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Evidence for balloon eustachian tuboplasty

Balloon eustachian tuboplasty is an emerging intervention aimed at the management of eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) and its sequelae. The authors acknowledge that ETD is a common but frequently ill-defined problem, with no well-established direct treatment. They performed a systematic...

Follicle stimulating hormone receptors; an aid for the pathologist?

It is well known that Follicle Stimulating Hormone receptors (FSHRs) are found in extra-gonadal tumours such as those within thyroid tissue. This Polish study analysed 44 thyroid resection specimens to look for the presence of these receptors. No mention is...

Facial paralysis risk factors in benign parotid surgery

The literature shows that the risk of facial paralysis following benign parotid surgery can be as high as 57% for temporary weakness and 7% for permanent facial nerve damage. It is generally thought that the factors involved may be related...

Can we avoid FESS in patients with true isolated odontogenic sinusitis?

This is a useful study looking at how best to manage patients with odontogenic sinusitis and if FESS can be safely avoided. The authors treated patients by removing the odontogenic cause of the rhinosinusitis by extracting the offending tooth and...

Allergy testing in children with beta-lactam hypersensitivity

The beta-lactam antibiotic is commonly used in treating ENT infections in childhood. However, its use can be limited by reported hypersensitivity or allergy to the antibiotic. This is largely attributed to the previous development of skin rashes while being on...

Evidence based guidelines for ONS treatment in occipital neuralgia

Occipital neuralgia (ON) can flummox otolaryngologists especially when it follows mastoid surgery. The paroxysms of sharp, electrical pain originating from the occiput can extend along the posterior aspect of the scalp and even up to the mastoid. Although the aetiology...

Global incidence of sporadic vestibular schwannoma

The incidence rate of sporadic vestibular schwannoma (VS) has commonly been quoted as one in 100,000. However, since the advent of screening for asymmetrical hearing loss and increased availability of modern MRI scanning, more recent studies have shown the incidence...

Can prediction models help identify dysphagia in ventilated patients?

Dysphagia commonly affects patients in intensive care units (ICU), particularly those on mechanical ventilation, and is associated with high risk of mortality. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to identify predictors for dysphagia in ventilated ICU patients by summarising existing...

Honey in the management of mucositis

This is a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Despite some limitations, they were able to identify that honey could reduce the severity of radio/chemotherapy induced oral mucositis. They acknowledge that the exact aetiology in the effect of honey is not...

Outcomes in rhinosinusitis

This review goes through the various different ways of assessing outcomes and describes the pros, cons and limitations of each. The different methods are described in the context of guidelines in diagnosis and management and compared with other conditions such...

COVID-19 and oral cancer

This is a Canadian retrospective paper covering the period of March 2018 to March 2022. It identified 190 patients; 91 pre-pandemic and 99 from the pandemic. From this, they found there was no increase in patient delay, professional delay or...