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A cost reducing protocol for magnetic resonance imaging in patients suspected to have acoustic neuroma

Magnetic resonance imaging is the ‘gold standard’ for screening patients suspected to have an acoustic neuroma. However, inappropriate referrals for imaging are not helpful, especially with the growing need to reduce costs. In this study the authors compared two audit...

How effective are our two-week-wait guidelines in picking up head and neck cancer?

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...

Balloon compared to FESS – long-term patient satisfaction

Balloon compared to FESS – long-term patient satisfaction This paper is the first controlled study of balloon sinoplasty’s long-term efficacy, with a follow-up extending over five years. There were 208 patients analysed and 88 recruited. Exclusions were nasal polyps grade...

How best to manage single-sided deafness?

Nowadays there is a plethora of options for patients with single-sided deafness (SSD) including: Bluetooth contralateral routing of signal (CROS) aids; in-the-ear bone conduction hearing aids (TransEar); intra-oral bone conduction aids (SoundBite) and bone-anchored technologies (BAHA). Unilateral cochlear implantation is...

Association of childhood OME with obesity

Many factors influence the development of otitis media with effusion (OME) in children, some of them being increased plasminogen factor inhibitor (PAI-1) levels, eustachian tube obstruction and gastro-oesophageal reflux. These factors are also associated with obesity. Sixty children with mean...

Does trainee participation in cochlear implant surgery affect operative times?

The role of surgical education is a very sensitive issue in spite of the obvious need and the obligation of doctors to pass on their knowledge and experience to the next generation. This study is very interesting as it assesses...

Subannular T-tubes for adhesive otitis

This Italian study looked at the success rates of a novel method to manage adhesive otitis media (chronic otitis media with adhesion of the tympanic membrane to the promontory). The authors looked at 22 patients with unilateral chronic adhesive otitis...

Cochlear implantation in inner ear schwannoma patients

Inner ear schwannomas (IES) are rare. Patients with IES tend to lose their hearing. Surgery is a treatment option, but it leads to complete loss of hearing. Other treatment options include stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and watchful waiting (WW). The authors...

Better Hearing with Cochlear Implants

This soft cover book of 453 pages describes in detail the work undertaken at the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) in North Carolina which has led to many of the designs and theories of speech processing in cochlear implantation. It is...

Anatomic guidelines to endolymphatic sac in transmastoid approach – a cadaveric study

This study involved cadaveric dissection using transmastoid approach in cadaveric embalmed five half heads and posterior fossa approach in fourteen. The sac was identified by electron microscopy. The relatively consistent measurements were the relationship of the operculum to the internal...

Deep space neck infections and their management

This article explores the approach to managing patients with deep space neck infections. Clearly, an understanding of the fascial planes within the neck is required which then provides an understanding of the route of spread in these cases. The authors...