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The artificial eardrum: how an eggshell membrane fed a German ENT family

In the pre-antibiotic era, purulent otitis media often resulted in a permanent eardrum perforation with hearing loss. In addition to pig or fish bladders, eggshell membranes and cigarette paper were used as eardrum prostheses. I have vivid personal boyhood memories...

Lancet Commission on Hearing Loss

The Lancet Commission on Hearing Loss was convened in 2019, and its main report will be published in 2023. We learn more about it here. The Lancet Commission on Hearing Loss was convened in 2019, and was charged by Richard...

Seven things ENT surgeons can learn from the hairdressers

In a nod to our origins as barber surgeons, Australian ENT surgeon and blogger Eric Levi gives us an entertaining insight into what he has learned from his hairdresser that makes him a better doctor. I’ve been to the hairdressers...

Moving forward for better communication for the Deaf and hard of hearing – Wavefront Centre

Now more than ever, guaranteeing accessibility and inclusion is a vital need for people of all abilities. The Wavefront Centre for Communication Accessibility in Vancouver, BC, is a model on to how to effectively address these issues and serve the...

Cochlear implantation in children with congenital single-sided deafness

To date, there has been very limited data supporting the effectiveness of early provision of a cochlear implant to the deaf ear in infants with congenital single-sided deafness. In this article, the authors share their pioneering work with this special...

Towards AI-assisted RF hearing aids

The development of effective hearing-assistive devices is essential as the prevalence of deafness grows with an ageing population. Where can AI support speech understanding? A team from the University of Glasgow discusses how lip‑reading hearing aids could be the future....

Worldwide picture of candidacy for cochlear implantation

Who should get a cochlear implant? Candidacy is one of the most important and widely discussed topics in the field of cochlear implantation. Here, Chris Raine and Debi Vickers outline cochlear implant candidacy in the UK, and compare this with...

ENT Wallabies

Juggling the demands of elite sport, a boisterous social life on tour and medical academia would seem too much for mere mortals. All in a day’s work for your average Wallaby. Currently I am a Senior Visiting Medical officer at...

Aerosol research and performance

Is singing safe? This was a question asked around the world at the start of the pandemic in early 2020. Natalie Watson and Chris Orton tell us about a rapidly-convened research group that led to profound changes in UK Government...

Effects of blast and acoustic trauma: assessment of hearing status on war veterans

Introduction Acoustical conditions of the military are often dangerous and there is a real risk of blast trauma and acoustic trauma [1, 2]. Levels of military noises maybe reach up to 125 dBA [3]. Weapons produce instant shock waves (10μs)...