Journal Reviews
Not as rare as we think? Silent sinus syndrome incidence on CT heads
It is relatively uncommon to come across a case of silent sinus syndrome (SSS), but not as rare as the prevalence in the literature might suggest – the authors of this study note that only 100 cases are reported in...
When to operate on a patient without chronic disease?
As ENT surgeons, we spend a lot of time managing chronic rhinosinusitis, so a review and update on the management of the acute disease is always helpful. The standard medical treatment of antibiotics, nasal steroids and nasal decongestants are reported...
Serum biomarkers for CRSwNP
This cross-sectional comparative study looked at 50 patients with nasal polyps who, at the time of diagnosis, also had a blood test evaluating serum total IgE, IL-17 and Pentraxin-3. The study assesses whether these blood markers are useful in the...
Endovascular therapies for venous tinnitus
Tinnitus is an extremely vexing issue, not only for patients but also for otolaryngologists. The authors of this article review the causes of venous tinnitus, such as increased intracranial hypertension (IIH), dural venous sinus thrombosis and age-related anatomic variants. They...
A new era in the treatment of recalcitrant nasal polyps?
Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) can be difficult to treat effectively in patients with aggressive or recalcitrant disease. Omalizumab (Xolair) is a monoclonal anti-IgE antibody with proven benefits for patients with moderate/severe asthma and CRSwNP, but this study looks...
How safe is sinonasal surgery for the operating surgeon in times of COVID-19?
I’m sure we have all wondered how safe we are in the operating theatre from virus circulating in the room and therefore the risk of subsequent COVID-19 infection. The authors addressed this by measuring the airborne particle concentrations in the...
Biologicals for severe chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. Any use?
Recent advances and knowledge of inflammatory endotypes of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) led to introduction of biological agents such as monoclonal antibodies targeting IgE (omalizumab) and Interleukins (ILs) such as IL4R alpha (dupilumab) and IL5. The European Academy...
CRS vs. migraine: which is the culprit in most headaches?
‘Sinus headache’ is a common diagnosis according to patients and primary care physicians, but relatively infrequent in the eyes of otolaryngologists. This study examines 104 patients with a primary headache syndrome (PHS) and 130 patients with CRS, looking at SNOT-22...
How much does FESS improve the sense of smell?
We are all familiar with patients who undergo a seemingly successful FESS but, in spite of this, have persistent smell dysfunction postoperatively. This study compares a surgical group with a control group, measuring olfactory function pre and postoperatively using Sniffin...
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...
COVID-19 in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with polyps. Are they at risk?
COVID-19 entry factors are highly present in nasal epithelial cells. These factors include ACE2 and TMPRSS2. Their presence in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) was not investigated before. Authors investigated expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in two...
Can we predict how much benefit patients will get from ESS with a novel monoclonal antibody
Mepolizumab (Nucala) is a humanised IgG1 monoclonal antibody that acts as an IL-5 antagonist. It has been shown to be highly effective in treating severe asthma. It is hypothesised that it will be effective for patients with recalcitrant CRSwNP. This...
