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The artificial eardrum: how an eggshell membrane fed a German ENT family

In the pre-antibiotic era, purulent otitis media often resulted in a permanent eardrum perforation with hearing loss. In addition to pig or fish bladders, eggshell membranes and cigarette paper were used as eardrum prostheses. I have vivid personal boyhood memories...

Reflections on organising the British Academic Conference in Otorhinolaryngology 2015

As the Local Host and Programme Director of BACO 2015, Andrew Swift is a pivotal person with local knowledge and contacts. He provides us with some top tips as to how to go about organising a successful conference. The ACC...

Minimally invasive techniques for benign salivary gland obstruction

Salivary gland obstruction is a common condition – it is recognised by a complaint of intermittent meal-time swelling of the affected salivary gland and can be accompanied by recurrent infections. Imaging can identify the nature and location of an obstruction...

Cochlear implants and therapeutics: a natural partnership?

Global awareness of cochlear implants as a solution for hearing loss is slowly increasing and gaining acceptance. The potential for combining cochlear implants with inner ear therapeutics is immense, with promise in several areas. This article takes us on a...

Hearing care systems in Europe – can we do more?

52 million Europeans experience hearing loss but many don’t find their way to professional hearing care. Lidia Best looks at strategies to improve the uptake of amplification at a national level [1]. With rising numbers of people experiencing hearing loss,...

OTC hearing aids: where are we now?

The ‘Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act’ of 2017 set in motion plans for a long-debated shift in the hearing care market. In 2021, the FDA released draft guidance which will allow hearing aids in the US to be sold direct to...

A path to leadership

In this article we learn more about the Ruth Thomsen’s journey in audiology and healthcare science, exploring the opportunities on the road less travelled. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by,And that has...

Silent crisis: the exodus of hearing healthcare professionals from the Philippines

The migration of Filipino audiologists and otolaryngologists abroad is worsening the shortage of hearing specialists. Improving local conditions is vital to retaining talent. As ear and hearing healthcare professionals practising in the Philippines, we have seen the struggle in keeping...

Birmingham 2020 – think big, think BACO

When Richard Irving and Ann-Louise McDermott made their successful bid to host BACO 2020 in Birmingham, they knew it had far more going for it than the International Conference Centre! Lucy Dalton tells us a little more about the attractions...

Specialist teams deliver world-class trauma care

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust runs the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, which is a designated Major Trauma Centre. The Trust holds the contract to treat all UK injured military personnel evacuated from combat zones overseas. More than 1200 of...

The impact of simulation on ENT training

Surgical training is constantly developing to improve ENT surgeons’ technical and non-technical skills. In this article, Joshua Whittaker, an ENT Registrar and ENT Simulation Fellow at University Hospitals Birmingham, describes the rise of simulation training. Simulation is the recreation of...