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Spasmodic dysphonia – is greater awareness needed?

Spasmodic dysphonia (SD) is a focal dystonia of the laryngeal musculature. Previously considered to be a rare disorder, it has more recently been suggested that SD is in fact not rare but is frequently misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. This paper would...

Management of necrotising otitis externa

Although uncommon, necrotising (previously malignant) otitis externa (nOE) can be very aggressive, particularly if not managed appropriately. In this study the authors perform a retrospective review of 25 patients admitted with nOE over a four year period at a tertiary...

A novel scale for the assessment of tracheoesophageal voice quality – the SToPS

There is currently no assessment tool in widespread use that permits a valid and reliable perceptual assessment of voice quality following laryngectomy. Such a scale is needed to investigate the functional outcomes of surgical voice restoration and rehabilitation regimes. Existing...

Risks of tracheostomy in head and neck cancer

Tracheostomy is associated with several complications, with rates quoted as high as 8-45%, including: bleeding; displacement; obstruction; surgical emphysema; pneumothorax; fistulae and failure to decannulate. There are now many studies that confirm the increased length of stay and complications of...

Automated contouring of costal cartilage for pinna reconstruction – a proof of concept

Presently there are limited applications of automation within operative ENT. This proof-of-concept study explores the use of an augmented robot to contour cadaveric costal cartilage for auricular reconstruction. Ordinarily this task is performed manually. This takes considerable time due to...

Which factors affect the postoperative CSF leak following endoscopic skull base surgery?

Endoscopic skull base surgery is being increasingly performed worldwide for skull base tumours. Common indications include pituitary tumours, rathke cleft cysts, chordomas, craniopharyngiomas and olfactory neuroblastomas. The most common and important complication following endoscopic skull base surgery is postoperative CSF...

A diagnosis-based scoring system to predict outcomes in necrotising otitis externa

Patients admitted with necrotising otitis externa have increased six-fold in the last 10 years. The prognosis is variable and dependent on co-existing morbidities. Charlston Comorbidity Index (CCI) is a weighted comorbidity scoring method, based on the presence or absence of...

What is the quality of patient-reported outcomes of salivary function?

Salivary gland dysfunction has multiple causes and can have significant impact on quality of life, particularly when symptoms are severe. There are several patient-reported outcomes (PROMS) that assess these issues; however, these are variable in what they measure. This systematic...

Early ENT involvement can improve long-term quality of life after temporal bone fractures

Sports injuries and road traffic accidents are common causes of head injuries, with 18-40% of skull base fractures involving the temporal bone. Often these patients have other more life threatening injuries so ENT intervention is delayed or absent. Facial palsy,...

Hearing loss and QOL

This article evaluates the impact of hearing loss and its rehabilitation on the quality of life (QoL) of adults. The authors suggest that the currently used scale, Aphab, is long, complicated and does not take into account minor changes. The...