Search

Questionnaire to determine quality of life in Parkinson’s disease patients with swallowing problems

The quality of life (QoL) in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) is often influenced by changes in their swallowing abilities. The authors of this paper have developed a valid, statistically appropriate questionnaire which is also clinically effective and can be...

Apps in allergic rhinitis

Utilising smart-phone applications to gather data is an expanding field in medicine. However, it is not without limitations including bias. The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) introduced the Allergy Diary application as part of...

Reconstructing post-resective auricular defects

The auricle is split into six specific anatomic subunits that vary in skin thickness, contour, structural integrity and the availability of healthy surrounding tissues. It is important to reconstruct an aesthetically pleasing auricle as slight deformities may be prominent. The...

How the world sees facial palsy patients

This paper from Australia gives an insightful perspective on the impact of facial paralysis on patients, and may explain the well-documented poor quality of life scores in this patient group, particularly those ‘successfully reconstructed’ with surgery. It explores how the...

Is GERD linked to CRS?

We are all well aware that both chronic rhinosinusitis and reflux are prevalent in our populations. This meta-analysis looked at 25 studies investigating the association between GERD, LPR and CRS, therefore evaluating more than 117,000 patients. The results are fascinating...

Horizontal nystagmus: vestibular neuritis or lateral canal BPPV?

A horizontal nystagmus due to lateral canal (LSC) BPPV that is present in the upright position, that changes direction with head turn in the horizontal plane has been termed ‘pseudo-spontaneous nystagmus’ (PSN) because it mimics that of vestibular neuritis. The...

Botox application for drooling shrinks salivary glands

The large majority of sialorrhoea (drooling) in paediatric patients is managed conservatively. However in severe cases, often where there is associated developmental delay or a motor disorder, medical and surgical techniques can be used to decrease salivary flow. Botulinum toxin...

How common is oropharyngeal dysphagia amongst the adult population?

It is well known that oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) is a symptom arising from many different aetiologies or disease conditions and that it is a significant morbidity affecting people’s quality of life. Establishing the prevalence of OD is complicated by the...

Aided speech auditory brainstem response

Auditory brainstem response (ABR) is commonly used for hearing screening and is considered as one of the important means of objective audiometry. Speech ABR is a relatively new concept and is regarded as a marker of speech encoding at the...

Alcohol and the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR)

I was drawn to this paper initially for slightly unscientific reasons but in fact it proved a worthwhile read. It describes the effect of alcohol consumption on the VOR of eight healthy subjects as measured using video head impulse testing...