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Parathyroid surgery in day care

Targeted parathyroid adenoma excision via preoperative ultrasound and radionuclide scanning techniques allow accurate localisation of the affected gland, allowing a minimally invasive surgical approach. The authors reviewed 144 cases undergoing surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism. Of these 67 were eligible for...

Robot controlled mastoid surgery!

This is a fascinating piece of work by a Korean team developing a human-robot collaborative control. Their model uses image guidance surgery to locate the drill tip’s position. Important structures can be highlighted – in this case the facial nerve....

Margin control using optical techniques in head and neck surgery

Emerging optical techniques such as high-resolution microendoscopy (HRME) are currently being examined for their reliability in discriminating benign from neoplastic epithelium. These techniques may offer the potential to detect the margin of an upper aerodigestive tract tumour in a non-invasive...

Trends in parathyroidectomy

The authors retrospectively analysed Hospital Episode Statistics data for parathyroidectomy between 2000 and 2010. Overall, parathyroidectomy rates nearly doubled from 3.3/100,000 population in 2000 to 5.8/100,000 in 2010, with particularly significant increases in elderly patients. The authors attribute this rise...

Sublingual immunotherapy

This paper reviews the recent European studies on sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). SLIT is currently widely used in Europe and is gaining popularity in the United States. It is known that longer treatment is needed with SLIT compared with subcutaneous immunotherapy...

Assessment of audiological needs

A thorough assessment of audiological needs is crucial for a successful audiological rehabilitation. This study concentrated on creating the Québec Audiological Assessment Protocol for Younger and Older Adults (QAAP-YOA) that could be easily adopted in audiological clinics. The authors used...

A comparison between artificial and cadaveric temporal bones in terms of providing realistic setting and structural details

Increasing difficulties, costs and risks of infection have led to the use of artificial temporal bones for training in mastoid and middle ear surgery. Whether these provide a realistic learning environment (face value) and offer structural details to learn from...