. The Delphi process is an established method of developing...
‘FOX’ – a new software programme in cochlear implant fitting for audiologists
Taking into account the complex parameters involved in cochlear implant fitting, it appears that the procedure is becoming more and more difficult and variable across cochlear implant centres. For this reason, a software programme called FOX was designed attempting to...
Another comparison of stapedial reflex thresholds and comfort levels in implantees
Many studies in the past have attempted to correlate electrical stapedius reflex threshold (eSRT) and comfort levels in implantees, mainly to assist fitting in young children or adults with difficulties in cooperation with audiologists. The present study assessed 11 adult...
Immunotherapy – could it be cheaper?
Immunotherapy is the only treatment for allergy to alter the disease course. Limited data exist on direct and indirect costs of subcutaneous (SCIT) and sublingual (SLIT) immunotherapy in America. This article assesses the cost effectiveness worldwide of the two immunotherapies....
Tricky post-laryngectomy swallows
Despite improvements in chemoradiation therapy and the adoption of organ preservation for some head and neck cancers, total laryngectomy remains the treatment often providing best survival chances for advanced laryngeal cancer. This article reviews the causes of dysphagia post-laryngectomy and...
The right kit matters… How important is video recording in FEES?
As a portable alternative to videofluoroscopy, fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) is often carried out at the patient’s bedside. The authors of this paper have chosen to examine the reliability of the penetration-aspiration ratings (Rosenbek scale) of FEES examinations...
Aerosols and polypi
Infection in the operative cavities after endoscopic sinus surgery for sinonasal polyposis leads to recurrence of symptoms and mucopurulent discharge. The usual therapies include systemic antibiotics sometimes with steroids. The authors hypothesised that the use of a topical antimicrobial (tobramycin...
Role of potassium channel opener in salicylate induced tinnitus
The exact mechanism in the origin of tinnitus is not known. Many pharmacological agents have been tried to to treat tinnitus without great success. Aspirin is a commonly used medicine in the elderly population to reduce the risk of stroke...
Outcome measures for hearing loss
This short editorial explores some possible options in measurement of quality of care in audiology. We traditionally tend to use clinician-related outcomes in place of patient-reported outcome measures and so we could miss a wealth of data on the impact...
Measuring is understanding: an unsupervised PROM clustering of CRS patients
It has been clear for quite some years, at least for anyone dealing daily with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients, that CRS is an ‘umbrella’ diagnosis. There are significant differences between patients, including different demographic data, different endoscopic and radiographic images,...
