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Voice change after total thyroidectomy with intact laryngeal nerves – a common but temporary problem
It has been reported that up to 87% of patients have a degree of voice dysfunction after thyroidectomy, even when the laryngeal nerves are preserved. Postoperative inflammation, laryngeal oedema due to vascular congestion, direct damage to the cricothyroid muscles and...A new hearing health scheme for musicians
Joe Hastings, Health & Welfare Manager for Help Musicians UK, discusses the results of the charity’s 2015 survey of musicians’ hearing and plans for a new scheme which will give all professional musicians in the UK affordable access to specialist...
Prevention better than cure?
This systematic review looks at methods of ‘barrier protection’ or ‘barrier-enforcing’ to minimise allergic rhinitis symptoms, using 15 RCTs. Whilst the authors admit that patient numbers were small in a number of these studies, generally it seems that barrier techniques...
Military acoustic trauma: incidence and management
This is a retrospective study on the effects of acute acoustic trauma on the hearing thresholds of 225 military personnel. The main symptom after acute acoustic trauma due to firearm use was tinnitus. The authors consider it as the main...
Helmets make a difference in bicycle injuries
This is a meta-analysis of maxillofacial injuries arising from riding a bicycle. The incidence of maxillofacial fractures in cycling accidents varies from 3-20% and, whilst the effectiveness of helmets in preventing traumatic brain injuries is well known, their protective effect...
Impact of Covid-19 on secretory otitis media (SOM) in terms of rate of intervention, effusion detected intraoperatively and seasonal variation
It is widely known that secretory otitis media (SOM) has seasonal variations. In well-judged cases, there is middle ear effusion found at the time of surgery. In this retrospective study, the authors have tried to assess if Covid-19 changed these...Audiology in this issue...Prevention
Alex Griffiths-Brown, BSc(Hons), MRes, Audiologist, The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust, Shrewsbury, UK. E: alex.griffiths-brown@nhs.netTwitter: @griffithsbrown1 'Prevention is better than cure’ is an adage that is attributed to the Dutch philosopher, Desiderius Erasmus, in around 1500. It is a...
The impact of rhino-sinusitis treatment on olfaction
This study included 28 adults prospectively enrolled between March 2011 and May 2013 into a non-randomised, multi-institutional cohort. Adults electing endoscopic sinus surgery experienced gains in olfaction comparable to adults electing continued medical management. The evidence in this study comparing...Cochlear implants and therapeutics: a natural partnership?
Global awareness of cochlear implants as a solution for hearing loss is slowly increasing and gaining acceptance. The potential for combining cochlear implants with inner ear therapeutics is immense, with promise in several areas. This article takes us on a...
Effects of nasal sprays on ciliary function
What do topical nasal sprays do to the nasal mucosa in the long term? This study reports the effect of corticosteroids, antihistamines and common preservatives in nasal sprays, benzalkonium chloride (BKC) and potassium sorbate (PS), on an in-vitro model of...
Classification and assessment of midfacial fractures; no more Le Fort facial fractures
There is some evidence that severe or complex midfacial or orbital fractures have declined over the last decade. Interestingly there is also evidence of an increase in road traffic accidents but a decrease in facial injuries. This is possibly attributed...
