Journal Reviews
Vestibular functions of hereditary hearing loss patients with GJB2 mutations
Mutations of the GJB2 gene are a common cause of deafness, being found in 15-25% of cases of congenital deafness. Over 100 mutations are now recognised and may be associated with a hearing loss ranging from mild to profound. This...
Alcohol and the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR)
I was drawn to this paper initially for slightly unscientific reasons but in fact it proved a worthwhile read. It describes the effect of alcohol consumption on the VOR of eight healthy subjects as measured using video head impulse testing...
A higher aspiration for fine needles
Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) has aided in the diagnosis and management of thyroid nodules for decades. Now a rapid evolution is hoped to benefit an increasing cohort of patients with small nodules and non-diagnostic investigations. This review discusses the...
Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) in posterior laryngitis
The authors of this study investigated the prevalence of acid reflux in the proximal oesophagus and functional gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with posterior laryngitis. They analysed plasma motilin as well as health-related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaires before and after...
Is auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder a disorder of the whole eighth cranial nerve?
Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) is now well recognised in audiological circles. Vestibular nerve function has not been extensively studied in ANSD. The authors used cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) and caloric tests to assess the integrity of the...
How can we assess children with complex needs?
In the early days of cochlear implantation, children with additional disorders were being excluded as poor candidates whereas today a large number of children with complex needs are being referred for cochlear implant assessment. However, the related problems include difficulties...
