You searched for "preoperative"
Should intratympanic steroids be the first line treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss?
This article looked at whether intratympanic steroids (ITS) provide more benefits over systemic steroid therapy (SST) as initial therapy in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL). This meta-analysis study, based on published RCTs, concluded that ITS treatment exhibited...
Medical control of allergic rhinitis in children
The authors of this randomised trial aim to answer an important question – which is better: daily versus on demand use of intranasal steroids (fluticasone probionate) or antihistamines (levocetirizine dihydrochloride) for symptomatic control of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis secondary to pollen? The...
eNOS and OME
The pathophysiology of otitis media with effusion (OME) is multifaceted. The authors tackled the nitrous oxide (NO) and platelet activating factor (PAF) pathways and the genetic polymorphism of endothelial nitrous oxide synthetase (eNOS). DNA analysis by PCR and restriction fragment...
PACT or Partners of Aphasic Clients Conversation Training
There is an increasing recognition that families and caregivers of patients require special training to manage their wards. PACT or Partners of aphasic patients Conversation Training is an initiative which aims to improve awareness of methods of communicating with aphasic...
Should we do oesophagoscopy during panendoscopy?
Panendoscopy entails a complete evaluation of the upper aerodigestive tract, and consists of oral inspection, direct laryngoscopy, bronchoscopy, oesophagoscopy, or some combination of these procedures. Despite many advances in imaging over the years, a skilled surgeon’s eyes remain superior in...
A new biomarker for chronic rhinosinusitis
This Chinese study looked at the feasibility of periostin (usually found in bone and lung tissue) as a biomarker for chronic rhinosinusitis. They sampled ethmoid mucosa in 12 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyposis (CRSsNP) and 25 patients with...
‘What was I talking about?’ Memory and discourse in language impairment
This article discusses the function of the three theoretical components of working memory and their influence on discourse (the phonological assembly, the visuo-spatial sketchpad and the episodic buffer). The authors emphasise that the buffer is the key conceptual component responsible...
Airway intervention for epiglottitis
This Japanese study was a retrospective review of 83 patients admitted with epiglottitis over a 9.5-year period. The authors found that the factors that were significantly more likely to be present in patients who received airway intervention were: odynophagia; drooling;...
Extrapolating lessons from vestibular schwannoma management
This paper presents a delightfully simple and sensible hypothesis for the management of benign schwannomas in the head and neck region. They have taken the approach used for the management of vestibular schwannomas and used the same principles to assess...
3D is the future?
This is an interesting take on yet another way to incorporate modern technology into medical practice, and the novel use of a 3D printer to create a custom-made prosthesis for large and irregular nasal septal perforations. These prostheses have the...
Which is the best graft for myringoplasty?
This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of retrospective studies for type 1 tympanoplasty (myringoplasty) surgery comparing temporalis fascia and cartilage autograft materials for reconstruction. Inclusion criteria was patients with more than 50% perforated tympanic membrane with intact ossicular chain....
