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A twitch in time with a flicker of knowledge

The middle ear muscles can be seen as one of the ear’s safety mechanisms, and the interplay between eyes and ears has been established; think vestibular ocular reflex (VOR) or semi-circular canal dehiscence (SCCD). But can this protective mechanism be...

Wisdom teeth and mandibular osteotomies

This is a systemic review and meta-analysis from Italy and Brazil where they try to clarify the role of wisdom teeth and complications in a sagittal split mandibular osteotomy. Whilst, like many other papers, they outline the quality of evidence...

Hyaluronic acid injection laryngoplasty

This systematic review discusses the use of hyaluronic acid in injection laryngoplasties. Unilateral vocal cord paralysis leads to incomplete vocal fold adduction and dysphonia. For patients not improving with voice therapy, surgical procedures include injection laryngoplasty or open laryngeal framework...

Does speech and language therapy provide value for money?

Within the NHS (and outside it), managers, commissioners and consumers will consider value for money as a key component in making a decision about whether to pay for speech and language therapy (or any other service for that matter). Yet...

Is there evidence to support early discharge of patients with tonsillitis, quinsy and epistaxis?

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its unprecedented pressures on the NHS, demands changes in the management of common ENT emergencies. In this review article, information has been gleaned from 22 relevant articles on how this can be done. The Portsmouth tonsillitis...

Does Koos classification predict facial nerve dysfunction?

The Koos classification is a grading system used often for preoperative evaluation of acoustic tumours on imaging studies. It indirectly correlates to the size of the tumour. Size of the vestibular schwannoma is often considered the main determinant for hearing...

Canal wall up mastoid defects - can they be usefully reconstructed with hydroxyapatite cranioplastic cement?

Standard canal wall up (CWU) mastoid surgery leaves a mastoid defect of varying size, commonly covered by soft tissue. Rarely, this bony defect can cause discomfort, cosmetic issues or other problems. To mitigate these, the defect can be filled either...

OSA is neuroprotective!

This interesting study supports the hypothesis of the protective effects of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) against ischemic events like stroke. The authors evaluated the impact of OSA with the presentation, hospital course and outcomes of patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH)....

COVID-19 tracheostomies

This is a review of tracheostomies completed by an OMFS Unit in London from 10 March to 18 May 2020. A total of 176 COVID-19 patients were admitted to intensive care, 72 of which required tracheostomy due to prolonged respiratory...

Cuff up or cuff down; to occlude or not to occlude? What effect does tracheostomy tube modification have on swallowing outcomes?

Dysphagia is commonly seen in patients with tracheostomy. The current global pandemic has increased interest in the impact of a tracheostomy on swallowing outcomes. This systematic review is therefore a timely addition to the literature and a useful read for...