Search

The artificial eardrum: how an eggshell membrane fed a German ENT family

In the pre-antibiotic era, purulent otitis media often resulted in a permanent eardrum perforation with hearing loss. In addition to pig or fish bladders, eggshell membranes and cigarette paper were used as eardrum prostheses. I have vivid personal boyhood memories...

A soprano’s demise: a cautionary tale for the thyroid surgeon

Prior to the mid-19th century, thyroid surgery was considered excessively dangerous. The emergence of anaesthetic, antisepsis and improved instrumentation, however, increased its feasibility and frequency in Europe. The unhurried, judiciously antiseptic and haemostatic approach, advocated by Kocher, was popularised and...

The first nine months: why early hearing matters more than ever

Why 1-3-6 and 9? They are arguably crucial intervention stages. Here, new science is explored which weaves together the threads of early intervention. Imagine a newborn gazing at their caregiver’s face, hearing their voice and feeling the rhythm of their...

Challenges in paediatric airway management

Paediatric airway emergencies are high-stakes, but training, simulation and updated guidelines help ENT teams manage risks and build confidence. Congratulations to the ENT Masterclass® on its forthcoming 20th birthday. Over the past two decades, Shahed Quraishi has grown it to...

Use of automated audiometry for faster patient access to audiology services?

Manual audiometry has long been the gold standard for establishing hearing thresholds. In recent years, a number of automated audiometry applications have reached the market. In this article, a team from Ireland have put a version of automated audiometry to...

Robotic assisted orbital surgery (RAOS) – a novel approach to orbital malignancy surgery

Robotic technology in ENT surgery has been used in certain areas of head and neck cancer care but, in this article, we hear of an exciting development from the team at Guy’s & St Thomas’. Advances in surgical robotic technology...

The National Bone Conducting Hearing Implant Registry

Are you an otologist with an interest in implant surgery? Is your unit on the registry? If not, you’d better have a good excuse after reading this… What is the National BCHI Registry? The National Bone Conducting Hearing Implant (BCHI)...

Acute otitis externa: what are the important outcomes?

Matthew Smith discusses a project looking at outcomes of acute otitis externa interventions, and how, going forward, the INTEGRATE team are working with patients to develop outcome measures. Acute otitis externa (AOE) is one of the most common conditions of...

Impact of outer ear problems in Northern Ethiopia: experiences of a global outreach clinic

Outer ear disease is one of the commonest reasons for attending the ENT clinic in Ethiopia, just as in the UK. Very little has been published on the experiences of ENT clinics in Ethiopia. Here Yilkal Tassew, Seid Temam and...