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Treating middle ear conditions in developing countries

This month’s journal issue discussed global health in otolaryngology with this paper focusing on the management of chronic middle ear disease in the developing world. Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is more common in developing countries. The reason for this...

Grading dysphagia as a toxicity in treating head and neck cancer

Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) is a system used by clinicians to grade the toxicity of oncology treatments in a standardised manner. Dysphagia is perhaps the most common long-term toxicity of head and neck cancer treatment. Currently, a...

Prominauris: Which surgical technique to use?

Otoplasty accounted for 3.2% of all plastic surgical interventions, and 2.6% worldwide in 2015. Patient satisfaction ranges above 95% for prominent ear correction despite the myriad of available techniques in the literature associated with highly variable outcomes. The authors split...

Management of infantile haemagiomas of the airway

This paper reviews the diagnosis and management of infantile haemagiomas (IH) affecting the airway. Approximately half of infants with this condition would also have cutaneous haemagiomas which are usually in the beard distribution. IH could affect any parts of the...

Does CPAP help diabetes?

This meta-analysis and review of the literature examines the long-held belief that CPAP treatment improves glucose levels in patients with OSA. As usual in these cases, thousands of articles were initially flagged up in the search with only six RCTs...

A time-saving method for faster cancer diagnosis and treatment

One of the main impediments in achieving UK Government cancer diagnosis and treatment targets is lack of diagnostic capacity. An increase in head and neck cancers by 50% in the last five years has put on additional strain. In this...

Can laryngeal sensitivity testing predict aspiration and pneumonia in dysphagic patients?

The laryngeal adductor reflex (LAR) is characterised by brief vocal cord closure in response to laryngeal stimulation. It is important in swallowing physiology as it represents a mechanism for airway protection. The authors of this study examined whether the absence...

Help or hinder: how and why do SLTs make clinical decisions around swallowing?

Dysphagia is a relatively common consequence of stroke, with estimates between 50% and 60% of people presenting with swallowing dysfunction following stroke. It is associated with pneumonia, malnutrition and dehydration which in turn lead to increased length of hospital admission,...

Suspect the unsuspecting in thyroid cancer

This article reminds readers of how often invasive thyroid disease can appear, as the symptomatology is minimal. Noticeable airway symptoms appear after 50% of the airway is involved and surgeons can often fall in the unsuspecting trap of discovering locally...

Is medical therapy without surgical treatment sufficient in treating peritonsillar abscess?

Standard treatment of peritonsillar abscess (PTA) has typically involved both medical therapy and surgical drainage either in the form of needle aspiration, or incision and drainage. However, is medical without surgical treatment sufficient? The authors suggest that medical therapy without...

Is it worth paying for group therapy?

Group therapy for post-stroke communication difficulties has been described in the research literature for more than 50 years and is generally considered an efficacious approach. Yet these authors express concern that the American Medicare system is less willing to fund...