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Nasal decongestants don’t improve Eustachian tube function

Prescribing nasal steroids and decongestants. It’s something most of us do routinely, in an effort to reduce chronic middle ear effusion in an adult by trying to improve eustachian tube (ET) patency. This study used clever devices (tube manometry and...

Forward-going sound pressure wave with hearing thresholds

This article discusses an important and well-known point regarding the differences between coupler sound pressure measurements, used to calibrate earphones, and actual pressures delivered to the ear due to individual variances across patients. The study purports to suggest a new...

Consequences of tonsillectomy rationing?

This article examines Hospital Episode Statistics and Office for National Statistics data to investigate the change in rates of tonsillectomy and admissions for tonsillitis and its complications, over a 20-year period. Between 1991 and 2011, 44% fewer tonsillectomies were performed....

Polydioxanone in septal reconstruction

Septal reconstruction is a challenging problem and is undertaken for functional or cosmetic reasons, or a combination of both. Either autologous cartilage, commonly auricular, or other alloplastic material can be used. The authors describe the use of a Polydioxanone (PDS)...

Instrument assessment preferable over standard beside swallow to determine prevalence of aspiration

Aspiration does not trigger the protective cough response in some patients. The patient’s response may vary according to fluid viscosities and volume. The authors of this prospective study investigated the prevalence of aspiration and response to aspiration of different viscosities...

Swallowing it whole: the physical and psychological consequences of dysphagia

Living with dysphagia in the real world can be extremely challenging, both practically and psychologically. Long-term changes in taste due to chemo-radiation treatment for head and neck cancer, fatigue due to Parkinson’s disease, and physically impaired structures due to stroke...

Evaluating the nose

Objective evaluation of the nose before and after rhinoplasty is not standard. The authors adapted the MiRa scale after translation to French to be validated. For a better practical approach, the translation was conceptual rather than literal and followed five...

Audiology and COVID-19

COVID-19 affected all clinical services in a very short time, including audiology. This service improvement investigation concentrated on how audiology services in the UK were impacted by the virus and how perception of tele-audiology changed. About 120 practising audiologists were...

Role of high-resolution CT scans in the management of cholesteatoma

This review article has looked at 15 publications, comparing features noted in high-resolution CT (HRCT) scans of patients having cholesteatoma with actual intraoperative findings. This comparison was used to assess sensitivity and specificity of various abnormalities picked up by HRCT...