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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...

Barotrauma

Barotrauma is an injury which is due to the effects of pressure upon an air-containing space. Healthy middle ear cavities and paranasal sinuses are normally in equilibrium with the atmospheric pressure, but if an individual moves away from the surface,...

The role of metrics in studies of hearing and cognition

Introduction When perceiving sounds in real-world listening environments, older adults encounter several sources of degradation that can interfere with the perceptual process (Figure 1). Target signals (i.e. the sounds that a listener wants to focus on) have specific acoustic characteristics...

Unpacking the World Health Organization’s World Report on Hearing: what does it say?

The inaugural report on hearing from the World Health Organisation is a tool for advocacy, and for getting hearing loss on government agendas. Nguyen Ngoc Bao Tran was 11 months old when her hearing loss was diagnosed. Despite being informed...

Access to and uptake of cochlear implants in the UK

Assessing demands on cochlear implant (CI) services is very important for both commissioners and clinicians in anticipating clinical need and funding requirements. Commercial CI’s were introduced in the late 1980s. Initial funding was from charitable sources. The first major advance...

What’s new in implantable devices? New indications in cochlear implantation

For over 40 years, cochlear implant procedures have steadily increased. Outcomes for patients are improving as a result of modified surgical techniques, a wider portfolio of electrode arrays, advances in programming strategies, access to improved technology and a better understanding...

Developing principles of swallow rehabilitation using novel animal modelling

Never let it be said that we don’t cover a wide range of topics. Camilla Dawson tells us about the crossover between swallowing in seals and in humans. Rehabilitation of swallow is complex, informed by anatomical and physiological systems and...

Developmental stuttering: a speech-motor impairment with sensory aspects

In treating patients who stutter, understanding the effects of sensory input (i.e. auditory input) can help to direct therapeutic approaches. Sensory processing has been identified as a contributory factor in several diagnoses, notably autism and ADHD [1], however it has...

Optimising hearing aid solutions for tinnitus sufferers: essential factors to consider

A tailored approach combining counselling, sensory management and perceptual training can improve the effectiveness of hearing aids in managing tinnitus for individual patients. Hearing aids are useful tinnitus therapy tools, according to tinnitus management guidelines. However, there are few published...

Making audiology work during COVID-19 and beyond

‘New normal’ is another phrase that has become synonymous with this pandemic. In this article, consideration for ‘low-touch’ and ‘no touch’ audiological pathways are described for adoption as the ‘new normal’ for hearing healthcare. The COVID-19 crisis has ushered in...