Journal Reviews
Olfactory protective effect of omega-3 supplements during healing after endoscopic sellar and parasellar resection
This multicentre study, led by researchers from Stanford, demonstrates another use for omega-3 supplements. The study analysed cohorts equally divided between control arm and omega-3 supplementation. Post endoscopic sellar and parasellar resection, better olfactory function was observed at three and...
Performing ethnic aesthetic rhinoplasty
This article reviews principles of performing rhinoplasty in non-Caucasian patients, exploring patient expectations based on differences in race, ethnicity and culture. One of the main challenges is a lack of well-established ideal facial measurements for different non-Caucasian groups. The authors...
Eustachian tube dysfunction usually improves following endoscopic sinus surgery
This study investigated effects of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) on eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) and factors associated with improvement. This was a retrospective study which included 302 patients over 17 years old who underwent ESS between 1 December 2016 and...
Evidence-based clinical education
All healthcare professionals participate in education of students in both their own and other disciplines. It is part of our role and we are often used to squeezing it in and around our clinical responsibilities. In fact, the events during...
Prevention better than cure?
This systematic review looks at methods of ‘barrier protection’ or ‘barrier-enforcing’ to minimise allergic rhinitis symptoms, using 15 RCTs. Whilst the authors admit that patient numbers were small in a number of these studies, generally it seems that barrier techniques...
A new tool for assessing otoscopy skills
Medical and audiology students need to be proficient in performing otoscopy in order to undertake the routine practice required of them at work upon graduation. One significant challenge in teaching otoscopy is the lack of objective and validated assessment tools...
Fibula free flap virtual or freehand planning and the efficiency of surgery
This is a systematic review from surgeons in Italy and Florida where, from an initial 799 potentially relevant articles, only six could be included. Efficiency was assessed by the mean ischemia time which, for the virtual group, was 73.8 minutes,...
Speculating on saliva during endoscopy
It has been noted that the presence of saliva in the pharynx and larynx during flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) can be an indicator of increased risk of aspiration and consequent pneumonia, as well as weight loss and malnutrition....
Future practice: tele-rehabilitation in speech and language therapy
It is known that our population is ageing, resulting in an increase in the number of people living with progressive neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. Health services endeavour to deliver specialist and personalised care to all these people, often...
People with language-led dementia in India
Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) is a language led dementia characterised by slowly worsening speech and language. It is associated with atrophy of the dominant temporal-parietal lobe regions and is commonly caused by frontotemporal or Alzheimer’s pathologies. There are three PPA...
Speedy speedy: people with MND chew faster but speak slower
Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a progressive neurological condition that affects motor neurons in the brain, brainstem and spinal cord, affecting the control of skeletal muscles for speech, chewing and swallowing. There are two variants of MND, with symptoms typically...
Location, location, location: How to get the steroid where you need it, in chronic rhinosinusitis
What almost all current guidelines on chronic rhinosinusitis have in common is the importance of intranasal steroid (INCS) use. However, it is increasingly understood that the efficacy of INCS depends on their efficient delivery to the point of need, i.e....
