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4541 results found

Systemic steroids for sensorineural hearing loss

This Japanese retrospective study looked at whether the dosage of prednisolone affects the response rate in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. The authors included a total of 159 patients over a 14-year period who were treated with 200mg/day...

Reducing pulse rate in videofluoroscopy: less is not best!

Recently, there has been increasing discussion in clinical meetings about the use of ionising radiation in swallowing assessments and the associated cancer risks. This is therefore a timely publication to inform discussions around whether reducing pulse rate from 30 pulses...

How are swallowing and voice affected following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF)?

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) requires an anterior transcervical approach (ACA) to allow decompression of the cervical spine and nerve roots. This approach is also occasionally used for corpectomy and osteophyte removal. Key neurovascular structures related to swallowing and...

How rare is vocal fold paralysis after spinal and epidural anaesthesia – should we be more concerned?

The authors present an unusual case of right vocal fold paralysis. Their patient was a 38-year-old woman who experienced new onset dysphonia following neuraxial anaesthesia (NA) for a caesarean section. Flexible nasendoscopy showed a right VFP with fixation in the...

Intra orbital treatment to save the eye!

Invasive fungal sinusitis can be a devastating condition, and accepted management is surgical debridement of infected tissue, systemic antifungal treatment and reversal of immunosuppression. Orbital involvement is common, affecting up to 75% of cases, and in advanced disease orbital exenteration...

Older patients hospitalised for pneumonia: what factors determine survival after discharge?

A high proportion of older adults hospitalised for pneumonia may have co-existing risk of aspiration due to dysphagia. The authors of this single-centre retrospective cohort study followed up patients over the age of 65 who were admitted to hospital with...

Audiological decision-making in a complex bimodal case of adult congenital atresia

The authors describe a clinical case of a 65-year-old man with left congenital atresia who, as an adult, developed hearing loss in his right (better) ear and subsequently began seeking audiological intervention for hearing difficulties. Their client’s unique case history...

Current AI audiology knowledge

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are becoming increasingly popular and can be utilised by patients, healthcare professionals and students. The performance of chatbots can be variable between different AIs and, indeed, different topics. There is no current consensus for the best...

Help seeking for tinnitus – experiences of the diagnostic and treatment process

Population-based and self-selecting adult participants of this Australian cohort study (n=281) completed survey questions exploring varied outcome measures related to tinnitus. Primary outcomes assessed communication of initial tinnitus diagnoses and subsequent treatment offering, with participants rating their satisfaction at the...

Swallowing the risk: managing dysphagia in aged care

The risk of dysphagia increases with age and the prevalence of dysphagia in aged care facilities is 41–52%. Dysphagia increases the risk of aspiration, asphyxiation, malnutrition, pneumonia and ultimately death. Modifying food and fluids, by providing mashed or pureed foods...

Auditory processing disorder (APD): knowledge and practice in hearing healthcare

Awareness and practice for children and adults presenting with APD is variable across healthcare practice. Recently reported experiences of individuals and their families affected by APD show difficulty accessing referral and overall lack of recognition, and note that audiologists show...

Do easier-to-swallow tablets improve medication adherence in people with dysphagia?

Swallowing tablets can be challenging for many people, but particularly so for those with a diagnosis of dysphagia. As a result, many medications are prepared in alternate formats including liquid, dissolvable or orally disintegrating tablets that dissolve on contact with...