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Speech analysis via mobile phone – is there an app for that?

Experienced ENT surgeons will often be able to discern the likelihood of significant laryngeal pathology in a patient referred with dysphonia by the sound of their voice during the initial history-taking phase of a consultation. With the move earlier in...

How has management and outcomes of necrotising otitis externa changed over the past decade?

Necrotising otitis externa (NOE) remains a challenging condition for ENT departments, particularly with the increased prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in the general population. There is no international consensus on treatment, although many institutions now have local guidelines drawn up...

Otosclerosis - to scan or not to scan?

In an era of insidiously reducing thresholds for investigating patients, Maxwell and colleagues pose an important question: is high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) prior to stapes surgery for otosclerosis worthwhile? Their practice typically considers HRCT for cases of suspected otosclerosis presenting...

Satisfaction levels in elderly patients with cochlear implants

Hearing rehabilitation in the elderly is of utmost importance as it is associated with depression and dementia in this age group. Cochlear implantation is indicated for hearing-impaired individuals who do not derive adequate benefit from conventional hearing aids. In this...

Neuromodulation in drug resistant epilepsy

Treatment of epilepsy can be considered generally as medical or surgical. Anti-epileptic drugs achieve a five-year seizure freedom in 54-70% patients. It is estimated that 50-90% of patients with drug-refractory epilepsy may not be candidates for resective surgery. For example,...

Is flexible nasendoscopy really aerosol generating?

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the safety of office-based laryngoscopy has been a source of considerable concern, speculation and debate. Flexible nasendoscopy is a key diagnostic tool in the assessment of the ENT patient, however most healthcare providers consider this to...

Pharmacologic treatment options for tinnitus

This article summarises potential medications that could be used to treat tinnitus and the evidence behind their use. Effective medications to eliminate tinnitus remain elusive but treatment could be divided into two broad categories: treatment to reduce perception of tinnitus...

Managing hearing preservation expectations of adult CI patients

This paper is a single-centre review of adult cochlear implants in patients with preserved low-frequency hearing, focusing on the outcomes at 10 months post-implantation, and the rates of electroacoustic stimulation actually used in this group of patients. The centre identified...

RCT: tongue retaining devices vs CPAP for OSA

This study compared the effect of a tongue retaining device versus the use of CPAP in 27 patients within a crossover RCT design. Tongue retaining devices (also known as tongue stabilising devices), are similar in appearance to a plastic tongue-sized...

Hidden disabilities and cochlear implantation under 12 months of age

There has been a global shift to providing children with severe-profound deafness cochlear implants (CIs) before they are 12 months old. Early intervention is critical and one of the overriding factors in successful outcomes for children with CIs. Early implantation...

Effect of stimulation levels on speech recognition and auditory threshold performance

When programming a Cochlear® device, two measurements are normally assessed. T levels relate to the quietest sound the CI user can hear i.e. thresholds, and C levels are comfortable levels which are tolerable for the CI user. If these levels...

Cobalt hip implants and auditory-vestibular outcome

Cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr), metal-to-metal hip implants were commonly used until several side-effects were reported due to an increased level of Co and Cr metal ions in patients’ blood. Although this type of hip replacement was almost completely abandoned, there are still...