You searched for "reinnervation"
Do nasogastric tubes affect aspiration risk?
A nasogastric tube (NGT) is frequently used for patients who are at risk of endotracheal aspiration of oral diet. However, this cannot eliminate the aspiration of saliva. The incidence of aspiration pneumonia in patients with NGT therefore remains high. Some...
Assessment and management of dysphagia in the elderly
This article covers dysphagia in older patients, which is an important topic due to an ageing population, and a relatively common symptom that we see in clinic. Dysphagia could be due to presbyphagia secondary to changes in head and neck...
What characterises dysphagia in unilateral vocal fold impairment?
The closure of the vocal folds during swallowing is known to contribute to airway protection along with epiglottic inversion and closure of the false vocal folds. It is therefore plausible to expect that unilateral vocal fold impairment without complete closure...
Does the appearance, texture, and flavour of food affect how we swallow?
Texture modification and the use of thickened fluids are well-known strategies used to facilitate swallowing in people with dysphagia. However, some controversy exists around thickeners and their possible negative impact on hydration and medication absorption. This paper considers other properties...
Swallow toxicity score (DIGEST) and its clinical utility in oncology practice
The Dynamic Imaging Grade of Swallowing Toxicity (DIGEST, graded from 0–4) was developed as a tool for clinicians to grade dysphagia from modified barium swallow studies (MBSS). The purpose is to provide a common terminology for adverse events of pharyngeal...Time to professionalise medical leadership
For a profession proud of its adherence to an evidence base, medicine has been remarkably slow to acknowledge and to act on the evidence which underpins the value of good leadership to patients and the healthcare system. Mr Robert Francis...INTEGRATE: Uniting collaborative research in ENT
Exposure to clinical research as a trainee is often sporadic and unstructured, despite it featuring in both the GMC’s Good Medical Practice and the ISCP’s syllabus for all surgical specialities, including otolaryngology [1,2]. The majority of trainees undertake small-scale research...From the editor MayJun 2020
Declan Costello, MA, MBBS, FRCS(ORL-HNS), Editor, ENT & Audiology News; Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon, Wexham Park Hospital, Slough, Berkshire, UK. E: d.costello@nhs.net We are living in extraordinary times. As I write this message, the COVID-19 pandemic is just...
