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Polidocanol – a safer and equally effective alternative to ethanol for the treatment of thyroid cysts?

Percutaneous needle aspiration is a minimally invasive treatment option for thyroid cysts but suffers from a high recurrence rate (86% in 1 case series). This recurrence rate can be reduced substantially with the instillation of ethanol following aspiration. Ethanol instillation...

ADHEAR in the paediatric population

ADHEAR is a non-surgical bone conduction device (BCD) available from Med-El from 2017. It uses an adhesive adapter consisting of a soft rubber pad with a centre rigid plate that has a snap coupling for attachment of a sound processor....

Telehealth for cochlear implant follow-up care

For individuals with moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss, cochlear implants are a highly effective form of hearing rehabilitation. Despite their effectiveness, utilisation is low, with approximately only 12.7% of suitable adult candidates receiving implants. Barriers to access include the geographic distribution...

Predicting aspiration pneumonia in adults

Aspiration occurs when oropharyngeal or gastric contents are inhaled into the larynx and lower respiratory tract. When the aspirated material is colonised by pathogenic microorganisms, this may result in aspiration pneumonia. In contrast, aspiration of sterile gastric contents may lead...

Quicker than reading the BNF

It has long struck me that it might be helpful to search medication-induced side effects by symptom, rather than having to look up each individual drug. For many years, there have also been regularly cited categories of medications to be...

Redefining alar retraction: can hyaluronic acid replace the scalpel?

Alar retraction is a common challenging nasal deformity and requires precise structural correction to achieve both functional and aesthetic harmony. Traditionally correction of alar retraction has relied on open rhinoplasty with various techniques including cartilage grafting, suturing techniques and advancement...

Transoral coblation surgery – a viable option for early laryngeal cancers involving the anterior commissure?

Transoral laser microsurgery is widely considered to represent the ideal treatment modality for early (T1a) laryngeal cancers. With disease involving the anterior commissure however, radiotherapy is often advocated on account of perceived superior voice and airway outcomes, plus potential difficulty...

Ménière’s disease in today’s social media sphere

Social media is increasingly becoming the source of medical information for many. The authors analysed 1108 posts on Ménière’s disease on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, to determine the accuracy of content, authorship, depiction of Ménière’s disease and types of media...

How quality improvement helped to create local guidelines for good tracheostomy care

Significant morbidity and mortality is associated with tracheostomy insertion. A complex, multistep process exists to help patients towards decannulation. This process is often complicated by patient comorbidities, discontinuity of care and communication as patients move through hospital, and variable experience...