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Hearables: in-ear sensing devices for recording of physiological signals

Colver Ken Howe Ne, Jameel Muzaffar and Manohar Bance discuss the potential of hearable systems to monitor physiological signals (e.g. from brain or heart, blood pressure, body temperature) unobtrusively. Such adaptations require high-quality sensors and sophisticated de-noising signal processing on...

Audiological management of autistic children

Philippa James and Lucy Shiels explain the development of the ‘Autism Listening Clinics’, highlighting a recommended clinical approach for audiologists, the importance of remote microphone technology and sharing some wonderful caregiver experiences. Auditory challenges in autistic children Autism spectrum disorder...

A new approach to workplace hearing conservation

The traditional approach to managing workplace noise has failed - how can we better protect our nation’s hearing using smart hearing protection? Occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) is the most common occupational health condition in the world and the most...

What you need to know about recent advances in genetics of hearing loss in the newborn

Identifying the underlying genetic cause of hearing loss in newborns can improve dramatically the early diagnosis and appropriate intervention. Hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder at birth, affecting approximately two out of 1000 newborns [1]. Congenital impaired hearing...

Minimum stimulus strategy for the diagnosis of BPPV

Explore the innovative minimum stimulus strategy (MSS) for diagnosing benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), enhancing accuracy while minimising patient discomfort. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a common vestibular disorder where canalolithiasis or cupulolithiasis causes sudden episodes of vertigo, triggered...

Underdiagnosing eosinophilic oesophagitis in food bolus obstruction: a wake-up call for ENT units

The management of FBO has evolved, with most cases now done by upper GI clinicians. Biopsies should be taken routinely to investigate possible eosinophilic oesophagitis. In acute soft food bolus obstruction (FBO), uncovering the root cause is as crucial as...

Improving cochlear-implant performance in the short- and medium-term

Can bespoke cochlear implant programming strategies reduce the variability seen in patient performance with an implant? Bob Carlyon reviews the current situation and gives us a glimpse of the future. Although many cochlear implant (CI) patients understand speech well in...

Tone deafness and perfect pitch

If you think you are tone deaf, do not despair. Singing tuition should help but it is probably too late to hope to develop perfect pitch. Consultant otolaryngologist and keen musician, Chris Aldren, discusses the complex and fascinating subject of...

Thyroid ultrasound elastography: does nodule stiffness predict malignancy?

Approximately 50% of the general population has a thyroid nodule while 5-15% of these are malignant [1]. A major challenge, therefore, is how to detect the malignant nodules for appropriate, timely treatment and avoid unnecessary, costly investigations for the remainder....

Discovery in the genetics of complex disease: Otitis media

Otitis media (OM), a common disease of childhood, is considered to be a complex trait with multiple genetic and environmental factors expected to contribute to a child’s risk of developing recurrent acute OM (rAOM; ≥3 episodes in 6 months or...