You searched for "assistive"

969 results found

The accidental audiologist

In this article we hear from Muhammed Ayas, an “accidental” audiologist applying his transferable skills as a clinician, academic, and researcher through trying and testing innovative approaches in audiology to better serve the community. My audiology journey began 22 years...

The Business of Audiology

Brian J Fligor, PhD, PASC, President, Audiologist-in-Chief, Tobias & Battite Hearing Wellness, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. DrBrian@tobias-battite.com When it works well, capitalism is an excellent driver of innovation, generation of wealth, and adherence to best practices resulting in optimal outcomes. When...

Sit back, relax and enjoy the flight! & Arrivals

This series of stories is dedicated to those of you with whom some of these moments were shared (or endured) and, above all, to my amazing and long-suffering husband, David Howard. Most of you know him as an exceptional head...

From aaargh to zzzzz: the ABC of paediatric anaesthesia

Andrew McTavish is one of those special breeds who not only relishes complex anaesthesia, but also does so in paediatric patients. Dealing with this group of patients requires careful planning according to accepted practice, and here he discusses some recent...

The process of medical innovation

You’ve got an amazing idea for a new device. It is going to change how your speciality of surgery is practised. It will lead to better operative results and lower risks to patients – that’s amazing, can I see it?...

Hidden hearing loss in humans

Awareness of cochlear synaptopathy (‘hidden hearing loss’) is growing. Chris Plack gives us an introduction to the condition, defining it and reviewing recent research in humans and animals with respect to noise exposure. The main cause of hearing loss is...

Cognition and hearing – you can’t test one with the other!

Cognitive Psychologist, Boaz M Ben-David, provides insights into the import of considering cognitive factors when assessing speech perception ability to maximise intervention success. Failing to do so, he suggests, is “ageist”, a predisposition healthcare professionals must avoid. Cognitive performance is...

Blood-sampling prognostic predictors for Bell’s palsy

Bell’s palsy is generally defined as an acute-onset unilateral idiopathic mononeuropathy in the facial nerve. It is of unknown aetiology, however, inflammation is considered a major cause. Electroneurography assessing nerve excitability is the most reliable examination for predicting prognosis of...

Quality of life after cochlear implantation in the older population

Cochlear implants (CI) have been increasingly adopted in older adults with severe to profound hearing loss as a result of the growing and ageing world population. There is much interest in the cost-effectiveness and quality of life in CI users....

Does septoplasty improve smell?

This is a study from Barcelona on a very interesting topic: does septoplasty change sense of smell? The theory being that a deviated septum would prevent airflow to the olfactory region and once the anatomical obstruction has been relieved, that...

Surgery plus radiotherapy keeps the helical keloid scar away

Keloid scars lead to significant psychological and cosmetic morbidity. As the pinna is a key component of facial cosmesis, pinna keloid scar formation can be aesthetically displeasing. Their stubbornness and high recurrence rate can be challenging to treat. This department,...

Role of interventional neuroradiology in otorhinolarygological pathology 
– a brief review

Introduction Since its advent in 1964 when Dotter percutaneously dilated a stenosed femoral artery [1], interventional radiology has undergone tremendous advancement in both imaging and devices that have enabled the operator (interventional radiologist) to access very distal small vasculature and...