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Visual vertigo and optokinetic response

This study measured differences in optokinetic responses (sitting, standing, with and without a static visual target) in three groups of people: those classified as having unilateral vestibular loss (n=10), unilateral loss with visual vertigo (n=8) and a control group (n=10)....

Nasal decongestants don’t improve Eustachian tube function

Prescribing nasal steroids and decongestants. It’s something most of us do routinely, in an effort to reduce chronic middle ear effusion in an adult by trying to improve eustachian tube (ET) patency. This study used clever devices (tube manometry and...

Forward-going sound pressure wave with hearing thresholds

This article discusses an important and well-known point regarding the differences between coupler sound pressure measurements, used to calibrate earphones, and actual pressures delivered to the ear due to individual variances across patients. The study purports to suggest a new...

Friendly bacteria in the ear nose and throat to combat the bad…

The author presents a thorough review of bacterial interference and the studies that have been conducted in common ENT conditions. The simple concept is that a strong population of normal flora will interfere with colonisation and subsequent infection by pathogenic...

Free flap reconstruction in stage three bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis

There is no widely accepted gold standard for the treatment of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ). Early BRONJ is managed conservatively but there is controversy regarding the treatment of the later stages. Stage three is defined as exposed bone...

European position paper on drug induced sedation endoscopy (DISE)

DISE is a controversial topic but a practice that is largely accepted in the UK. There has been much variation about the technique, and how to interpret the results. For this reason, a collection of European DISE bigwigs aimed for...

What do we put in our nasal douches? Anything?

The rise of the popularity of saline nasal douches, with several commercial preparations available, may be a rediscovery of an age-old tradition, but it has been shown to benefit patients. The question then arises as to whether this can be...

Let the maths do the talking for word-finding difficulties

Anomia (word-finding difficulties) can arise when a person has a stroke, dementia or other neurological disorder affecting the left (typically) hemisphere of the brain. There are lots of theories underlying the process of word retrieval, many of which have not...

How patients reacted to postponement of cochlear implant surgery due to COVID-19

The onset of COVID-19 in 2020 required widespread cancellation of elective surgeries, one of these being cochlear implant for profoundly deafened adults and post-lingually deafened children. Through a questionnaire, to which 23 out of 38 patients responded, this qualitative study...

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...