Search

Lymph node ratio is a significant predictor for loco-regional recurrence after neck dissection in patients with papillary thyroid cancer

Lymph node metastases are common in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), yet the impact of nodal metastases on survival remains unclear. Lymph node density (LND) is the ratio between the number of positive lymph nodes excised and the total number of...

Allergen specific subcutaneous immunotherapy helps in prolonged control of allergic rhinitis

One of the commonest allergens involved in perennial allergic rhinitis is house dust mite. A good proportion of these cases prove intractable to treatment with oral and intranasal antihistamines and intranasal steroid sprays. Immunotherapy is considered a useful alternative and...

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...

SPECT scans not justified in growth of the mandibular condyle

This is a paper from Hong Kong of 200 patients between January 2011 and July 2013 who underwent SPECT bone scintigraphy for assessment of growth causing condylar hyperplasia and subsequent mandibular asymmetry. Thirty-four patients were found to have active growth...

Blindness after orthognathic surgery

This is a case report and review of the literature of this rare, but well recognised alarming complication. The authors discuss the possible mechanisms, suggesting that it does not arise from a direct injury to the optic nerve and is...

Obstructive sleep apnoea: Does maxillomandibular advancement work?

This is a paper from the Netherlands reviewing 62 patients who underwent maxillomandibular advancement for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea. The authors observed a 71% success rate with mean apnoea hypopnea index (AHI) reduction of 69%. There was no...

Cinch suture: Does it work?

Flaring of the nostrils is a common side-effect of a maxillary osteotomy. At times flaring is minimal or of no significance. In some instances, it can be a significant postoperative concern to the patient, even to the extent of declining...

Risk factors in free flap failure

This is a retrospective analysis from China of 881 free flaps over nearly four years, 49 of which were ‘taken back’, 26 of which were lost, giving a 97% success rate. The commonest cause of flap failure was venous thrombosis....

Management of oral white patches with malignant potential

This paper focuses on a rare but aggressive form of leukoplakia with malignant potential and is an important reminder of the need for specialist management to those in allied specialties such as ENT that may initially be referred these oral...

Poor allergic rhinitis control increases the overall costs

Allergic rhinitis and asthma are common and can have significant effects on quality of life. However, not many studies have focused on the economic effects. The authors of this study performed a large-scale (over 60,000 patients) observational study to analyse...

Managing spontaneous CSF leaks secondary to benign intracranial hypertension

Spontaneous CSF leaks are a rare entity. In this paper, a Spanish group report their experience managing the condition using endoscopic surgery in 35 patients over an eight year period. Leak locations included the cribriform plate (18/35), ethmoid roof (15/35)...

Laryngeal Cancer: Clinical Case-Based Approaches

This book, published by Thieme, provides a lot of information in a compact size. I enjoyed reading the book as it has an international list of authors and contributors from South America, USA, Europe and Asia which gives it an...