You searched for "treatment"
Surgery or medicine: when should we stop trying to be conservative?
Although most otolaryngologists would agree that surgery improves the outcomes of patients with CRS when medical treatment has failed, both Cochrane reviews state that there is no proof of improved efficacy of surgery over medicine – however, that was after...
Cough no more?
The challenge of the ‘unexplained chronic cough’ that just will not go away is a challenge that frustrates many of us. Often patients have seen respiratory, upper GI and eventually they see you as the last resort! Is behavioural therapy...
Vitamin C analgesia for UPPP
Postoperative pain management after uvulopharyngopalatoplasty is a common clinical problem. This well-designed study from Iran describes the novel use of vitamin C as an analgesic. The precise mechanism of action is not clearly defined, but appears to be related to...
Role of cochlear implants in the management of incapacitating tinnitus in patients with unilateral hearing loss
This is an interesting paper on patients with unilateral hearing loss and incapacitating tinnitus. The present study was conducted on 23 patients who had a cochlear implant for unilateral hearing loss including patients with single sided deafness (SSD). Most of...
Subannular T-tubes for adhesive otitis
This Italian study looked at the success rates of a novel method to manage adhesive otitis media (chronic otitis media with adhesion of the tympanic membrane to the promontory). The authors looked at 22 patients with unilateral chronic adhesive otitis...
Thalidomide in HHT
An interesting paper from a specialist centre in the Netherlands regarding the use of thalidomide in HHT patients. The St Antonius hospital has 1238 patients with HHT and 1% of these use thalidomide. The aim was to assess the benefits,...
Multiple free flaps for head and neck cancer
Most patients with advanced head and neck cancers now undergo microvascular free flap reconstruction. This is mainly as flaps facilitate complete tumour and margin removal by providing reliable wound coverage and better restoration of form and function. However despite this,...Head and neck cancer multidisciplinary team
Why do we have MDTs? Do they make a difference to outcomes? Jon Bernstein explores the whys and wherefores of the head and neck cancer MDT, and wonders where things might go from here… Head and neck (upper aerodigestive tract)...
Myringoplasty in a bottle?
Management of large traumatic TM perforations can involve observation and water precautions or surgical repair. Closure rates for larger perforations can be 8-12 weeks and occurs for between 38-79%. Animal and human studies have shown that exogenous application of epidermal...
Systemic steroids for sensorineural hearing loss
This Japanese retrospective study looked at whether the dosage of prednisolone affects the response rate in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. The authors included a total of 159 patients over a 14-year period who were treated with 200mg/day...
Consider PCR testing in culture negative necrotising otitis externa
Necrotising otitis externa (NOE) often does not yield identification of a causative organism to treat although in 90% of cases it is a member of the pseudomonas species. The incidence of fungal NOE is not to be forgotten and this...
