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Endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery versus dopamine agonist therapy for microprolactinomas

This study addresses the importance of the location of microprolactinomas in determining prognosis after surgery. Long-term dopamine agonist treatment is the current standard of treatment for microprolactinomas. However, patients often seek surgical removal. The authors of this study retrospectively analysed...

Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma – slowly getting there

The rarest of the rare, sinonasal tumours form only a small part of the total number of head and neck tumours and undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC) is one of the rarest of this group. There is some data (and some expert...

Red flag head and neck cancer symptoms

This was a prospective study of 1589 patients that were enrolled in the Scottish Audit of Head and Neck Cancer between 1999 and 2001. It recorded their presenting symptoms and assessed their long-term survival with respect to symptoms and subsites...

What should be considered a ‘close’ margin in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma?

Achieving clear margins during surgical resection in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) is thought to reduce local recurrence (LR) and improve prognosis; however, what constitutes a clear, close, or involved margin is inconsistent in the literature and in practice....

Indication and timing of electrodiagnostic tests in facial palsy

This excellent review describes the benefits and limitations of electrodiagnostic testing for patients with facial paralysis. Tests such as Schirmer, stapedial reflex and electrogustometry have been largely replaced by neurophysiologic tests like nerve excitability test (NET), electroneuronography (ENoG), surface electromyography...

Adjuvant intratympanic steroid therapy in sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) means abrupt hearing loss by 30dB affecting three consecutive frequencies within 72 hours. This is treated by high tapering doses of systemic steroids, the role of which is controversial and fraught with possible complications in...

Endoscopic findings and prediction of outcome in unilateral vocal cord paralysis

Unilateral vocal cord paralysis which is not due to irreversible causes such as malignancy, systemic disease or trauma varies considerably in terms of full recovery and restoration of voice. Usually electromyography is used to make possible predictions, but this facility...

The stigma of HPV in oral cancer

The increase of oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC) in the developed world seems to be largely caused by infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a group of 150 DNA viruses that are common and most people will be infected at...

Skull Base Surgery: Strategies

This book sets out to highlight the decision-making process in this most complex and technically demanding area of surgical practice. Its aim, as described in the foreword, is to show the “decision making process of choosing and executing a surgical...

CT and intraoperative nerve monitoring to identify non-recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery

A non-recurrent laryngeal nerve (NRLN) is a rare (incidence 0.3% to 1.3%) anatomical variant that results in a higher rate of vocal cord palsy following thyroid surgery. This team from China examined the utility of preoperative CT and intraoperative nerve...

Benign oesophageal strictures: overview and management strategies

Benign oesophageal strictures may have several attributable causes including caustic injuries, long-term acid reflux, eosinophilic oesophagitis, anastomotic strictures and endoscopic therapy. Endoscopic dilation via bougies or balloon dilators may treat most strictures successfully and satisfactorily. However, in some situations treatment...