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Vascular vertigo and dizziness: diagnostic criteria

This diagnostic criteria is one of the latest produced by The Bárány Society. It is a useful addition to previous ones for vestibular disorders. Vascular vertigo/dizziness by definition is caused by stroke, transient ischaemic attack (TIA), isolated labyrinthine infarction/haemorrhage and...

Are quinsies worth draining?

Recent data is providing accumulating evidence that treatment failure in the management of peritonsillar abscesses (PTAs, aka ‘quinsies’) is similar when these are managed with medical treatment (MT) alone versus MT plus surgical drainage (M+ST). However, in the absence of...

Diagnostic features of acute invasive fungal sinusitis

Acute invasive fungal sinusitis (AIFS) is a rare but frequently lethal condition, commonly associated with a high morbidity among those that survive. It has gained recent media attention on account of its increased incidence following infection with (and treatment for)...

Loss of smell in the age of COVID-19

Loss of smell (LOS) is a debilitating symptom with increasing interest for the medical community due to its high prevalence in COVID-19. In the present paper, a team of 15 experts provide recommendations for the investigation and management of patients...

The electromagnetic larynx

Current treatment options for a bilateral vocal cord palsy (tracheostomy, posterior cordotomy, arytenoidectomy) are suboptimal, with a focus primarily on a static means of airway restoration at the expense of voice production and potentially swallow safety. This paper reports on...

Neuromodulation in drug resistant epilepsy

Treatment of epilepsy can be considered generally as medical or surgical. Anti-epileptic drugs achieve a five-year seizure freedom in 54-70% patients. It is estimated that 50-90% of patients with drug-refractory epilepsy may not be candidates for resective surgery. For example,...

Parapharyngeal space tumours – is the transoral approach effective?

Several approaches are described to the parapharyngeal space to permit resection of tumours in this region, with the most commonly employed approach being the transcervical route. The transoral approach remains somewhat controversial as it is felt that this approach can...

The lateral neck cystic mass – diagnostic dilemma. Can HPV status help?

Solitary cystic masses in the lateral neck can present a significant diagnostic dilemma as they can be metastases from tumours of the oro or nasopharynx. This retrospective paper detailed all patients presenting to a university hospital in Germany, from September...

Vestibular paroxysmia, diagnostic controversy clarified?

Historically, the cause of vestibular paroxysmia (VP) had been attributed to neurovascular compression of the eighth cranial despite the observation that such compression is very common in asymptomatic subjects. This paper, part of International Classification of Vestibular Disorders (ICVD) by...

SPECT-CT imaging improves surgical efficiency in sentinel lymph node biopsy in melanoma

Sentinel lymph node biopsy is used in clinically lymph node negative, primary cutaneous melanoma. A combination of planer lymposcintigraphy using a radiolabelled colloid detected intra-op by gamma probe, and cutaneous injection of blue dye is used. However, with lymphoscintigraphy spillage...

CSF leak – endoscopic or open repair?

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhoea is well known to the ENT surgeon. It commonly occurs secondary to a predisposing event such as accidental or iatrogenic trauma. When it occurs spontaneously, it can be associated with benign intracranial hypertension. The commonest CSF...