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Supplementing intranasal cortical steroids with montelukast: does it help?

Intranasal steroids are widely used in the treatment of allergic rhinitis. Whether or not the addition of montelukast helps was assessed in this study. This was a single centre prospective randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of two groups of patients, one...

Medical information required with requests for CT scans of the temporal bones; a two cycle audit

It is a common experience that radiology reports on the CT scans of the temporal bones do not always reach a diagnosis. Various studies have produced differing results in that detailed information may not be necessary to help reach a...

Post tonsillectomy recovery in thermal welding method compared with recovery in cold steel method

Many different methods for tonsillectomy have emerged but whether they provide an improvement over the traditional cold steel tonsillectomy is another matter. Thermal welding is a recent method of tonsillectomy in which the tissues are simultaneously coagulated and divided. In...

Assessment of viral aetiology in the formation of nasal polyps

The exact aetiology of nasal polyposis is not yet established although it is believed that allergic, infectious, mechanical, immunological and biochemical factors may be involved. Using the technique of polymerase chain reaction, this study assesses the role of human adenovirus,...

Do easier-to-swallow tablets improve medication adherence in people with dysphagia?

Swallowing tablets can be challenging for many people, but particularly so for those with a diagnosis of dysphagia. As a result, many medications are prepared in alternate formats including liquid, dissolvable or orally disintegrating tablets that dissolve on contact with...

Risks of tracheostomy in head and neck cancer

Tracheostomy is associated with several complications, with rates quoted as high as 8-45%, including: bleeding; displacement; obstruction; surgical emphysema; pneumothorax; fistulae and failure to decannulate. There are now many studies that confirm the increased length of stay and complications of...

Olfactory disorders in COVID-19

This Turkish prospective longitudinal observational study evaluated olfactory disorders (OD) and recovery processes in patients with COVID-19 infection at three time points within the first month of diagnosis: time of diagnosis with positive PCR test; time of first negative PCR...

Dysphagia following intubation during the COVID-19 pandemic

Dysphagia is a known sequela of mechanical ventilation and intubation. About a third of patients discharged from hospital after acute respiratory distress syndrome present with dysphagia. The authors of this review have considered the implications for patients intubated due to...

Safety recommendations for ENT surgeons during the COVID-19 pandemic

Physicians and other healthcare workers who perform and participate in examinations and procedures within the head and neck region and airway are at particularly high risk of exposure and infection from aerosol and droplet contamination. Authors have developed recommendations to...

Is it time for cone-beam CTs to replace the traditional orthopantomogram in the primary diagnosis of temporomandibular joint disorders?

Cone-beam CT requires a lower dose of radiation compared to the multidetector CT and provides much more detailed information in 3D about the bony structures of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) when compared to the traditional orthopantomogram (OPG). In this article...