Journal Reviews
Emerging antimicrobial resistance in ENT outpatients
Given the recent statement from the UK Prime Minister on this issue, it would appear timely to assess the ‘time bomb’ of antibiotic resistance in otology. Comparison of ear swabs over twelve months from 2007 and 2012 demonstrates an increasing...
Assessment in ENT: Intra-operative videos
An article examining the reliability and validity of remote scoring; a video assessment of myringotomy and grommet insertion. The primary outcome measures were to determine construct validity (differentiating between different grades of surgeons) and reliability of video scoring. Unfortunately, the...
Transnasal oesophagoscopy: prospective cohort review
This paper looked at 257 patients undergoing the procedure in a tertiary otolaryngology department. In light of the morbidity of upper GI endoscopy associated with the sedation required, the safety profile of transnasal oesophagoscopy is a clear advantage. This cohort...
Fungal rhinosinusitis
Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) has been defined by the following characteristics: presence of nasal discharge, nasal obstruction, decreased sense of smell or facial pressure for 12 weeks, mucin within the sinus cavity containing fungal hyphae and degranulating eosinophils, endoscopic evidence...
Tracheostomy safety project
Tracheostomy care is evolving, with the majority of procedures now performed percutaneously to facilitate weaning from mechanical ventilation in the critically ill. Traditional surgical indications remain, but surgical tracheostomies are increasingly performed in more complex patients. This brings unique challenges...
The anatomy and actual number of branches of the sphenopalatine artery: surgical implications
Endoscopic sphenopalatine artery ligation or cauterisation is nowadays the main treatment for epistaxis unresponsive to medical therapy. However, on review of the literature, there appears to be confusion relating to the anatomical nomenclature of the sphenopalatine artery branches and more...
Swallowing outcomes following partial laryngectomy: objective assessment and pre-operative predictive factors
Partial laryngectomy constitutes one of the treatments for early stage glottic carcinoma (i.e. T1N0 and T2N0) in specialised centres. Over the years, several partial laryngectomy and reconstruction techniques have been described in the literature. The choice of technique depends on...
CIs and the elderly
Although cochlear implantation (CI) is thought to be a predominantly paediatric procedure, more and more adults are candidates for cochlear implants. This retrospective study was performed on 80 adults aged above 50 who were implanted for at least nine months....
The unknown primary again
In this retrospective study of 35 patients, the authors followed a systematic protocol for the detection and management of malignant cervical lymph nodes without an apparent primary lesion. Although their one, three and five year survival results are consistent with...
One stage nasal reconstruction with local flaps
This is an excellent and authoritative review of an often difficult and controversial (as there are so many options or so few) clinical subject. Better education and earlier diagnosis of skin tumours allows defects with limited size and depth to...
Freestyle facial artery perforator flaps for nasal reconstruction
This is an update from the authors that originally described the freestyle facial artery perforator flap for one stage nasal reconstruction in 2009. They now update with their 10-year experience of freestyle facial artery perforator flaps, accumulating a series of...
Neck Rejuvenation
The May issue of this popular facial plastic journal is dedicated to detailed discussion of surgical and non-surgical procedures for rejuvenation of the neck. Following descriptions of relevant neck and face anatomy, techniques are discussed for neck and face rejuvenation....
