You searched for "protective"
Stimulation for a good night’s sleep
This article was an interesting read. It is an update from the authors’ original paper printed in the NEJM in 2014 regarding the results of an implantable pulse generator (IPG) for stimulating the hypoglossal nerve in response to respiration. This...
CT guided cochlear implant programming improves performance
There is currently no national (UK) consensus on imaging patients for cochlear implantation. This paper may change that. It has shown increased hearing and quality of life in paediatric cochlear implant (CI) users when the programming has been assisted by...
Chronic rhinosinusitis and sleep
This is an interesting article from the Chung Shan Medical University in Taiwan. One-hundred-and-thirty-nine patients were enrolled into this five-year study. They all had chronic rhinosinusitis with or without polyposis and underwent sinus surgery. The aim was to investigate a...
The microbiological environment of the paranasal sinuses
This article reviews the ecology of the sinuses and tries to make sense of the confusing literature on the subject. This covers the details of molecular studies, particularly those which attempt to differentiate normal sinuses from those in patients with...
Implantable devices and large magnets – do they mix well?
Although all brands are MRI safe at 1.5 T, the active middle ear implant system Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB), is special since it houses two magnets. These include a magnetic floating mass transducer (FMT) and an audioprocessor fixing receiver magnet which...
Olfactory neuronal damage in sinusitis
So many patients with nasal disorders have poor olfactory function, yet sometimes the nose may seem comparatively clear of conductive problems. This study postulated that neuronal damage in the olfactory apparatus would lead to a leakage of neuron specific enolase...
What are the non-inflammatory causes of a conductive loss?
This retrospective study looked at patients with an intact tympanic membrane with non-inflammatory causes – i.e. otitis media and cholesteotoma. They document their findings based on exploratory tympanotomy. They operated depending on the findings with either a stapedectomy or a...
Is epistaxis affected by the weather?
In this Bosnian study, the authors attempted to determine if air pressure, temperature and humidity had any effect on idiopathic epistaxis. The study took place over a three-year period and included 300 patients. A comparison was performed of meteorological data...
Working with clients of communication disorders from culturally and linguistically diverse populations
Speech language therapists (SLTs) deliver evidence based services worldwide for communication disorders to culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations. They have to modify their approaches and tailor them to the needs of their students / patients. This article studies the...
Changes in airway dimensions after orthognathic surgery
This is a systematic review of meta-analysis evaluating the effect of different types of orthognathic surgery on the cross sectional area and volume of the upper airway as assessed using CT or MRI. They found 28 articles of which only...
Paediatric lymphadenopathy – helpful decision making
The authors present a very helpful algorithm to manage cervical lymphadenopathy in children. The goal of managing children with inflamed lymph glands is to identify the rare malignant case and not over-investigate the vast majority of benign reactive swellings –...
