Pulse oximetry provides a measure of the percentage of oxygen in the blood. The usual range of readings on pulse oximetry is 97-99%. Older people may have lower pulse oximetry readings than younger people, and young women have higher readings...
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....
Weakness in tongue muscle strength and laryngeal elevation is known to have an adverse impact on swallowing function. Various swallowing exercises are often recommended to improve function of these important structures with the goal of preventing aspiration and improving swallow...
Texture modification and the use of thickened fluids are well-known strategies used to facilitate swallowing in people with dysphagia. However, some controversy exists around thickeners and their possible negative impact on hydration and medication absorption. This paper considers other properties...
Standard treatment of peritonsillar abscess (PTA) has typically involved both medical therapy and surgical drainage either in the form of needle aspiration, or incision and drainage. However, is medical without surgical treatment sufficient? The authors suggest that medical therapy without...
Patients planned for chemoradiation to the head and neck are usually advised to expect some pain and soreness during their treatment and that pain relief will be offered as and when it is required. Uncontrolled pain and mucositis affect oral...
Papillary thyroid cancer, the commonest histological type, has been extensively reported as having BRAF proto-oncogene mutations (most commonly the V600E mutation). There is great interest in BRAF as a molecular marker, particularly as a prognostic factor that may guide the...
This retrospective Korean cohort study looked at the risk factors associated with bilateral lateral lymph node metastases in patients with unilateral papillary thyroid cancer. There were 11 patients who met the inclusion criteria across an 11-year period from 2009 to...
Many of us during training or in established practice will have encountered the complication of anterior skull base CSF leak. This can be a challenging problem to deal with and in this article the authors describe their favoured approach. Cerebrospinal...
Hump reduction and osteotomies to close the open roof, or lowering the whole nasal dorsum? Charles East explains how preservation techniques can improve outcomes by maintaining the integral structures of the nose. What is preservation rhinoplasty? The origins of reduction...
1 November 2014
| Liam Flood, Patrick J Bradley (Prof)
|
ENT
Liam Flood. With a name such as Liam you must have some ‘Irish blood’? Where does your family come from? Tell us more? (What did your old man / mum do?) Some Irish blood? Those who know me well would...
Not many people know that one of the UK’s first cochlear implant surgeons was Raj Singh, OBE, an Indian immigrant whose passions for otology and technology led him to found the Scottish Cochlear Implant Programme, and the Help to Hear...