Acute peripheral facial palsy occurs annually in 30 in 1,000,000 individuals in the general population. Bell’s palsy and Ramsay Hunt syndrome account for about 70% of cases of peripheral facial palsy. They are believed to be caused by viral reactivation...
In February 2003, I met a patient with severe bilateral vestibular loss due to gentamicin toxicity, and I felt disheartened. Despite the fantastic diagnostic vestibular lab we had at Maastricht University Hospital, what could I truly offer her? She had...
One of the most inspiring stories in this issue comes from our very own Shahed Quraishi, OBE. His first mentor in the UK, Pat Bradley, spoke with him about his fascinating journey. Professor M Shahed Quraishi, OBE. Shahed, by way...
This study aimed to research how speech recognition, listening effort and localisation depends on hearing aids’ microphone configuration in people with moderate to severe hearing losses. Eighteen participants with sensorineural, symmetrical, moderate to severe hearing loss were tested. Participants were...
John Fenton, Republic of Ireland, has recently been appointed President of the Union Européene Des Médicins Spécialistes (UEMS) ORL or European Union of Medical Specialists ORL Section. We caught up with him to find out a little more about his...
Following a total laryngectomy, alterations in the pharyngeal musculature and changes in the pharyngo-oesophageal segment due to reconstruction, results in altered bolus transit. Swallowing dysfunction after total laryngectomy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma can vary from 10%-90%. There...
Vascular anomalies are a diffuse spectrum of abnormalities which often involve the head, neck and oral cavity. They are frequently misnamed, often being generically labelled as haemangiomas. This lack of basic understanding can cause confusion leading to a cascade of...
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...
The laryngeal adductor reflex (LAR) is characterised by brief vocal cord closure in response to laryngeal stimulation. It is important in swallowing physiology as it represents a mechanism for airway protection. The authors of this study examined whether the absence...
The closure of the vocal folds during swallowing is known to contribute to airway protection along with epiglottic inversion and closure of the false vocal folds. It is therefore plausible to expect that unilateral vocal fold impairment without complete closure...
A high proportion of older adults hospitalised for pneumonia may have co-existing risk of aspiration due to dysphagia. The authors of this single-centre retrospective cohort study followed up patients over the age of 65 who were admitted to hospital with...
This article summarises different medications and their effect on the voice. A growing number of patients we see in clinic are on multiple medications that could affect vocal cord function. The author summarises different classes of medications and their potential...