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Alcohol and the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR)

I was drawn to this paper initially for slightly unscientific reasons but in fact it proved a worthwhile read. It describes the effect of alcohol consumption on the VOR of eight healthy subjects as measured using video head impulse testing...

Visual vertigo and optokinetic response

This study measured differences in optokinetic responses (sitting, standing, with and without a static visual target) in three groups of people: those classified as having unilateral vestibular loss (n=10), unilateral loss with visual vertigo (n=8) and a control group (n=10)....

A higher aspiration for fine needles

Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) has aided in the diagnosis and management of thyroid nodules for decades. Now a rapid evolution is hoped to benefit an increasing cohort of patients with small nodules and non-diagnostic investigations. This review discusses the...

Childhood bony facial tumours

This review article covering maxillary and mandibular tumours is from an edition of the Clinics covering paediatric head and neck masses from frequently encountered congenital malformations to the rarities. There is a wide differential diagnosis for childhood mandibular or maxillary...

Thyroid nodules in children

Whilst 5% of nodules in adults may harbour malignancy it is reported in this review that about a quarter of nodules may do so in children. Malignancies in this group are almost always well-differentiated subtypes of papillary, follicular and medullary...

Nasal decongestants don’t improve Eustachian tube function

Prescribing nasal steroids and decongestants. It’s something most of us do routinely, in an effort to reduce chronic middle ear effusion in an adult by trying to improve eustachian tube (ET) patency. This study used clever devices (tube manometry and...

BAHA loading two weeks after implant insertion

The time thought necessary for sufficient osseointegration to occur to enable use of a BAHA has reduced from months to a few weeks. This paper further reduces this timescale to two weeks in patients with healthy bone and soft tissue...

Earplugs fit for purpose

The aim of occupational audiology is to prevent hearing loss caused by occupational sound exposure which can exacerbate the long-term effects of central presbyacusis as employees age. To provide the best noise protection over time, research suggests that best practice...

Audiology in palliative care

The goal of palliation is to provide services that are centred on understanding the salient needs for the patient, maintaining quality of life and addressing any functional and supportive needs of the patient and those caring for them. The audiologist...

Auditory brainstem response patterns are neural signatures

Through examples, this article describes how particular aspects of auditory brainstem responses can portray certain kinds of language or communication impairments – a characteristic pattern or ‘neural signature’. A reduction in processing of the fundamental frequency is seen commonly in...

Deep neck infections

This study from Shanghai is a retrospective review of 142 patients presenting to an ENT hospital with deep neck infections (DNIs). The findings of the study are comparable to many of the previous studies, however the authors found tonsillitis and...

ENT emergencies

This Belgian paper reports the epidemiology of 1296 patients attending the emergency department with ENT problems over a five-year period. As expected the most common presentation was epistaxis, but interestingly vertigo seemed to be the second most common presentation to...