This Belgian prospective audit attempted to provide justification for the provision of a 24-hour emergency service at a large 1038-bed teaching hospital (with 31 ENT consultants). The authors looked at a one-month period during which 190 patients were admitted. They...
The authors aimed to identify strength and gaps in ENT training in Belgium through a national survey amongst ENT Belgian trainees. They attempted to contact 94 trainees, with a response rate of 59.5%. Of the respondents, 35.7% rated their level...
Advances in genetic testing over the last decade have reduced the cost and time such testing required and increased understanding of the genes involved in conditions like congenital hearing loss. This study from Atlanta looks at genetic testing from a...
Therapeutic alliance describes what happens in the interactions and relationships between the client and the therapist. There is evidence from mental health literature that a therapeutic alliance can have a significant impact on outcomes. A negative alliance can lead to...
Chronic ear disease with cholesteatoma generally requires active surgical management and the requirement for this needs precise assessment. A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of CT scan findings in terms of predicting cholesteatoma and its associated complications...
Minimising haemorrhage and promoting healing of raw areas are cornerstones for uneventful and speedy recovery after tonsillectomy. In this single-blinded prospective experimental study, application of platelet-rich plasma to one side tonsillar bed has been compared to the other side in...
With a 30% increase in the incidence of head and neck cancer since 1999 in the UK, it is important that the two-week wait referral guidelines safely encompass all risk factors but also render these urgent referrals based on signs...
There are mixed results in the literature regarding seasonal variation in the presentation of various peripheral vestibular disorders. In this large population study involving over 20,000 patients recruited from 116 ENT practices across Germany, the authors analysed the demographic characteristics...
This large multicentre case series of patients treated twice with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for progressing vestibular schwannomas (VS) is reported by the International Gamma Knife Radiosurgery consortium. Progression of tumour growth after primary SRS is rare but does occur. Complications...
This study addresses the importance of the location of microprolactinomas in determining prognosis after surgery. Long-term dopamine agonist treatment is the current standard of treatment for microprolactinomas. However, patients often seek surgical removal. The authors of this study retrospectively analysed...
Dysarthria is often the first or most pronounced feature of a Parkinson’s disease (PD) presentation, yet may be difficult to discern from normal ageing changes that impact voice and speech. Thus, it is important to be able to differentiate in...
There has recently been a move away from elective neck dissections in the setting of salvage laryngectomy. This has mainly resulted from an appreciation of the increase in morbidity, in particular pharyngocutaneous fistula formation, and an improvement in cross-sectional imaging...