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Outpatient closure of CSF leaks: a good idea or a step too far?

After day-case septoplasty, day case thyroidectomy, now day case CSF leak repair – has the pendulum moved too far? The authors put forward a convincing case for what, only 10 years ago, would have sounded like a provocation. They quote...

What is the evidence for contralateral tonsillectomy in TORS for known unilateral tonsil malignancy?

The concept of field changes by carcinogens within the upper aerodigestive tract is well established with reported rates of synchronous tumours of 4% and second primaries of 36%. The tonsil in particular has the highest rate of synchronous tumours, postulated...

Static positional nystagmus

This study aimed to clarify the interpretation of positional nystagmus (PN) by looking at the current criteria for significance of PN, comparison of PN in symptomatic patients with normative data, prevalence of PN among participants with balance problems and assessing...

More difficult than meets the eye: learning to use communication skills

People with communication difficulties are more at risk of accidents and mistreatments than others. Addressing the skills of the communication partners (the medical professionals) is one way of tackling this issue. This study describes innovations in training for fourth year...

Is there a ‘best’ ventilation tube?

Studies on grommet materials and sizes are not exactly new but this was a well-designed randomized study in Sweden with some useful findings. The extrusion rate and complications associated with four different ventilation tubes (grommets) were assessed prospectively in 400...

Complication rates for grommet insertion in H&N cancer patients

Otitis Media (OM) can be the direct result of H&N malignancy itself or secondary to treatment of malignancy. Both surgery and radiotherapy can cause lasting changes to the physiologic function of the ET, middle ear, tympanic membrane and ear canal....

Posturography in persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD)

Those in neuro-otology practice will be familiar with PPPD now appearing in the forthcoming beta edition of ICD-11. This condition combines the symptoms of phobic postural vertigo and chronic subjective dizziness in which anxiety plays a part. The underlying hypothesis...

Alcohol consumption and the risk of developing benign laryngeal disorders?

Alcohol consumption among South Korean adults is apparently high, with over three quarters of the adult population consuming alcohol and a ‘high-risk’ drinking rate of one in five. Excessive alcohol consumption is considered to be a risk factor for developing...

Is the lack of sunshine the reason behind allergic rhinitis?

Deficiency in Vitamin D, an in vogue immunomodulator, has been shown in emerging data to have a substantial pathogenetic role in allergic related diseases, particularly asthma. The concept of a shared upper and lower airway has allowed the natural extrapolation...

Olfactory ensheathing cells and their safe harvest

This interesting and unique paper not only demonstrates that biopsy of olfactory mucosa in the region of the superior turbinate is a safe procedure but also provides valuable insight into an engaging area of research by a world class team...

Role of oral and intranasal steroids in the management of otitis media with effusion

Inflammation is considered an important factor in the pathogenesis and continuation of otitis media with effusion. Theoretically, this may support the use of steroids, oral or intranasal in the management of this condition. This study comprised three well matched groups...

What can we tell about swallow physiology from a bedside clinical assessment?

Knowledge about swallowing physiology has greatly increased with the use of instrumental assessments such as videofluoroscopy (VFS). The authors of this paper performed an analysis of data obtained from 60 stroke patients who were assessed via a clinical swallow examination...