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Carotid paragangliomas and their management

Paragangliomas in the head and neck are most frequently associated with the carotid artery, classically at its bifurcation and splaying the internal and external vessels. Despite their commonality at this site, large studies of these rare tumours are still lacking...

Old age is hard to swallow

This article takes us through the diagnosis and management of swallowing problems common in older age. As our global population continues to grow and live longer, dysphagia will continue to be a global problem which needs to be recognised, understood...

Trends in parathyroidectomy

The authors retrospectively analysed Hospital Episode Statistics data for parathyroidectomy between 2000 and 2010. Overall, parathyroidectomy rates nearly doubled from 3.3/100,000 population in 2000 to 5.8/100,000 in 2010, with particularly significant increases in elderly patients. The authors attribute this rise...

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...

Risky behaviour: do care homes follow dysphagia recommendations?

A huge proportion of elderly people living in residential care homes will develop dysphagia. In Australia this is estimated at close to two thirds of all residents. It is the role of the speech and language therapist to make recommendations...

Olfactory and gustatory recovery in coronavirus patients after six months

It remains unclear for how long olfactory and gustatory losses persevere in patients with COVID-19. This is a prospective study of 300 patients who lost taste and smell within seven days of contracting COVID-19. The patients were objectively assessed with...

How patients reacted to postponement of cochlear implant surgery due to COVID-19

The onset of COVID-19 in 2020 required widespread cancellation of elective surgeries, one of these being cochlear implant for profoundly deafened adults and post-lingually deafened children. Through a questionnaire, to which 23 out of 38 patients responded, this qualitative study...

Effect of age-related changes in voice production and hearing on Voice Handicap Index and Geriatric Depression Scores

The ageing process affects hearing and production of voice. It is not unknown that impairment of these faculties can affect quality of life and also cause depression. The authors have presented an array of actual anatomical and functional changes that...

Long-term curative effects of microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm

This article describes results of a multicentre prospective trial performed to evaluate long- and short-term outcomes and complications of patients who underwent microvascular decompression (MVD) for hemifacial spasm (HFS). The surgeries were performed by surgeons with more than 15 years...

Association between dysphagia and sarcopenia: implications for assessment of older people

The onset of swallowing difficulties with progressive age is reported to occur in 13-35% of the elderly population. Sarcopenia is characterised by a decrease in muscle mass, strength and function. Sarcopenic dysphagia is a relatively new term. Its prevalence is...

Horizontal canal PPV: is Gufoni manoeuvre better than barbecue manoeuvre?

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common kind of vertigo that we come across in our out-patient clinic. Horizontal canal BPPV (HC-BPPV) accounts for 10–30% of total BPPV. Two techniques, namely Guffoni and barbecue roll manoeuvres, are generally...

Bilateral medialisation thyroplasty for presbylaryngis

This retrospective case series explores the voice outcomes for 21 patients diagnosed with presbylaryngis who underwent bilateral medialisation thyroplasty at a university medical centre in Portland, Oregon, USA. Silastic was implanted in 17 patients; hydroxyapatite in four. Significant improvements were...