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Entrepreneurial aspirations for the otolaryngologist

Entrepreneurship is a process of identifying an idea and starting a business venture with this idea. It requires generation of a business model or plan that emphasises the value proposition for the customer. The model must identify the partners, resources,...

The Surgical Skills Centre in BACO 2018: pride of place

Simulation in medical training is gaining prominence with every passing year, and BACO will have a large space showcasing this area. We hear from the organisers. In recognition of the developing importance of simulation in surgical training, BACO 2018 has...

Is one glass of wine on call safe?

It’s a standard question for those about to sit a Specialist Training (ST) interview; you are on call and you call a senior colleague in to perform an operation. You smell alcohol on the breath of the surgeon, so what...

The role of training programmes in protecting patients

ENT trainees are fully registered doctors who have responsibilities to comply with the requirements of Good Medical Practice. This includes ensuring that they put the interests of their patients at the heart of their practice. This duty is complementary to...

What’s happened since the European position paper on nose and sinus tumours?

The management of malignant sinonasal tumours has gone through radical changes in recent years. Prof Valerie Lund gives us an update based on her upcoming talk at IFOS. In 2010 when we published the European position paper on ‘endoscopic management...

What does an Olympic medal and surgery have in common?

Competing against female Eastern Bloc athletes in the 1980s was a thankless task, demanding a mulish tenacity in an often futile cause. Ideal preparation for a career in surgery? My path to medicine was unusual, in that I left school...

HPV and ENT; should we vaccinate boys?

David Black and Charlie Hall reiterate Vin Paleri’s pleas for a common sense evidence-based approach by those who allocate healthcare resources to the now urgent issue of HPV-related disease. They discuss the merits of different vaccines and the need for...

Ultramarathons, frostbite and running with wolves

“I could just keep going when most sane people would stop”- the secret to success in head and neck surgery? In August 2015 I crossed the finish line of La Ultra - The High. A small camp of tents and...

Why is a Raven like a writing desk? Some reflections on countertenors and castrati

The countertenor voice has seen a resurgence in popularity in the last 50 years. Nicholas Clapton is one of the foremost performers and teachers of his generation, and he tells us here about the link between countertenors and the (fortunately...

Vocal cord dysfunction and dysfunctional breathing: an evolving clinical paradigm

Patients frequently present to the ENT department with breathing difficulties. The entity of ‘vocal cord dysfunction’ (also known as paradoxical vocal cord movement, inducible laryngeal obstruction, and many other names) is increasingly well recognised. Ravi Thevasagayam gives us an overview....

The common frontal sinusotomy (Lothrop) and chronic rhinosinusitis

As our understanding of the pathophysiology of CRS evolves, so do our treatment strategies. It is accepted that in many cases, the main role of surgery is to allow better penetration of topical therapies to the sinus cavities. What, then,...

Developing a telemedical approach to tinnitus treatment for a worldwide market

Most of us have probably met at least one person in our lives who suffers from the notorious ringing in the ear, tinnitus. For many this ringing becomes a nightmare and debilitates them. Tinnitus is defined as the perception of...