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Radiological diagnosis of mastoiditis in patients screened for acoustic neuroma

Magnetic resonance imaging is the ‘gold standard’ for screening patients suspected to have acoustic neuroma. Various abnormalities are picked up through this investigation, one of which, not uncommonly reported, is mastoiditis. This requires referral to otolaryngology and further evaluation. In...

Everyone has the right to say no

Despite the introduction of the Mental Capacity Act in 2005, healthcare professionals remain uncomfortable with individuals who choose not to follow medical advice - who make informed decisions to decline a treatment or management plans. This paper highlights that speech...

Delays in oral cancer

This is a review from Canada where they attempt to relate delays in oral cancer presentation to treatment and the impact on stage, diagnosis and survival. They recognise that potentially the most significant delay is between the patient first noticing...

Medication and its effect on the larynx

This article summarises different medications and their effect on the voice. A growing number of patients we see in clinic are on multiple medications that could affect vocal cord function. The author summarises different classes of medications and their potential...

Accuracy of CT scans for cholesteatoma and its complications

Chronic ear disease with cholesteatoma generally requires active surgical management and the requirement for this needs precise assessment. A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of CT scan findings in terms of predicting cholesteatoma and its associated complications...

Learning from reimplantation

The Irish implant centre in Dublin undertook a retrospective study of their reimplantation cases to look at what lessons could be learnt. Device failures fall into two classes: hard and soft failures. Hard failures are implant malfunction or altered performance....

Narrow band imaging in laryngopharyngeal reflux

Narrow band imaging (NBI) is a tool on the Olympus endoscopic systems that uses blue and green wavelengths to enhance visualisation of mucosal vasculature. It has been used to aid in the early diagnosis of upper aerodigestive tract cancers. A...

Paediatric idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss

This Turkish retrospective study looked at the radiological and clinical characteristics, prognostic factors and treatment outcomes in children diagnosed with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL). Forty-eight children were included over an eight-year period. Complete recovery (CR) was achieved in...

Outcomes following endoscopic vs. microscopic ossiculoplasty

Endoscopic ear surgery continues to increase in popularity with an expanding range of applications in otology. The variety of angled scopes allow for superior visualisation of the surgical field and difficult to reach areas. However, use of endoscopes reduce the...

Intranasal steroids in COVID-19

COVID-19 in patients with allergic conditions does not seem to take more severe course. The Global Initiative for Asthma recommended that asthmatic patients who are on prescribed inhaled or oral steroids should continue to take them. Contradictions between guidelines in...

Audiometric outcomes following endoscopic stapes surgery

Adding to the evidence base for endoscopic stapes surgery, this systematic review and analysis of outcomes sought to establish the efficacy and safety of this approach. This review included 14 studies with a pooled sample of 314 adult patients. The...

Pretend placements: simulation is as good as the real thing

Clinical placements are now, more than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic, a huge time and personnel commitment. Recently, allied health students have had huge changes to their placements, often undertaking them entirely remotely. This article describes a novel method of...