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Does stress and anxiety worsen idiopathic sudden hearing loss outcomes?

There have been suggestions that the natural course of the idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is not affected by intensive therapy. There is speculation as to whether unknown factors affect the treatment prognosis. This is a retrospective study of...

Measuring the ‘impact’ of preoperative immunonutrition

Using preoperative nutritional supplements as part of ‘enhanced recovery’ in surgical patients is not a new concept. This interesting paper looks at the latest development in optimising patients undergoing head and neck oncological surgery. Immunonutrition (Nestle’s ‘Oral Impact’ in this...

Does pre-op intratympanic gentamicin improve balance control after vestibular schwannoma surgery?

This retrospective study was based on data from 44 patients selected from a cohort of 153 who had undergone surgical resection of vestibular schwannoma over a 10-year period. The aim was to evaluate the dynamics of the postural control system...

Better conversations for children with Autism and peers for now and for their futures

There are around 700,000 people with diagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the UK, according to 2011 census figures. A key diagnostic feature in ASD are difficulties in social interactions and conversations, social-emotional responses and relationships. The authors of this...

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...

NSC- HHT – a systematic review of intranasal Bevacizumab

This systematic review of 13 studies concerning the use of an anti-angiogenic nasal treatment in the management of epistaxis in HHT patients finds no significant effect. This paper looked at four RCTs, three prospective studies, three retrospective, one case series...

Multilingualism in a monolingual environment: shifting perspective for economic benefits

English proficiency amongst migrant populations has a relatively high profile in the UK education system at present. This article compared data from two Australian national censuses with the aim of describing the English proficiency of the Australian population, to explain...

Omalizumab for CRSwNP: a monoclonal antibody

A prospective study from London, evaluating the response of chronic rhinosinusitis patients with nasal polyposis who were being treated with monoclonal antibody against IgE for severe allergic asthma. Thirteen patients were treated with Omalizumab, according to UK guidelines for their...

Intraoperative MRI use during pituitary tumour resection

This article provides an overview of intraoperative MRI (iMRI) use in transphenoidal surgery (TSS) for pituitary tumours. Traditionally imaging of the surgical field during surgery involves intraoperative fluoroscopic imaging or neuronavigation which help to avoid injury to critical structures but...

Allergen immunotherapy and allergic rhinitis – EAACI guideline 2017

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common chronic childhood disease with considerable social burden and impact on quality of life, frequently necessitating treatment with various combinations of antihistamines and corticosteroids. The allergen immunotherapy (AIT), sometimes known as desensitisation therapy, can modify...

Which technique is better for turbinate reduction: surgical turbinoplasty or radiofrequency ablation?

Turbinate hypertrophy; radiofrequency; surgical turbinoplasty; visual analogue score

Are there benefits of prophylactic swallowing exercises for patients with head and neck cancer?

This randomised controlled trial aimed to establish the impact of prophylactic swallowing exercises in patients undergoing chemoradiation therapy for head and neck cancer. The primary outcome was the functional oral intake scale (FOIS), although secondary measures for feeding tube use,...