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Childhood bony facial tumours

This review article covering maxillary and mandibular tumours is from an edition of the Clinics covering paediatric head and neck masses from frequently encountered congenital malformations to the rarities. There is a wide differential diagnosis for childhood mandibular or maxillary...

Stereotactic radiosurgery for pituitary adenomas

Residual and recurrent functioning pituitary adenomas can be difficult to delineate on postoperative MRI scans, making them difficult targets for stereotactic radio surgery. In such cases radiation delivery to the entire sellar has been utilised as a radio surgical equivalent...

Facial paralysis risk factors in benign parotid surgery

The literature shows that the risk of facial paralysis following benign parotid surgery can be as high as 57% for temporary weakness and 7% for permanent facial nerve damage. It is generally thought that the factors involved may be related...

Epithelial risk factors

This review paper from Barcelona retrospectively assesses patients diagnosed with oral epithelial dysplasia between 1995-2014 and followed up until 2017. In total, 144 cases were noted, of which 42% progressed to an oral cancer by the time of review in...

Does speech and language therapy provide value for money?

Within the NHS (and outside it), managers, commissioners and consumers will consider value for money as a key component in making a decision about whether to pay for speech and language therapy (or any other service for that matter). Yet...

Functional considerations in reconstruction after laryngectomy

With a plethora of different reconstructive options and techniques available after laryngectomy, it can be difficult to clearly see which give the lowest complication rates and best functional outcomes. This article aims to summarise the current evidence in swallowing and...

Pretend placements: simulation is as good as the real thing

Clinical placements are now, more than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic, a huge time and personnel commitment. Recently, allied health students have had huge changes to their placements, often undertaking them entirely remotely. This article describes a novel method of...

What is the right balance to strike in the management of anaplastic thyroid cancer?

This is a pragmatic article on a difficult and much debated subject. Management of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) can feel like making decisions between a rock and a hard place, and this article suggests one path to help navigate some...

Swallow this: management of dysphagia in progressive neurological conditions

Whether the person with the swallowing difficulty has an acquired or progressive neurological condition, understanding the aetiology will allow the speech and language therapist assessing the swallow to have a better understanding of the likely implications for future swallow management...

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...