You searched for "otolaryngology"
Evidence for balloon eustachian tuboplasty
Balloon eustachian tuboplasty is an emerging intervention aimed at the management of eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) and its sequelae. The authors acknowledge that ETD is a common but frequently ill-defined problem, with no well-established direct treatment. They performed a systematic...
Patients with advanced oral cavity carcinoma are not candidates for the ‘organ preservation’ approach
The authors of this study, from the University of Michigan, evaluated the role of induction chemotherapy for patients with stages III and IV resectable oral squamous cell carcinoma. Nineteen patients were initially enrolled in the induction chemotherapy cohort. Patients with...
Emerging antimicrobial resistance in ENT outpatients
Given the recent statement from the UK Prime Minister on this issue, it would appear timely to assess the ‘time bomb’ of antibiotic resistance in otology. Comparison of ear swabs over twelve months from 2007 and 2012 demonstrates an increasing...
Assessment in ENT: Intra-operative videos
An article examining the reliability and validity of remote scoring; a video assessment of myringotomy and grommet insertion. The primary outcome measures were to determine construct validity (differentiating between different grades of surgeons) and reliability of video scoring. Unfortunately, the...
Tracheostomy safety project
Tracheostomy care is evolving, with the majority of procedures now performed percutaneously to facilitate weaning from mechanical ventilation in the critically ill. Traditional surgical indications remain, but surgical tracheostomies are increasingly performed in more complex patients. This brings unique challenges...
Extent of central neck dissection in the patients with thyroid carcinoma
The first level of lymphatic spread in well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma is to the central compartment of the neck, namely, the paratracheal, prelaryngeal and pretracheal lymph nodes. Central neck dissection may carry an increased morbidity, namely, hypoparathyroidism and recurrent laryngeal nerve...
National analysis of outcome of head and neck cancer surger
Patient outcomes continue to become ever more visible in the NHS with ongoing drives to demonstrate transparency in our delivery of healthcare. This article reviews unit-level data publication using Hospital Episode Statistics data in all units undertaking head and neck...
Management of metastatic neck disease
This article publishes the findings of a recent expert-led evidence based management symposium in the UK with recommendations according to the SIGN level of evidence and grading. The article neatly summarises the key points, and its clarity despite the complexity...
Cost effectiveness and vestibular schwannoma surgery
This is the first cost effectiveness modelling study looking at the three main treatment options for small to medium sized vestibular schwannomas. This study uses the widely accepted cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) outcome measure to evaluate three...
Sham controlled trial: BPPV
I was drawn to this study and it proved an enlightening read; it also is a good example of where recommendations of a Cochrane review for long-term evidence of benefit have been acted upon! The study looked at the efficiency...
Sublingual immunotherapy
This paper reviews the recent European studies on sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). SLIT is currently widely used in Europe and is gaining popularity in the United States. It is known that longer treatment is needed with SLIT compared with subcutaneous immunotherapy...
