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ENT surgical training in Belgium

The authors aimed to identify strength and gaps in ENT training in Belgium through a national survey amongst ENT Belgian trainees. They attempted to contact 94 trainees, with a response rate of 59.5%. Of the respondents, 35.7% rated their level...

Genetic testing in congenital hearing loss

Advances in genetic testing over the last decade have reduced the cost and time such testing required and increased understanding of the genes involved in conditions like congenital hearing loss. This study from Atlanta looks at genetic testing from a...

Do you really like me? Is it, Is it therapy?

Therapeutic alliance describes what happens in the interactions and relationships between the client and the therapist. There is evidence from mental health literature that a therapeutic alliance can have a significant impact on outcomes. A negative alliance can lead to...

Does the season affect the diagnosis of vestibular disorders?

There are mixed results in the literature regarding seasonal variation in the presentation of various peripheral vestibular disorders. In this large population study involving over 20,000 patients recruited from 116 ENT practices across Germany, the authors analysed the demographic characteristics...

An alternative view and access point

Fungal sinusitis is a common problem and it is well recognised that it can be difficult to remove all of the fungal matter from the maxillary sinus to ensure no recurrence or residual disease. This study describes a technique utilising...

Closure of septal perforations

This Belgian retrospective observational study looked at the success rate and predictive factors for success when bilateral advancement flaps were used via an external approach. In total, 111 patients were included in the study over a 16-year period. The mean...

Inverted papilloma

This Croatian study aimed to look at risk factors associated with malignant transformation and recurrence in 91 cases in a single institution over a 20-year period. There were 66 men and 25 women included in the study. The authors reported...

Percutaneous tracheostomy in anticoagulated patients

This Belgian study looked at the risks and complications of bedside percutaneous tracheostomy in patients who received anticoagulant therapy. The 231 tracheostomies included in the study were performed over an eight-year period by two otolaryngologists using bronchoscopic guidance. The mean...

Patient factors associated with spontaneous CSF leak

This article highlights the role of obesity, sleep apnoea and raised intracranial pressure as linked pathologies in the aetiology of the spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (sCSF) leak. The authors link sCSF leak with obesity and comment on sCSF leak incidence increasing...

Narrow band imaging in laryngopharyngeal reflux

Narrow band imaging (NBI) is a tool on the Olympus endoscopic systems that uses blue and green wavelengths to enhance visualisation of mucosal vasculature. It has been used to aid in the early diagnosis of upper aerodigestive tract cancers. A...

Diagnosing complications of acute mastoiditis in emergency situations

In many cases, acute mastoiditis is manageable with intravenous antibiotics and hospitalised care. However, the decision whether to intervene surgically remains crucial and reliance is based on radiological findings – CT scans for bony changes and MRI for possible intra-cerebral...

Is posterior epistaxis really ‘posterior’?

In absence of any clear bleeding points seen on the septum, it is generally presumed that the epistaxis is posterior, especially when simple cauterisation of the septum does not help and may progress to sphenopalatine ligation. In this publication, the...