Journal Reviews
Impact of vestibular rehabilitation on patients with peripheral vestibular disorders
Vestibular rehabilitation is a widely used treatment for vestibular dysfunction. It can improve dizziness, fall risk, balance, and emotional status. However, some patients do not get benefit from vestibular rehabilitation. In this study, the authors assessed the impact of dizziness...
Can SNOT-22 predict the need for surgery?
In this prospective Belgian study, the authors looked at whether the baseline Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT-22) was able to predict the need for surgery and localise the pathology of rhinology patients and healthy volunteers. A total of 66 healthy volunteers...
Adenotonsillectomy day-case discharge criteria: a systematic review
In this paper, Gowda et al review the literature aiming to answer a long-standing question regarding the criteria for same-day discharge of paediatric patients post adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy performed for treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Following PRISMA consensus, they...
How do objective ratings of swallowing compare with patient-reported dysphagia QOL measures in the head and neck cancer population?
Swallowing may be assessed by a comprehensive battery of tools including instrumental/objective assessments, clinician-rated measures and patient-reported measures. The authors of this paper use secondary analysis to explore concordance between videofluoroscopy and a patient-reported dysphagia quality of life (QOL) measure....
Is there an association with cognitive impairment and hearing loss in a developing country?
Hearing loss (HL) is the third leading chronic health condition among older adults. Most studies investigating HL and cognition have been performed in high-income countries. Risk factors for dementia (eg. hypertension, midlife hearing loss, obesity and physical inactivity) are more...
Post-total laryngectomy constipation
This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence of chronic constipation post total laryngectomy (TL) and after total pharyngolaryngectomy (TPL). For the study, the authors used a self-completed patient questionnaire to evaluate the prevalence and factors related to it. Patients using opioids,...
A twitch in time with a flicker of knowledge
The middle ear muscles can be seen as one of the ear’s safety mechanisms, and the interplay between eyes and ears has been established; think vestibular ocular reflex (VOR) or semi-circular canal dehiscence (SCCD). But can this protective mechanism be...
Electrocochleography and cochlear implants programming
Cochlear implants (CIs) often are the only option for people with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss to be able to hear. Therefore, effective CI programming seems very important, especially in children who are still developing their speech. Using acoustic...
Wisdom teeth and mandibular osteotomies
This is a systemic review and meta-analysis from Italy and Brazil where they try to clarify the role of wisdom teeth and complications in a sagittal split mandibular osteotomy. Whilst, like many other papers, they outline the quality of evidence...
CT parameters in orbital wall fractures, choice of treatment, and patient outcome
This review from the Netherlands attempts to evaluate the relationship between CT parameters and the treatment that is used in clinical outcome (enophthalmos, diplopia and/or limitation in ocular movement). The authors look at fracture size, fracture location and involvement of...
Effects on the nasal cavity and maxillary sinus after a Le Fort I osteotomy
This paper from Turkey divided 28 patients into three groups: those having a maxillary advancement osteotomy, those with a maxillary advancement and impaction, and those that underwent advancement with a yaw rotation. They found that pure advancement movement of the...
Hearing rehabilitation for patients with chronic otitis media
Chronic otitis media (COM) commonly causes associated hearing loss. The authors performed a review of the literature, discussed challenges of restoring hearing in patients with COM and potential future work in reporting results both in terms of hearing outcomes and...
