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An overview of microsurgical reconstruction of the head and neck worldwide

Microsurgical reconstruction is an integral part of the treatment following ablation for malignancy or trauma. Currently there are no clear treatment guidelines following tumour resection. This was recognised a few years ago and in 2008 various collaborative groups were founded...

Margin control using optical techniques in head and neck surgery

Emerging optical techniques such as high-resolution microendoscopy (HRME) are currently being examined for their reliability in discriminating benign from neoplastic epithelium. These techniques may offer the potential to detect the margin of an upper aerodigestive tract tumour in a non-invasive...

Endoscopic findings and prediction of outcome in unilateral vocal cord paralysis

Unilateral vocal cord paralysis which is not due to irreversible causes such as malignancy, systemic disease or trauma varies considerably in terms of full recovery and restoration of voice. Usually electromyography is used to make possible predictions, but this facility...

When ears go bad

Whilst rare, squamous cell carcinoma is the commonest primary malignancy of the temporal bone and is discussed in this review article. This tumour frequently presents with otalgia, ottorhoea and hearing loss; less commonly, with facial palsy or parotid mass. Investigations...

Multiple free flaps for head and neck cancer

Most patients with advanced head and neck cancers now undergo microvascular free flap reconstruction. This is mainly as flaps facilitate complete tumour and margin removal by providing reliable wound coverage and better restoration of form and function. However despite this,...

MRI scanning patients with cochlear implants and auditory brainstem implants

In the last five to six decades, MRI scanning has gone from physics experiments in Nottingham University through to Nobel prize-winning work by Sir Peter Mansfield and Paul Lauterbur, to a ‘routine’ imaging modality with an estimated 60 million MRI...

Style. Strength. Storz. Sybill Storz

This is an extraordinary book. When it arrived in my postbox, I certainly didn’t like it. When I opened the packet, it was big, heavy and very glitzy. My first thought was ‘coffee table book’, so I took it through...

Management of postoperative cholesteatoma

This prospective longitudinal observational study compared the ability of second-look surgery with that of surveillance using serial non-echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging to detect residual cholesteatoma after canal wall-up mastoidectomy. A total of 34 patients were included in the study who underwent...

An advance in imaging for sinonasal tumours?

Benign sinonasal growths are incredibly common, and malignant sinonasal growths thankfully rare. We know that malignant tumours often present late, and the imaging can sometimes be misleading, so the authors here compare using diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), dynamic contrast enhanced...

Moderating effect of hearing aids on association between hearing loss and brain structure?

Previous studies have suggested links between age-related hearing loss and structural changes in cortical regions with auditory and language functions, which could be causative of cognitive decline linked to the condition. The authors reason reduced sensory input could be causative...

Should we be doing earlier MRIs in sudden sensorineural hearing loss?

There is recognised variation between ENT departments in exact imaging protocols for the workup of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) but a routine MRI to exclude retrocochlear pathology is standard, usually following immediate treatment with oral +/- intratympanic steroids....