Journal Reviews
A safe and useful surgical procedure for allergic rhinitis?
Although the best management of allergic rhinitis is medical, intractable cases are not uncommon. Immunotherapy helps but is more practical if there is a single allergen involved. The authors compare the effects of submucosal inferior turbinoplasty alone with submucosal turbinoplasty...
A cost reducing protocol for magnetic resonance imaging in patients suspected to have acoustic neuroma
Magnetic resonance imaging is the ‘gold standard’ for screening patients suspected to have an acoustic neuroma. However, inappropriate referrals for imaging are not helpful, especially with the growing need to reduce costs. In this study the authors compared two audit...
Canal plugging for intractable Meniere’s disease
In this single centre retrospective study, the authors applied semicircular canal plugging, well known as a treatment for refractory BPPV, to intractable unilateral Meniere’s disease (MD) that had failed to respond to medical treatment with betahistine and hydrochlorothiazide. However, in...
Microvascular free flap failures – looking beyond surgical technique
Microvascular free flaps are commonly used in reconstruction for head and neck defects. Failures of these flaps, however, are associated with a significant morbidity and mortality. Flap failures within the first 72 hours are commonly attributed to technical failure of...
Is there a need for magnetic resonance imaging six-month post-radiosurgery for vestibular schwannoma?
With advances in imaging and radiation technologies, small, slowly growing vestibular schwannomas (VS) are treated primarily with either observation or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Routine magnetic resonance (MRI) scans with gadolinium are obtained six months and one year after SRS in...
Treatment outcomes and dose rate effects following gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery for vestibular schwannomas
Gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) is one of the definitive stereotactic radiotherapy treatment modalities for vestibular schwannoma (VS) management. Its efficacy depends on the cobalt-60 source which has a half-life of 5.26 years. According to the study authors, the actual rate...
What to do if adenotonsillectomy does not cure sleep apnoea in children?
This article reviews the management of children with persistent obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) following adenotonsillectomy (AT). Risk factors for patients to have persistent disease include obesity, being Afro-Caribbean and existing co-morbidities such as craniofacial and neuromuscular disorders. Initial assessment of...
Intraoperative identification of primary tumours in unknown primary head and neck cancer using transoral laser microsurgery with frozen sections
The aim of the study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of intraoperative identification of primary tumours in patients with unknown primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (UP HNSCC) using transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) with frozen sections, with...
Cochlear implantation in adults has a positive impact on overall cognitive function as early as six months postop
The link between improving hearing and thus improving cognition is an important emerging area of research in hearing rehabilitation, due to the independent association between hearing loss and dementia. This study uses visually assessed neurocognitive tests of working memory, information...
Tablet-audiometer school hearing screening in the context of a developing country
This paper presents a novel use of innovation to tackle the challenges of providing school-age hearing screening in low and middle income countries (in this case Nicaragua, second poorest in the western hemisphere), from the creators of a tablet-based audiometer...
TIVA in FESS: a meta-analysis
This meta-analysis is from Rochester, New York, and aims to add more evidence for the use of TIVA in endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) to arm rhinologists keen for a quick, bloodless FESS in the discussion with anaesthetists who prefer inhalation....
Counting up discourse
Speech and language researchers and health professionals alike strive to measure communication abilities using relevant and psychometrically sound tools. Discourse measures are potential tools which reflect everyday communication more accurately than other more traditional measures. However, time has been a...
