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Factors affecting hearing aid recommendations

There is a wide variety of hearing instruments available to the hearing impaired. Hearing care professionals are often confronted with making decisions on which to recommend based on audiometric and non-audiometric parameters (e.g. vision, manual dexterity and vanity). The factors...

Precautions to be taken in cosmetic facial surgery

In this comprehensive write-up on precautionary measures to be taken when doing cosmetic surgery on our patients, the authors begin by emphasising that facial plastic surgery is no longer limited to celebrities and the privileged. It has extended into everyday...

Non-autologous graft material in paediatric tympanoplasty – is it as good as temporalis fascia and is it cost-effective?

This retrospective case review looks at the experience of a single unit using a variety of autologous (temporalis fascia, n=292) and non-autologous graft material, n=241 (alloderm (human dermis), biodesign (porcine submucosa, $170-$255) and tutoplast (human pericardium, $350). The average patient...

International consensus paper on implantable devices for conductive or mixed loss

This is a weighty but insightful ‘Special Feature’ paper in the June edition of Otology and Neurotology. It has the broad aim to gather current opinion from otologists, audiologists, manufacturers and health-economists from around the world on unilateral hearing implantation...

Is a hemithyroidectomy as effective as a total thyroidectomy for compressive symptoms?

The claim made in the title of this paper, that hemithyroidectomy is equally as successful as total thyroidectomy in alleviating compressive symptoms from goitres, is certainly intriguing. And with the inclusion of 45,539 subjects, it would at first glance seem...

Sleep apnoea got your heart in your throat? Perhaps it’s time to ditch the CPAP and fetch the scalpel

The link between obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is clear. Its well-established association with essential hypertension is thought to link OSA to an increased risk of atherosclerotic and hypertensive sequelae. However, data on the long-term impact of...

Cochlear implant and age

In an American ageing society with more prevalent hearing loss, fewer geriatric patients are opting for cochlear implants (CI). This is mainly due to comorbidities and potential complications. Authors conducted a retrospective review of CI patients from 2015 till 2021....

‘Cutting-edge’ surgical education: exploring the SurgSchool App

SurgSchool is an educational surgical app, where high-quality operations can be viewed with the surgeon’s commentary. It was founded in October 2023 by Enrique Casqueiro Cons, a civil engineer by trade with a background in business, and otologist Dr José...

Practical Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery

The introduction describes this text as being useful for a wide readership including the medical student, physician assistant, nurse practitioner and physical therapist dealing with dizziness. I would be of the opinion as indicated in the preface that this is...

Does cholesteatoma surgery affect school performance?

While much focus has been placed on short-term complications associated with cholesteatoma, a lack of knowledge remains about the impact suffering from cholesteatoma in childhood may have on educational outcome. The aim of the study was to investigate whether suffering...

The need for pre-operative overnight pulse oximetry in children undergoing surgery for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome

Snoring is a common occurrence in children listed for adenotonsillectomy. This may be associated with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, in which case the post-operative recovery of these children needs to be closely monitored. This study undertakes to assess whether an...