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A spoonful of sugar… helps the operated sinuses calm down?

Ottoviano et al. present a prospective double-blinded RCT to assess the effect of a nasal gel containing silver sucrose octasulfate (Silsos Gel) on wound healing after endoscopic sinus surgery. The placebo used was a glycol gel. Thirty-four consecutive patients were...

Novel balloon device to control cavernous sinus bleeding

In their Letter to the Editor, the authors suggest a draft for a novel balloon catheter device for sinus haemostasis during trans-sphenoidal surgery which is associated with uncontrollable sinus bleeding in 1-8% cases. Their proposed device has a single lumen...

The mark of the head and neck surgeon

Like Zorro, the head and neck surgeon leaves their mark. No more so than during parotid surgery. Various modifications have been put forward modifying the classic Blair incision. This latest modification camouflages the pre-tragal scar by running it on to...

Do anticoagulanis and facial plastic surgery mix?

Some surgeons think that antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapies (aspirin, warfarin sodium and clopidogrel bisulphate) increase perioperative bleeding and infections. However, the current evidence base provides conflicting data with respect to the risk of true complications. In this case-control study a...

Benefit of prolonged voice rest following phonosurgery

The recommendation for voice rest following surgery is not agreed amongst surgeons, regarding either the type of voice rest (absolute or relative) or the optimal duration. In this ongoing study, 31 elective patients operated on for benign laryngeal lesions were...

When ears go bad

Whilst rare, squamous cell carcinoma is the commonest primary malignancy of the temporal bone and is discussed in this review article. This tumour frequently presents with otalgia, ottorhoea and hearing loss; less commonly, with facial palsy or parotid mass. Investigations...

Coblation versus microdebrider submucosal inferior turbinoplasty

This prospective randomised study from Riyadh compares submucosal coblation and submucosal microdebrider inferior turbinate reduction. Seventy patients were recruited who had failed medical treatment and were undergoing isolated inferior turbinate surgery. Outcome measures included the Friedman score and VAS for...

Clival chordoma recurrence

Chordomas are generally slow growing and are histologically considered low grade tumours. Their high recurrence rate even after postoperative radiation renders them difficult to treat. This is particularly true for clival chordomas whose deep anatomic location and proximity to vital...