Controversy has raged for many years between open mastoid cavity procedures and canal wall up techniques in terms of postoperative recidivism and ear discharge. It is generally believed that canal wall up procedures can miss hidden cholesteatoma but preserve useful...
A sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) of 30dB or more affecting at least three frequencies and occurring over less than three days is classified as ‘sudden’ SNHL (SSNHL). Treatment is urgently undertaken with systemic and/or intra-tympanic steroids, and ijn some cases...
Clinical histopathology of 250 parotidectomy patients This is a retrospective study of 250 consecutive parotidectomy patients at units in Belgium and the Netherlands. The sensitivity and specificity of FNAC was 64% and 99% respectively, the sensitivity being slightly lower than...
There is a significant shortfall in rehabilitation service for people with communication difficulties across Majority World countries. It is known that many people in these countries are likely to seek help from a variety of sectors including western healthcare, religious...
Although the best management of allergic rhinitis is medical, intractable cases are not uncommon. Immunotherapy helps but is more practical if there is a single allergen involved. The authors compare the effects of submucosal inferior turbinoplasty alone with submucosal turbinoplasty...
Magnetic resonance imaging is the ‘gold standard’ for screening patients suspected to have an acoustic neuroma. However, inappropriate referrals for imaging are not helpful, especially with the growing need to reduce costs. In this study the authors compared two audit...
With advances in imaging and radiation technologies, small, slowly growing vestibular schwannomas (VS) are treated primarily with either observation or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Routine magnetic resonance (MRI) scans with gadolinium are obtained six months and one year after SRS in...
Fungal sinusitis is a common problem and it is well recognised that it can be difficult to remove all of the fungal matter from the maxillary sinus to ensure no recurrence or residual disease. This study describes a technique utilising...
The Irish implant centre in Dublin undertook a retrospective study of their reimplantation cases to look at what lessons could be learnt. Device failures fall into two classes: hard and soft failures. Hard failures are implant malfunction or altered performance....
Narrow band imaging (NBI) is a tool on the Olympus endoscopic systems that uses blue and green wavelengths to enhance visualisation of mucosal vasculature. It has been used to aid in the early diagnosis of upper aerodigestive tract cancers. A...
This study was designed as “an overview” of secondary studies and analysed 15 articles. Two procedures were considered highly unstable: a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy for clockwise rotation of the mandible with bi-cortical screw rigid internal fixation, and posterior maxillary...
The authors aimed to identify strength and gaps in ENT training in Belgium through a national survey amongst ENT Belgian trainees. They attempted to contact 94 trainees, with a response rate of 59.5%. Of the respondents, 35.7% rated their level...