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Cochlear implant care: putting patients in charge

Should patients take charge of their own cochlear implant care? Helen Cullington presents a compelling case that will provoke discussion in implant centres. Around 1400 people receive a cochlear implant in the UK each year. Patients require lifetime annual follow-up...

The role of the maxillo-facial surgeon in the management of skull base malignancy

Whilst ablative surgery remains the principal treatment option for head and neck malignancy, the skull base is the last frontier. The complex anatomy, supreme functionality of the brain, and varied pathology provokes many a detailed discussion in the multidisciplinary team...

Emerging robotic systems for head and neck surgery

As of December 2020, seven robotic surgical systems have received approval for use in different jurisdictions, and many more task-specific robots are in the pipeline. Jack Faulkner takes us through what’s on the horizon for head and neck cancer surgery....

Detecting cancer margins during robotic head and neck cancer surgery using ambient mass spectrometry

We have known about altered metabolism in cancer cells since Otto Warburg described it 97 years ago. But can we take advantage of this knowledge in curing cancer? Jim Higginson explains the value of smoke generated during cancer surgery. The...

Destination unknown

We as doctors do not always know the answer. Associate Professor Jacqueline Allen guides us through the importance of acceptance of this uncertainty and its complex mental journey. She highlights that, as clinicians, we must embrace the unknown and be...

Medical racism and the surgical ‘correction’ of the nose in Brazil

Anthropologist Professor Carmen Alvaro Jarrín has conducted extensive research into plastic surgery practice in Brazil. Here, she explains why social and cultural ideas about race may shape rhinoplasty objectives for patients and surgeons in the country. Health professionals worldwide are...

Per-Ingvar Brånemark: father of osseointegration

The application of osseointegration has been central to the development of both bone-anchored hearing aids and dental implants. But how did it all come about? Per-Ingvar Brånemark (1929–2014). Image Johan Wingborg. Many hearing-impaired patients owe a great debt of gratitude...

First UK Genio Nyxoah bilateral hypoglossal nerve stimulator implant for obstructive sleep apnoea

Obstructive sleep apnoea remains a very challenging condition to treat, but more options are becoming available. An estimated eight million adults in the UK suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and experience symptoms of troublesome snoring, daytime sleepiness and witnessed...

Leadership challenges in the world 
of AQP and accreditation – learning from experience

The words ‘choice and competition’, ‘any qualified provider (AQP)’ and ‘accreditation’ have irrevocably become part of audiology jargon in the last two years in England. Commissioners who chose ‘Adult Hearing Aid Services for age-related hearing loss’ have begun the process...

Making sense of modern wireless hearing aid technologies

Before diving into the topic of the technology behind wireless hearing aids, it is important to define two key concepts. The first is wireless frequency. This is the frequency at which a wireless signal is transmitted. In the context of...