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Managing spontaneous CSF leaks secondary to benign intracranial hypertension

Spontaneous CSF leaks are a rare entity. In this paper, a Spanish group report their experience managing the condition using endoscopic surgery in 35 patients over an eight year period. Leak locations included the cribriform plate (18/35), ethmoid roof (15/35)...

Balloon dilatation is an effective adjunct

This is a good study design, sufficiently powered, comparing medical management to balloon sinus dilatation. All patients had failed medical management and were thoroughly assessed preoperatively with Lund-Mackay score confirming abnormal CT findings, SNOT 20 index score, chronic sinusitis score...

An office procedure to close small tympanic membrane perforations

Various methods have been described for closure of small tympanic membrane perforations, ranging from paper patching to use of fibrin glue. The procedure needs to be non-invasive and cost effective. Use of Terdermis to close perforations of all sizes has...

Supporting second language in bilingual children with cochlear implants

There have been mixed reports regarding the benefits of supporting two languages for bilingual children using cochlear implants. With an ever-increasing number of children with hearing loss undergoing cochlear implantation, this study provides timely clinical evidence. The authors studied the...

MRI and the endolymphatic space

This is an interesting study which was performed to evaluate the endolymphatic space in patients with endolymphatic hydrops (EH), using MR imaging. Seven patients aged between 21–77 years; five female, two male with unilateral or bilateral symptoms of EH were...

Literacy and communication skills of young offenders

This article elucidates the perceptions and experiences of young offenders about their own literacy and communication skills. Young offenders (YOs) are usually between the age of 14 and 16. It is estimated that more than 60% of these offenders have...

Assessment of the incidence of LPR in the Greek population using the Reflux Symptom Index

Using the self-administered nine-item Belafsky Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) questionnaire, the authors of this article assessed the prevalence of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) in the general adult Greek population as well as predisposing and associated factors for developing LPR. They found...

Preoperative CT checklist (using the ‘CLOSE’ mnemonic) improves identification of anatomical variants for endoscopic sinus surgery

Computed tomography (CT) scans of the paranasal sinuses act as roadmaps for endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) and careful inspection preoperatively warns the operating surgeon of critical anatomical variants. This study aimed to investigate if implementation of a pre-ESS CT checklist...

Does teaching affect patient satisfaction?

Teaching practice on real patients has several advantages in terms of lower costs and genuine clinical material but it is often a concern that using real patients for undergraduate teaching may result in patient dissatisfaction and many patients would prefer...

Postoperative pain in septoplasty

This is a prospective Turkish study that looked at factors affecting the postoperative pain response after septoplasty, a common ENT surgical procedure. Sixty patients were included in the study who underwent septoplasty. The authors looked at the influence of demographics...

Short-term risk of falling after cochlear implantation

This paper examined the effect of cochlear implantation on balance function in 16 adult patients. The authors assessed balance pre- and (two weeks) post-operatively by timing how long each patient was able to stand on a foam pad with their...

Swahili speech development in pre-school children

This study describes the speech development of 24 typically developing first language Swahili speaking children between the ages of three and five years 11 months in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and was motivated by the 2013 position paper drafted by...