You searched for "obstruction"
Outcome of TORS to tongue base and epiglottis in patients with OSA intolerant of conventional treatment
The use of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in ENT is rather controversial, but the use of robotic surgery for obstructive sleep apneoa (OSA), makes it doubly so. Previous studies on TORS in OSA have been performed with other types of...
Botulinum toxin injection for bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis
All traditional surgical treatments for bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) paralysis are essentially a balance between maximising airway patency and ensuring adequate phonation / airway protection. This paper highlights the potential role of botulinum toxin (Botox) injection into the cricothyroid...
Combined endoscopic and transcutaneous approach for removal of parotid stones
The authors describe a small case series (n=8) of patients with obstructive symptoms from sialolithiasis of the parotid gland. A combined endoscopic and transcutaneous approach was used. The position of the stone in Stensen’s duct was identified by endoscopic transillumination....
Hypoglossal nerve stimulation for OSA
Hypoglossal nerve stimulation has been lauded as the great new surgical treatment panacea for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). This meta-analysis includes 12 studies with a total of 350 patients, including the five-year follow-up data from the STAR trial which was...
RCT: tongue retaining devices vs CPAP for OSA
This study compared the effect of a tongue retaining device versus the use of CPAP in 27 patients within a crossover RCT design. Tongue retaining devices (also known as tongue stabilising devices), are similar in appearance to a plastic tongue-sized...
Take a breath between mouthfuls
Pulse oximetry provides a measure of the percentage of oxygen in the blood. The usual range of readings on pulse oximetry is 97-99%. Older people may have lower pulse oximetry readings than younger people, and young women have higher readings...
Does endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis improve COPD?
Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) can be associated with asthma, with a reported frequency of asthma in patients with CRS of up to 44%. COPD is another lung condition that can be associated with CRS. This longitudinal study reviewed the nasal and...
Pulsatile tinnitus, one more piece in the jigsaw
Pulsatile tinnitus (PT) is a common ENT symptom. It can generally be divided into venous and arterial. Arterial PT might be investigated with a CT scan while a venous one with an MRI or an MRV (MRI Venogram). Anecdotally, arachnoid...
Sleep apnoea got your heart in your throat? Perhaps it’s time to ditch the CPAP and fetch the scalpel
The link between obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is clear. Its well-established association with essential hypertension is thought to link OSA to an increased risk of atherosclerotic and hypertensive sequelae. However, data on the long-term impact of...Vicarious (nasal) menstruation
Hippocrates himself is known to have said that when a woman’s menses are due, but instead of the usual vaginal menstrual flow, she has a haemorrhage from the nose, then this is a sure sign of pregnancy [1]. Artist’s impression...
Steroids for vocal cord mucus retention cysts
This is an interesting paper that describes the use of intralesional steroid injections to treat vocal cord mucus retention cysts. The gold standard is microlaryngoscopy and excision of the lesion. In patients who may be unable to undergo surgery, this...
