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Less pain more gain: impact of prophylactic gabapentin on swallowing outcomes in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment

Patients planned for chemoradiation to the head and neck are usually advised to expect some pain and soreness during their treatment and that pain relief will be offered as and when it is required. Uncontrolled pain and mucositis affect oral...

Microsurgical trainees to avoid strenuous exercises?

It is commonly believed among microsurgeons that over-exertion can impair microsurgical performance. The authors aimed to investigate if they could prove this theory and compared the performance of medical students, postgraduate trainees and expert controls who were microsurgery tutors. A...

Associated findings in MRI used for detecting acoustic neuroma

Presently, gadolinium enhanced magnetic resonance imaging is the ‘gold standard’ for investigating acoustic neuroma. There are often ‘incidental’ findings that may or may not be significant. In this study of 109 scans, the authors noted an uptake of 0.9% for...

Is it possible to fix condylar neck fractures with one plate?

Fractures of the condylar neck are fairly common and account for over 25% of all mandible fractures. Over the years a number of modalities have been used to fix these fractures. Direct reduction is complicated by the overlying proximity of...

Is bone cement a cost-effective solution?

This study looks at the functional results of 52 patients who underwent bone cement ossiculoplasty. Patients were divided into four groups based on ossicular disruption. Group 1 (30 patients) had lenticular erosion only. Group 2 (13 patients) had absent incus....

Recovery of vestibular function after vestibular neuritis

It is well known that recovery from vestibular neuritis (VN) is not solely mediated through central vestibular compensation, but also at the peripheral level. The authors conducted a prospective study to track the dynamic changes in recovery from vestibular neuritis...

Myringoplasty in a bottle?

Management of large traumatic TM perforations can involve observation and water precautions or surgical repair. Closure rates for larger perforations can be 8-12 weeks and occurs for between 38-79%. Animal and human studies have shown that exogenous application of epidermal...

Facial reconstruction with polyethylene implants

Planning reconstructive surgery for complex craniofacial defects challenges even the most experienced of surgeons. In most cases surgery is undertaken to improve anatomical functioning. However the anatomical structure of these regions is also critical to facial aesthetics and patient satisfaction...

Evidence based guidelines for ONS treatment in occipital neuralgia

Occipital neuralgia (ON) can flummox otolaryngologists especially when it follows mastoid surgery. The paroxysms of sharp, electrical pain originating from the occiput can extend along the posterior aspect of the scalp and even up to the mastoid. Although the aetiology...