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Voice therapy is an effective treatment for presbyphonia

The quality of an individual’s voice often declines with age. This deterioration occurs firstly as a result of vocal fold atrophy secondary to histologic alteration of the vocal fold mucosa as well as atrophy of the laryngeal musculature. Phonatory efficiency...

Is there a ‘best’ ventilation tube?

Studies on grommet materials and sizes are not exactly new but this was a well-designed randomized study in Sweden with some useful findings. The extrusion rate and complications associated with four different ventilation tubes (grommets) were assessed prospectively in 400...

Complication rates for grommet insertion in H&N cancer patients

Otitis Media (OM) can be the direct result of H&N malignancy itself or secondary to treatment of malignancy. Both surgery and radiotherapy can cause lasting changes to the physiologic function of the ET, middle ear, tympanic membrane and ear canal....

Cochlear implant electrode insertion technique

Atraumatic cochlear implant insertion techniques (so-called ‘soft surgery’) are now standard practice in most centres for all cases (no longer just for attempted hearing preservation cases). This has led to several studies examining cochlear trauma and electrode insertion force. In...

OTO-104 in noise-induced and cisplatin-induced hearing loss

These two animal studies report on potential new applications for intra-tympanic OTO-104, a slow-release hydrogel formulation of dexamethasone that is currently being used in a Europe-wide randomised trial for Ménière’s disease. In the first paper, guinea pigs were given a...

Fingernail for orbital floor reconstruction

Orbital damage is common in maxillofacial injuries and about half of them result in damage to the orbital floor. Suitable material that could be used for repairing the orbital floor includes autografts, allografts and alloplastic materials. The disadvantage of using...

Radiation-induced dysphagia in head and neck cancer

This is a helpful reference paper that provides an overview of the biomolecular effects of radiation on the tissues of the upper aero-digestive tract. The authors explain that radiation injuries occur in a repetitive and accruing manner over the duration...

Expanding the role of FNA in thyroid nodule decision-making

Papillary thyroid cancer, the commonest histological type, has been extensively reported as having BRAF proto-oncogene mutations (most commonly the V600E mutation). There is great interest in BRAF as a molecular marker, particularly as a prognostic factor that may guide the...

Posturography in persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD)

Those in neuro-otology practice will be familiar with PPPD now appearing in the forthcoming beta edition of ICD-11. This condition combines the symptoms of phobic postural vertigo and chronic subjective dizziness in which anxiety plays a part. The underlying hypothesis...

Alcohol consumption and the risk of developing benign laryngeal disorders?

Alcohol consumption among South Korean adults is apparently high, with over three quarters of the adult population consuming alcohol and a ‘high-risk’ drinking rate of one in five. Excessive alcohol consumption is considered to be a risk factor for developing...

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...

Is the lack of sunshine the reason behind allergic rhinitis?

Deficiency in Vitamin D, an in vogue immunomodulator, has been shown in emerging data to have a substantial pathogenetic role in allergic related diseases, particularly asthma. The concept of a shared upper and lower airway has allowed the natural extrapolation...