Journal Reviews
Can a serpent-shaped graft enhance your nose?
The success of rhinoplasty is highly variable and the technique employed by the operating surgeon must be tailored for different patient demographics. This group from China describes the structural differences in nasal configuration within the Asian population, notably an under-projected...
Effect of peripheral and central vestibular dysfunction on sense of direction
Sense of direction (SOD) is the ability to orientate ourselves and to determine the locus of objects in our environment. The vestibular system plays a key role in spatial orientation by encoding angular acceleration in the absence of visual cues...
What is the relationship between swallowing difficulties and underlying mental health issues?
People living with dysphagia often experience mental health difficulties. This study aimed to identify whether pre-existing anxiety and depression impacted patient scores on a patient-reported swallowing outcome measure, the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) where a score of ≥3 is indicative...
The hidden dementia in motor neurone disease
It is now well recognised that people with motor neurone disease (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) are at risk of developing frontotemporal dementia. It can be difficult to recognise the symptoms of cognitive decline in this group due to...
An effective treatment for post Covid-19 smell loss?
It is well understood that calcium levels in the nasal mucous affect the ability to smell, with higher levels having a negative impact, and some studies have shown increased calcium levels in patients suffering with Covid-19-related olfactory dysfunction. Calcium chelating...
Impact of Covid-19 on secretory otitis media (SOM) in terms of rate of intervention, effusion detected intraoperatively and seasonal variation
It is widely known that secretory otitis media (SOM) has seasonal variations. In well-judged cases, there is middle ear effusion found at the time of surgery. In this retrospective study, the authors have tried to assess if Covid-19 changed these...
Storytelling is good for your memory
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) presents a challenging frontier in healthcare due to the limited availability of effective drugs. Despite its prevalence and potential progression to dementia, there remains a notable gap in pharmacological interventions targeting MCI. This month’s Editors’ Choice...
Chronic rhinosinusitis – a pre-malignant condition?
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a relatively uncommon diagnosis in the West but is prevalent in Southeast Asia. Several factors have been established to be associated with a higher risk of developing NPC, including salted fish consumption, smoking, alcohol, and Epstein...
Long-term results for dupilumab are very promising!
Eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (eCRS) is complicated by frequent early and aggressive recurrence of polyps after both medical and surgical treatment regimes. Dupilumab is an anti-IL-4/IL-3 receptor monoclonal antibody and has been previously studied in the SINUS-52 study, with an observation...
Is GERD linked to CRS?
We are all well aware that both chronic rhinosinusitis and reflux are prevalent in our populations. This meta-analysis looked at 25 studies investigating the association between GERD, LPR and CRS, therefore evaluating more than 117,000 patients. The results are fascinating...
THRIVE: redefining airway management in endoscopic oesophageal surgery
Transnasal humidified rapid insufflation ventilatory exchange (THRIVE) is no longer just a tool to help anaesthetists secure a difficult airway. Thanks to the work of authors like Yang and colleagues, it is being revolutionised to provide apnoeic oxygenation during endoscopic...
Vascular disease and sudden sensorineural hearing loss
Oussoren et al performed a systematic review and meta-analyses of current literature on the above topic: specifically, cardiovascular risk factors for developing idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (iSSNHL), the presence of white matter hyperintensities in patients with iSSNHL and the...
