Weakness in tongue muscle strength and laryngeal elevation is known to have an adverse impact on swallowing function. Various swallowing exercises are often recommended to improve function of these important structures with the goal of preventing aspiration and improving swallow...
Butterfly inlay myringoplasty is a simple surgical technique used in the repair of tympanic membrane perforation. The authors evaluated the effects of myringosclerosis on the success of surgery by reviewing demographic data, perforation size and hearing outcomes of patients undergoing...
Congenital CMV is the leading non-genetic cause of sensorineural hearing loss in children. Keith Trimble draws our attention to this and gives a comprehensive guide on diagnosis and treatment. Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is common, affecting 1% of all newborns,...
The challenge: tonsillectomy pain Tonsillectomy is a uniform surgical insult which results in a 10-day recovery for children. Severe pain can occur which can give rise to poor oral fluid intake, dehydration and potentially the need for intravenous fluid resuscitation....
Nadtaya Mills is a female otolaryngologist and director of an entire hospital in Thailand. In this article, she offers a fascinating insight to the work she’s done so far to improve resources and services in a challenging environment. The main...
The phrase ‘burnout’ is often heard, but what is it, and what are the early warning signs? Importantly, how can it be prevented or managed? Over the last few years, health professional wellbeing, mental health, and burnout have come to...
After 15 years of running the Higher Training Scheme (HTS), the British Academy of Audiology (BAA) relaunched its postgraduate training scheme this year. We hear about the updated scheme and how it combines theoretical study and clinical training to provide...
Melanie Lough is a clinical audiologist-turned-research audiologist and, in this article, we hear about how she applies her transferable skills gained in audiology to her current role and future aspirations. Career background My route into audiology was unconventional to say...
Although there is high prevalence of late-onset, progressive, and acquired hearing losses during childhood, these hearing losses can easily go undetected due to the lack of systematic hearing screening beyond newborn hearing screening. In this article, the authors share the...
This is a well written paper utilising the Hospital Episode Statistics dataset for all thyroidectomies performed in England between 2004 and 2012. The study had a very impressive 43,515 participants and only included young, fit patients undergoing thyroidectomy once for...
Deep neck space infections, arising usually from tonsils and lymph nodes in children and dental source and salivary glands in adults can be life threatening. It is therefore important to recognise the variables which indicate immediate intervention to prevent fatalities....
Infection in the operative cavities after endoscopic sinus surgery for sinonasal polyposis leads to recurrence of symptoms and mucopurulent discharge. The usual therapies include systemic antibiotics sometimes with steroids. The authors hypothesised that the use of a topical antimicrobial (tobramycin...