You searched for "protective"
Is endoscopic approach more precise in addressing failed ventilation system in chronic mucosal ear disease?
Chronic mucosal disease, as opposed to cholesteatoma, is more directly related to failure of the ventilation system involving three channels. Isthmus anticus and isthmus posticus are channels in front and behind the long process of the incus and there is...
The incidence of coagulopathies in children presenting with post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage
Tonsillectomy is often the first haemostatic challenge for a child. Postoperative haemorrhage may therefore represent the first presentation of a child’s underlying bleeding disorder. This study aimed to quantify the rate of occult coagulopathy in patients who had experienced a...
Hydrogen peroxide and its uses in healthcare
This is an interesting review about the origin and uses of hydrogen peroxide, especially in neurosurgery. However, its uses are ubiquitous and applicable to several medical specialties. When hydrogen peroxide was first discovered in 1818 by Louis Thenard, it had...
Ethanol ablation for benign cystic neck lesions
Benign cystic head and neck lesions have traditionally been managed conservatively or with surgical excision. Ethanol ablation (EA) has now established a role in the management of benign thyroid cysts, and its use has also been expanded to non-thyroid cysts....
Risky behaviour: do care homes follow dysphagia recommendations?
A huge proportion of elderly people living in residential care homes will develop dysphagia. In Australia this is estimated at close to two thirds of all residents. It is the role of the speech and language therapist to make recommendations...
Surgery safety checklists
The time-outs were based on pre-flight checklists adopted by airline pilots and were instituted in all accredited hospitals and ambulatory care centres in the United States in 2003. The guidelines originate from general surgery and are not specific for the...
A new era in the treatment of recalcitrant nasal polyps?
Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) can be difficult to treat effectively in patients with aggressive or recalcitrant disease. Omalizumab (Xolair) is a monoclonal anti-IgE antibody with proven benefits for patients with moderate/severe asthma and CRSwNP, but this study looks...
How safe is sinonasal surgery for the operating surgeon in times of COVID-19?
I’m sure we have all wondered how safe we are in the operating theatre from virus circulating in the room and therefore the risk of subsequent COVID-19 infection. The authors addressed this by measuring the airborne particle concentrations in the...
Tympanostomy tubes outcomes by tympanic quadrants- a meta-analysis
Tympanostomy tube (TT) insertion is one of the most common ENT procedures, resulting in millions of TTs being implanted per annum and occurring complications that need to be addressed. Premature TT extrusion (PTTE) is a well-recognised such complication, affecting almost...
Ultrasound-guided core biopsy of neck lumps as first-line investigative modality supersedes fine needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of neck lumps
Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (USFNAC) when applied as initial investigation often proves non-diagnostic, the incidence being as high as 50% in a recent audit. In this study, the authors applied ultrasound-guided core biopsy (USCB) to neck lumps over 1cm...
Endovascular therapies for venous tinnitus
Tinnitus is an extremely vexing issue, not only for patients but also for otolaryngologists. The authors of this article review the causes of venous tinnitus, such as increased intracranial hypertension (IIH), dural venous sinus thrombosis and age-related anatomic variants. They...
