Journal Reviews
Can amplification preserve auditory function?
Hearing loss is a noted modifiable risk factor for dementia, and is also associated with depression, decreased quality of life and isolation. Hearing aids are the main intervention for presbycusis and a 2017 Cochrane Review showed that they have a...
Surgery safety checklists
The time-outs were based on pre-flight checklists adopted by airline pilots and were instituted in all accredited hospitals and ambulatory care centres in the United States in 2003. The guidelines originate from general surgery and are not specific for the...
Management of postoperative cholesteatoma
This prospective longitudinal observational study compared the ability of second-look surgery with that of surveillance using serial non-echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging to detect residual cholesteatoma after canal wall-up mastoidectomy. A total of 34 patients were included in the study who underwent...
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy a treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss
Cochlear ischaemia has been postulated as one of the potential aetiologies for sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Hence, increasing oxygen delivery to the cochlea by hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been explored as a potential treatment to reverse hearing loss. The authors...
Is endoscopic approach more precise in addressing failed ventilation system in chronic mucosal ear disease?
Chronic mucosal disease, as opposed to cholesteatoma, is more directly related to failure of the ventilation system involving three channels. Isthmus anticus and isthmus posticus are channels in front and behind the long process of the incus and there is...
Hydrogen peroxide and its uses in healthcare
This is an interesting review about the origin and uses of hydrogen peroxide, especially in neurosurgery. However, its uses are ubiquitous and applicable to several medical specialties. When hydrogen peroxide was first discovered in 1818 by Louis Thenard, it had...
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...
Compress to suppress the venous tinnitus
This interesting retrospective case series analyses the effectiveness of a modified surgical technique with retromastoid reconstruction of the sigmoid sinus by mechanical compression with Surgicel and bone wax packing under local anaesthesia for patients with venous pulsatile tinnitus related to...
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...
Long-term curative effects of microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm
This article describes results of a multicentre prospective trial performed to evaluate long- and short-term outcomes and complications of patients who underwent microvascular decompression (MVD) for hemifacial spasm (HFS). The surgeries were performed by surgeons with more than 15 years...
Well drilling vs. subperiosteal pocket for cochlear implants – comparison of operative time, complications and cost-effectiveness
The choice of method for securing the receiver/stimulator (R/S) package during cochlear implant surgery is usually dependant on several factors, but primarily surgeon preference. The initial recommendation from manufacturers was to drill a bony well (WD technique) and use bony...
Bone bridge conduction device for patients with bilateral microtia-atresia.
Management of microtia-atresia requires a multidisciplinary approach. Children normally require bone conduction hearing aid devices very early in life to improve and facilitate speech and language development. At a later stage, when the cranial bones have strengthened and become thicker,...