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Augmented reality – a quick overview of potential technology

Is that the optic nerve? Where is the carotid? Both questions you would prefer to know the answer to upfront. This article discusses if augmented reality can help us with surgical navigation around the skull base. Although endoscopic skull base...

Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) in posterior laryngitis

The authors of this study investigated the prevalence of acid reflux in the proximal oesophagus and functional gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with posterior laryngitis. They analysed plasma motilin as well as health-related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaires before and after...

Prevention better than cure?

This systematic review looks at methods of ‘barrier protection’ or ‘barrier-enforcing’ to minimise allergic rhinitis symptoms, using 15 RCTs. Whilst the authors admit that patient numbers were small in a number of these studies, generally it seems that barrier techniques...

Which surgical procedure is more effective in treating OSA? Tonsillectomy or modified uvulopalatopharyngoplasty?

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a recognised condition that is increasing in prevalence, affecting the quality of life in certain individuals. Although the first line management is non-surgical, this paper highlights the two different surgical procedures offered to patients. The...

Do you feel me? Emotional processing post-traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) accounted for just under three million accident and emergency admissions in the US in 2013, with common causes including falls, traffic accidents and assaults. Difficulties processing and expressing affective communication is a common sequela of TBI...

Relationship between early language delays and long-term outcomes

This epidemiological study from Australia, spanning 16 years, explores the influence of early language delays over time on outcomes in affected adults. Based on vocabulary skills at age five, the study population was classified into four groups: persistently good, persistently...

Enhanced recovery following surgery for head and neck cancer – the current evidence

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programmes are now well established in many surgical specialities as a means of reducing postoperative complications and length of stay in hospital. Whilst many head and neck teams have interventions used to aid postoperative recovery,...

Does pre-op intratympanic gentamicin improve balance control after vestibular schwannoma surgery?

This retrospective study was based on data from 44 patients selected from a cohort of 153 who had undergone surgical resection of vestibular schwannoma over a 10-year period. The aim was to evaluate the dynamics of the postural control system...

Dental implant rehabilitation in fibula free flaps

The fibula free flap was first described in 1975 and since then has gone on to become the gold standard technique for reconstruction of longer spans in the mandible or maxilla. It is a reliable flap that affords good quality...

Transnasal endoscopic choanal atresia surgery

Surgery is currently the only definitive treatment for congenital choanal atresia (CCA). There are various surgical approaches including transnasal, transeptal or transpalatal. The authors propose that the preferred option is transnasal endoscopic choanal atresia surgery (TECAS) and set out to...

Contemporary UK experience of oropharyngeal transoral laser microsurgery

It is well recognised that the current emergence of HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) as a distinct disease entity requires a fresh look at standard treatment modalities that are based on chemoradiotherapy for stage III/IVa OPSCC. The Newcastle experience...