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Otolith dysfunction in congenitally deaf adults

This paper helps to further define the profile of ocular and cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (o and c VEMPs) in patients with congenital profound sensorineural hearing loss (PSHL). It highlights the prevalence of otolith (saccular and utricular) dysfunction that exists...

Sialendoscopy assisted excision of parotid stones

This is a retrospective paper from China that looks to assess the efficacy and safety of sialendoscopy with a combined transoral or transcutaneous approach for the removal of parotid stones. Sialolithiasis is known to be a cause for obstructive parotid...

Spasmodic dysphonia – is greater awareness needed?

Spasmodic dysphonia (SD) is a focal dystonia of the laryngeal musculature. Previously considered to be a rare disorder, it has more recently been suggested that SD is in fact not rare but is frequently misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. This paper would...

Early ENT involvement can improve long-term quality of life after temporal bone fractures

Sports injuries and road traffic accidents are common causes of head injuries, with 18-40% of skull base fractures involving the temporal bone. Often these patients have other more life threatening injuries so ENT intervention is delayed or absent. Facial palsy,...

Clinicopathological features of follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma

The follicular variant (FV) of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is characterised by the presence of nuclear features of PTC together with a follicular growth pattern. It is currently reported to make up 11.8% to 53.3% of all PTC cases. It...

External auditory canal carcinoma

Although uncommon, primary malignant tumours of the external auditory canal (EAC) are associated with a poor prognosis as they often present late. In this study the authors evaluate the clinical and pathological factors associated with treatment and outcome of EAC...

Facial pain and headaches

This paper reviews the present knowledge and the recent publications on the cause, characteristics, course and treatment of chronic and recurring facial pain and headaches. Facial pain should be defined in terms of frequency, duration and severity, and also in...

How are swallowing and voice affected following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF)?

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) requires an anterior transcervical approach (ACA) to allow decompression of the cervical spine and nerve roots. This approach is also occasionally used for corpectomy and osteophyte removal. Key neurovascular structures related to swallowing and...

Systemic steroids for sensorineural hearing loss

This Japanese retrospective study looked at whether the dosage of prednisolone affects the response rate in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. The authors included a total of 159 patients over a 14-year period who were treated with 200mg/day...

A future for unilateral deafness

Every year, we see several patients struggling with irreversible unilateral hearing loss that is non-responsive to sound amplification. This article emphasises that clinicians should not underestimate the functional and psychological impairment single-sided deafness can have on an individual, even though...