Journal Reviews
Valsalva manoeuvre treatment of otitis media with effusion in adults
Otitis media with effusion (OME) is common in children but has a low prevalence in adults. There is some evidence to advocate middle ear inflation as a successful treatment for children with OME. This form of treatment is also recommended...
The paediatric dilemma of one ear in and one ear out of NICE criteria
The auditory implant team in Manchester have implanted a cohort of children where audiological thresholds meet the NICE guidance for cochlear implantation (CI) in one ear only, and the other falls into moderate, severe or sloping loss. These children are...
From a dysphagia clinical trial to a multidisciplinary head and neck clinical pathway – the road to implementation
This paper describes the barriers and facilitators to establishing a structured and coordinated multidisciplinary care pathway for patients with head and neck cancer at a medical centre in the USA. The initiative was set in motion by the roll out...
Instrument assessment preferable over standard beside swallow to determine prevalence of aspiration
Aspiration does not trigger the protective cough response in some patients. The patient’s response may vary according to fluid viscosities and volume. The authors of this prospective study investigated the prevalence of aspiration and response to aspiration of different viscosities...
Soft tissue changes following maxillary osteotomy, comparison of three computer programmes
This small group of seven patients had a Le Fort I advancement maxillary osteotomy with vertical repositioning and alar base cinch sutures. They were assessed with cone beam CT’s three months preoperatively and one year postoperatively. A clinical comparison between...
Does talking better make you feel better?
Interaction-focused therapy for people with language impairment (aphasia) following a stroke or brain injury is routinely used by speech and language therapists in clinical practice. These types of interventions are based on research into the organisation of interactions and interactional...
To use or not to use: absorbable sutures for facial wounds
This systematic literature review looked at studies comparing facial skin closure with absorbable versus non-absorbable sutures. Studies not published in English or looking at areas other than the head and neck, and studies focused on suture technique rather than material...
Visual distraction helps patients tolerate flexible laryngoscopy
With the arrival of flexible fibreoptic laryngoscope some 35 years ago, the examination of the laryngopharynx has become remarkably easier and saves immense time and costs since the days of mirror examination when this examination was not truly satisfactory in...
The applicability and reliability of SHIMP, a new vestibular test, in adolescents
The video head impulse (now called the head impulse paradigm – HIMP) is now a routine test battery in neuro-otological practice. Few will be familiar with the new suppression head impulse paradigm (SHIMP) test. The key difference is that, in...
Acoustic schwannoma regression post-Gamma Knife treatment
In this retrospective study the authors studied the optimal interval following radiosurgery for differentiating between true growth of tumour versus pseudoprogression using serial volumetric data. A total of 118 patients with a median tumour volume of 0.74cm3 at Gamma Knife...
Oral versus oral and intratympanic corticosteroid treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss
The 2012 American Academy of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) clinical practice guidelines on sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) have two statements that address steroid use. Statement eight indicates an option to offer corticosteroid as initial treatment for...
Can and should vestibular schwannoma surgery be carried out via the endoscopic transcanal approach?
The extent and scope of endoscopic ear surgery has rapidly progressed in recent years, and this paper, from one of the leading proponents of this technique, reports on the outcomes of a case series of patients who have had total...
