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Results of hypoglossal-facial nerve anastamosis techniques for facial palsy

Preserving facial nerve function is of prime importance in acoustic neuroma surgery. A comprehensive knowledge of anatomy, experience and surgical precautions can reduce the incidence significantly. Important considerations are when and how to repair if injury occurs. Several options include:...

Can WhatsApp aid surgical team communication?

This plastic surgery team discuss their experience with using WhatsApp instant messaging over the last three years. WhatsApp is now commonplace amongst surgical teams in hospitals, for both social and business interactions. In the authors’ experience, WhatsApp allows team discussions...

Snap: do voice patients’ self-ratings match the professionals or the machines?

Self-rating by people with voice disorders and perceptual assessments by speech and language therapists are generally quicker and cheaper than acoustic voice analysis. Reports, with small sample sizes and mixed participant groups, on whether these measures are associated have demonstrated...

Is bone cement a cost-effective solution?

This study looks at the functional results of 52 patients who underwent bone cement ossiculoplasty. Patients were divided into four groups based on ossicular disruption. Group 1 (30 patients) had lenticular erosion only. Group 2 (13 patients) had absent incus....

Use of topical steroids and antibiotics, compared to systemic antibiotics in the treatment of acute rhinusinusitis

Acute rhinusinusitis is mainly initiated by viral infections. Bacterial infection is usually superadded. The inflammatory cascade upregulates the pro-inflammatory mediators resulting in pain, nasal obstruction and nasal discharge. Local application of steroids and antibiotics could provide a higher concentration of...

Differing types of pharyngeal pouch

This article raised an eyebrow on the grounds that apparently more than one type of pharyngeal pouch exists! They differ in terms of aetiology, site and approach to treatment, therefore awareness of them is advised to ensure the appropriate surgical...

Lymph node metastases in papillary thyroid cancer

This retrospective Korean cohort study looked at the risk factors associated with bilateral lateral lymph node metastases in patients with unilateral papillary thyroid cancer. There were 11 patients who met the inclusion criteria across an 11-year period from 2009 to...

The push towards scarless parotid surgery

When dealing with benign parotid pathology, high expectations are placed on the operating surgeon to preserve key neurovascular structures, especially the animating facial nerve, through meticulous dissection. With time, there has been a greater emphasis on improving cosmesis in parotid...

THRIVE: redefining airway management in endoscopic oesophageal surgery

Transnasal humidified rapid insufflation ventilatory exchange (THRIVE) is no longer just a tool to help anaesthetists secure a difficult airway. Thanks to the work of authors like Yang and colleagues, it is being revolutionised to provide apnoeic oxygenation during endoscopic...

Myringoplasty in a bottle?

Management of large traumatic TM perforations can involve observation and water precautions or surgical repair. Closure rates for larger perforations can be 8-12 weeks and occurs for between 38-79%. Animal and human studies have shown that exogenous application of epidermal...

What can we tell about swallow physiology from a bedside clinical assessment?

Knowledge about swallowing physiology has greatly increased with the use of instrumental assessments such as videofluoroscopy (VFS). The authors of this paper performed an analysis of data obtained from 60 stroke patients who were assessed via a clinical swallow examination...