Journal Reviews
Tubomanometry in eustachian tube dysfunction
This prospective study evaluated the validity and reliability of tubomanometry (TMM) in 25 patients with sinus disease, 75 patients with middle ear disease and 25 healthy volunteers. After thorough clinical examination, the participants were evaluated with TMM, nasal endoscope, otoendoscope,...
Tinnitus without hearing loss – inflammation?
Inflammation can have a profound impact on multiple systems. Certainly in recent years, autoimmune conditions are on the rise and the impact on audiovestibular symptoms have been documented. Given the rates in the population, the impact of inflammation on the...
Should we leave a reconstructed auricle exposed?
Microtia results in psychological and functional morbidity and total auricle reconstruction offers the affected individual a more cosmetically pleasing ear. The art of dressing postoperatively can be heterogenous between surgeons. This single-centre retrospective study based in China compared complication rate...
Bell’s palsy incidence in Korean population
Bell’s palsy is an acute idiopathic paresis or paralysis of the peripheral facial nerve. It is the most common cause of facial nerve palsy with a reported incidence ranging from 11.5–55.3 per 100,000. The aetiology remains unclear. Several studies have...
Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness: a functional neuro-otologic disorder
Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) is a neuro-otological disorder that is the most common cause of chronic vestibular syndrome. It is not a purely structural or psychiatric disease but a functional disorder. The authors reviewed the literature to summarise the diagnostic...
Genetics of IP-III
The authors provide a literature review of the genetic basis and clinical features of incomplete partition (IP)-type III. The condition is seen typically in males and is due to mutation in the POU class 3 homeobox 4 (POU3F4) gene which...
Cochlear implantation in inner ear schwannoma patients
Inner ear schwannomas (IES) are rare. Patients with IES tend to lose their hearing. Surgery is a treatment option, but it leads to complete loss of hearing. Other treatment options include stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and watchful waiting (WW). The authors...
Systemic steroids for sensorineural hearing loss
This Japanese retrospective study looked at whether the dosage of prednisolone affects the response rate in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. The authors included a total of 159 patients over a 14-year period who were treated with 200mg/day...
mAXIS stapes prosthesis
Since Shea’s first description of stapes mobilisation procedure, improvements in the technique have resulted in the development of alloplastic stapes prosthesis. The authors prospectively conducted a single-centre study to determine the safety and efficacy of the MED-EL mAXIS stapes prosthesis...
Safety factors in use of balloon tuboplasty
Various medications used to restore eustachian tube function have unpredictable results and these are often disappointing. Balloon dilatation of eustachian tube came around 2010 but has not really gained momentum, mainly due to apprehended complications. In this review article, the...
Decreased paediatric myringotomy and insertion of ventilation tube rates during Covid 2019 pandemic
This study involves a province in Canada and claims that the need for paediatric myringotomy and insertion of grommets reduced to a third with public health measures aimed at reducing transmission of respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, in the Covid-19 pandemic....
How can we treat a patient with aural fullness?
Aural fullness is a common complaint that we often come across in many of our otology patients. Management of this condition can be quite challenging. Common differentials include eustachian tube dysfunction, patulous eustachian tube dysfunction, otitic barotrauma, superior canal dehiscence...
