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The unknown primary again

In this retrospective study of 35 patients, the authors followed a systematic protocol for the detection and management of malignant cervical lymph nodes without an apparent primary lesion. Although their one, three and five year survival results are consistent with...

Is there evidence to support early discharge of patients with tonsillitis, quinsy and epistaxis?

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its unprecedented pressures on the NHS, demands changes in the management of common ENT emergencies. In this review article, information has been gleaned from 22 relevant articles on how this can be done. The Portsmouth tonsillitis...

Does the season affect the diagnosis of vestibular disorders?

There are mixed results in the literature regarding seasonal variation in the presentation of various peripheral vestibular disorders. In this large population study involving over 20,000 patients recruited from 116 ENT practices across Germany, the authors analysed the demographic characteristics...

Evaluation of secondary otalgia

This Turkish prospective study of 200 patients looked at the pain characteristics of secondary otalgia related to temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and cervical region disorders (CRD), and how they can affect diagnostics. Patients were included if they were >18 years of...

The GP and the ear

General practitioners are the first members of the medical community to deal with ear problems. In this survey, 11 GPs examined 124 patients using a regular otoscope and a video-otoscope and reported their findings in a 10-item table. The same...

Operate, Operate, Operate! A young surgeon in the 1970s

The book is a memoir of Douglas MacMillan’s experiences as a young surgeon in the 1970s. MacMillan describes his journey from medical school to training and becoming a consultant ENT surgeon. He shares stories about his challenges as a young...

Preoperative CT checklist (using the ‘CLOSE’ mnemonic) improves identification of anatomical variants for endoscopic sinus surgery

Computed tomography (CT) scans of the paranasal sinuses act as roadmaps for endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) and careful inspection preoperatively warns the operating surgeon of critical anatomical variants. This study aimed to investigate if implementation of a pre-ESS CT checklist...

Discharge planning

For a specialty such as ENT in which so many procedures are performed as day case surgery, there is a pressing need for objective discharge criteria to facilitate safe decision making post-op. This review strikes a good balance between prescriptive...

Airway intervention for epiglottitis

This Japanese study was a retrospective review of 83 patients admitted with epiglottitis over a 9.5-year period. The authors found that the factors that were significantly more likely to be present in patients who received airway intervention were: odynophagia; drooling;...

Paper patching for aural fullness

This Belgian prospective study reported on the effect of paper patching on aural fullness of unknown aetiology. It looked at 22 patients who complained of aural fullness without any middle ear pathology. The patients were divided into a treatment group...

Occupational hazards affecting otolaryngologists

This is a questionnaire survey which received responses from 323 clinicians practising otolaryngology. The grades ranged from consultants to junior doctors. It was noted that nearly half of these respondents suffered from some form of musculoskeletal pain and it highlights...