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What characterises dysphagia in unilateral vocal fold impairment?

The closure of the vocal folds during swallowing is known to contribute to airway protection along with epiglottic inversion and closure of the false vocal folds. It is therefore plausible to expect that unilateral vocal fold impairment without complete closure...

Does the appearance, texture, and flavour of food affect how we swallow?

Texture modification and the use of thickened fluids are well-known strategies used to facilitate swallowing in people with dysphagia. However, some controversy exists around thickeners and their possible negative impact on hydration and medication absorption. This paper considers other properties...

Swallow toxicity score (DIGEST) and its clinical utility in oncology practice

The Dynamic Imaging Grade of Swallowing Toxicity (DIGEST, graded from 0–4) was developed as a tool for clinicians to grade dysphagia from modified barium swallow studies (MBSS). The purpose is to provide a common terminology for adverse events of pharyngeal...

Surgical technology and operating room safety failures: lessons from vascular and general surgery

Background – surgical technology and otolaryngology An estimated 234 million major surgical procedures are performed annually worldwide. This requires the interaction of multidisciplinary teams with varying contributions of surgical technology and therefore makes surgical procedures prone to multiple sources of...

Practical training courses for otolaryngology trainees

In this extended Trainee Matters, it’s a pleasure to present a trio of excellent articles with a theme of practical training courses for otolaryngology trainees. Miss Rachel Edmiston, Professor Nirmal Kumar and colleagues have written a valuable guide to setting...

Diurnal and monthly variations in secondary post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage rates

Several studies have looked into variable haemorrhagic rates with different methods of surgery and clinical backgrounds. Few have looked into non-clinical factors such as environment and diurnal influence on occurrence of post-tonsillectomy bleeding. This extensive study comprises 5357 tonsillectomy patients...

Outcomes in endoscopic sinus surgery

This study assessed the effect of endoscopic sinus surgery with regard to olfactory function and nasal obstruction, in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients with, and without, nasal polyposis. One hundred and thirteen patients entered the study, and assessments were performed pre-...

The decision-making process by parents of children with residual hearing who receive cochlear implants

It can be a difficult decision for parents whose children have residual hearing whether or not to undergo cochlear implantation. Their children may seem to be hearing with their hearing aids, and even in some cases can hear without aids....

Can amplification preserve auditory function?

Hearing loss is a noted modifiable risk factor for dementia, and is also associated with depression, decreased quality of life and isolation. Hearing aids are the main intervention for presbycusis and a 2017 Cochrane Review showed that they have a...

Cuff up or cuff down; to occlude or not to occlude? What effect does tracheostomy tube modification have on swallowing outcomes?

Dysphagia is commonly seen in patients with tracheostomy. The current global pandemic has increased interest in the impact of a tracheostomy on swallowing outcomes. This systematic review is therefore a timely addition to the literature and a useful read for...

The role of metrics in studies of hearing and cognition

Introduction When perceiving sounds in real-world listening environments, older adults encounter several sources of degradation that can interfere with the perceptual process (Figure 1). Target signals (i.e. the sounds that a listener wants to focus on) have specific acoustic characteristics...