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In conversation with Professor Valentina Parma, Head of GCCR

Smell has long been regarded as the Cinderella of the senses, oft neglected by clinicians, the research community and lay public. The Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research looks to change all that. Our roving reporter, Abigail Walker, talks to its...

Aerosol research and performance

Is singing safe? This was a question asked around the world at the start of the pandemic in early 2020. Natalie Watson and Chris Orton tell us about a rapidly-convened research group that led to profound changes in UK Government...

Endolymphatic sac surgery: controversial procedure for the treatment of Ménière’s disease

Landmark Paper: Thomsen J, Bretlau P, Tos M, Johnsen NJ. Ménière’s disease: endolymphatic sac decompression compared with sham (placebo) decompression. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1981;374:820-30. Of all of the chapters in the Landmark Papers book, the chapter that discussed...

The integration of targeted therapy and surgery in advanced thyroid cancer clinical trials

One of the headline speakers, Mark Zafereo, will be talking at IFOS about thyroid cancer. We hear from his team about some of the areas they will be discussing. Locally advanced thyroid cancer generally refers to patients who have significant...

Muscle tension dysphagia: an underdiagnosed problem

In this article, the authors introduce the description of swallowing problems which have been recently attributed to muscle tension dysphagia (MTDg). The authors are clear that this is a diagnosis of exclusion, and it is important to rule out other...

Patient initiated follow-up in head and neck cancer

Is it time for a change in the way we follow up head and neck cancer patients after treatment? Paul Nankivell and Hisham Mehanna explain the rationale for the PETNECK2 trial. After completion of curative intent treatment, clinical follow-up currently...

Patient-centred audiological rehabilitation: facilitating and hindering factors for implementation

Introduction Patient-centred care in the health sector is a worldwide concern [1, 2]. Patient-centred rehabilitation is characterised by availability, appropriateness, preference, and timelines [3]. A consensus report by the Institute of Medicine [4] defines a patient-centred approach as ‘providing care...

Assessing dizziness-related quality of life in the paediatric population

In this article, Devin McCaslin and Gary Jacobson share their experience of assessing dizziness-related quality of life in paediatric patients, and demonstrate that the involvement of care-givers is vital in ensuring the most appropriate assessment and treatment for this particular...

The Brain’s Connectome – a symphony inside our brains and how hearing loss disturbs the music

Understand us; where do we begin? In this article the authors’ introduce a project that may uncover that our personalities and traits are a product of the interconnected wiring within our brain. The team discusses the Human Connectome Project and...

Unanswered questions in adult ototoxicity associated with platinum-based chemotherapy

Do the potential side-effects on hearing and tinnitus need to be a ‘necessary evil’ of platinum-based chemotherapy? How strong is our evidence base when offering advice to patients and fellow clinicians? David Baguley and his team from the University of...

Hyperacusis-related distress and comorbid psychiatric illness

Research suggests that over 50% of patients presenting with hyperacusis also present with some form of psychiatric disorder. With this in mind, Dr Aazh outlines what tools clinicians can use to screen for psychological disorders and what path to take...

Unexplained dizziness in elderly patients

How do we explain unexplained dizziness in elderly patients? How far should we go with investigations? And most importantly, how should we manage this challenging and expanding group of patients whose balance affects their safety? Richard Ibitoye and Diego Kaski...