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Suspect the unsuspecting in thyroid cancer

This article reminds readers of how often invasive thyroid disease can appear, as the symptomatology is minimal. Noticeable airway symptoms appear after 50% of the airway is involved and surgeons can often fall in the unsuspecting trap of discovering locally...

Is medical therapy without surgical treatment sufficient in treating peritonsillar abscess?

Standard treatment of peritonsillar abscess (PTA) has typically involved both medical therapy and surgical drainage either in the form of needle aspiration, or incision and drainage. However, is medical without surgical treatment sufficient? The authors suggest that medical therapy without...

Role of oral and intranasal steroids in the management of otitis media with effusion

Inflammation is considered an important factor in the pathogenesis and continuation of otitis media with effusion. Theoretically, this may support the use of steroids, oral or intranasal in the management of this condition. This study comprised three well matched groups...

Can the threshold for drain removal after selective lateral neck dissection be safely raised to an output volume of less than 100 mL in a 24-hour period?

Closed-suction drains are routinely used by most head and neck surgeons after selective lateral neck dissections (SLNDs). A recent survey of more than 360 head and neck surgeons found that more than 60% use a criterion of less than 30...

“It’s paediatric resus calling…”

This article is one of many within this issue that addresses a variety of ENT emergencies. The article outlined the stepwise process of assessing and managing a child with a suspected foreign body (FB) inhalation. Nuts, seeds and vegetable matter...

“Close” surgical margin in oral tongue redefined, 2.2mm is as good as 5mm

Gold standard treatment of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral tongue remains surgical resection of the primary tumour with negative margins. The primary goal is the complete excision of the tumour with no residual cancer cells left behind. A...

A global view of thyroid surgery practices

The incidence of thyroid cancer continues to increase, and both surgery for benign and malignant disease carries an important and persistent incidence of perioperative complications. This paper reports the results of an electronic survey sent to members of seven surgical...

Predicting the prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma after salvage surgery

Loco-regional recurrence of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) continues to be a life-threatening and difficult clinical situation. Salvage surgery can result in significant morbidities, and survival following recurrence is generally poor. In this study from Ontario, Canada, prognostic factors...

Low risk options following failure of intratympanic gentamicin for Meniere’s

This article is a useful summary of the options available when intratympanic gentamicin (ITG) fails to adequately control vertigo episodes in Meniere’s patients. The authors describe the anatomical reasons that may impede drug delivery to the round window with the...

Parathyroid pearls

This article serves to deliver some pearls of wisdom in parathyroid surgery for the ‘low volume parathyroid surgeon’. They have been divided into those relating to the preoperative diagnosis, imaging and localisation techniques and surgical difficulties. Recognised sources of error...

Finding the elusive parathyroid glands

While reading in the literature about new advances in knowledge and surgical techniques, it is often easy to lose track of the longstanding knowledge that we all acquired during our training. This is why this article on the anatomy and...