You searched for "preoperative"
Effectiveness of oral pressure therapy in obstructive sleep apnoea: a systematic analysis
Oral pressure therapy (OPT) is a relatively new form of therapy for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Paradoxically it seems to work even though it creates a vacuum in the oral cavity as opposed to the gold standard of continuous positive...
Difficult consultations with HPV-positive oropharnyeal cancer patients
The aetiological role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is well established, and its incidence has massively increased over the last decade, whilst the incidence of HPV-negative OPSCC is declining. Although we know that HPV-positive OPSCC...
How effective is vestibular rehabilitation in bilateral vestibular failure?
In patients with bilateral vestibular hypofunction (BVH), the outcome of vestibular rehabilitation is mixed. The aim of the study was to identify factors associated with outcome of vestibular rehabilitation (VR) in patients with BVH. A retrospective case notes review identified...
Botulinum toxin injection for bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis
All traditional surgical treatments for bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) paralysis are essentially a balance between maximising airway patency and ensuring adequate phonation / airway protection. This paper highlights the potential role of botulinum toxin (Botox) injection into the cricothyroid...
Darn it! It’s going to take longer to get good at stapes surgery!
Traditionally, it has been said the learning curve for a particular operation lies between 20 and 30 cases. In stapedotomy, a surgeon is deemed successful and perhaps competent if closure of the air-bone gap (ABG) is reached to within 10dB...
Nasal steroids do not cause ocular problems
This excellent, high quality and detailed systematic review from Australia dispels the myth propagated recently by some poorly designed studies that intranasal corticosteroids cause intraocular problems. A 40 year review of the usual databases found 665 articles and 19 were...
The middle way: treating idiopathic facial nerve palsy
Whilst the causes of recurrent facial nerve palsy are numerous, in many cases it may be idiopathic. There is no clear consensus on treatment of this condition and conservative management alone may condemn patients to gradually worsening facial nerve function...
Treating keloid scarring with pressure clips following excision: does it work?
Keloid scars can pose a difficult management problem. Whilst not harmful in themselves they can be cosmetically unappealing and lead to social embarrassment and resulting isolation, and following surgical excision they often reoccur. Mechanical pressure is an adjuvant to surgical...
Surgical voice restoration after laryngopharyngectomy
Voice restoration is one of the key rehabilitative steps after laryngectomy or total laryngopharyngectomy (TLP). Patients who undergo TLP require reconstruction – increasingly commonly with microvascular free flaps. Despite their advantages in terms of fistula rates and swallowing outcomes, these...
Can laryngeal sensitivity testing predict aspiration and pneumonia in dysphagic patients?
The laryngeal adductor reflex (LAR) is characterised by brief vocal cord closure in response to laryngeal stimulation. It is important in swallowing physiology as it represents a mechanism for airway protection. The authors of this study examined whether the absence...
Impact of the updated cancer staging system on HPV-positive disease
The AJCC cancer staging manual was updated in 2017 (8th edition). It is used in the MDT setting for planning treatment and assessing prognosis for individual patients, and is also widely used internationally in clinical trials. Unlike previous iterations of...
