You searched for "trial"
Does pregabalin help with post-tonsillectomy pain?
This is a small double-blind randomised controlled trial conducted on tonsillectomy and lateral pharyngoplasty operations. Both of these operations are terrifically painful, and I am sure most of us are looking for a way of reducing the suffering for our...
An effective treatment for post Covid-19 smell loss?
It is well understood that calcium levels in the nasal mucous affect the ability to smell, with higher levels having a negative impact, and some studies have shown increased calcium levels in patients suffering with Covid-19-related olfactory dysfunction. Calcium chelating...
Effect of swallowing exercises following free flap for oral cancer reconstruction
This paper from Beijing looked at 68 patients, 34 in a control group and 34 in an intervention group. Oral exercise training was performed by a specialist swallowing nurse in the intervention group. They found that personalised oral exercises had...
To pack or not to pack!
Ear packing is thought to support grafts, control bleeding and facilitate healing. However, it is not without complications such as fibrosis and infection. The authors aimed at investigating the effect of middle ear packing on graft success rate in myringoplasty...
Talk your brain well: discourse training to fortify your cognitive functioning and protect against dementia
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be described as a transitional stage prior to a diagnosis of dementia. Approximately 15% of people with amnestic MCI (where memory is the leading symptom) develop dementia. Nonpharmacological interventions, specifically cognitive training, has shown some...
Cochlear implant – should we follow the curve?
Slimmer electrodes were developed by cochlear implant companies under the premise of hearing preservation (HP). Electrode types included stylet-curved electrodes sheath-curved electrodes, and straight-flexible electrodes. Previous reviews did not compare sheath and straight electrodes. A systematic review and meta-analysis were...
Hilotherapy for facial surgery patients?
Hilotherapy involves administering regulated cold compression through a facemask. The principle of this treatment involves cyotherapy as a traditional treatment for reducing inflammation, pain and swelling following trauma. It is believed that using hilotherapy (Hilotherm®), which uses a mask to...
Nasal steroids do not cause ocular problems
This excellent, high quality and detailed systematic review from Australia dispels the myth propagated recently by some poorly designed studies that intranasal corticosteroids cause intraocular problems. A 40 year review of the usual databases found 665 articles and 19 were...
Chemo-radiation in elderly patients with head and neck cancers
Chemo-radiotherapy is the standard of care for organ preservation in stage three and four oropharyngeal cancer, prospective data on patients over 65 has not been available as they are usually excluded from randomised trials. This paper reviews the experience of...
The initial electroneuronography result after temporal bone trauma related facial palsy may be misleading
It is taught that a complete facial nerve (FN) palsy after temporal bone (TB) trauma should be conservatively managed if electroneuronography (ENoG) shows a less than 90% degeneration of response compared to the contralateral side. This small study from the...
Consultative Selling Skills for Audiologists
I must admit that when I was first asked to review this book I tried to find excuses not to do it. The title rather put me off as whilst I am Hearing Aid Dispenser registered, I do not dispense...
