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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...

Otological problems in musicians

Musicians are understandably anxious about their hearing, and recent high-profile cases of noise-related hearing loss have resulted in huge changes in the music industry. Chris Aldren (otologist and violinist) explains. In the recent Oscar-winning movie, Sound of Metal, heavy metal...

Developmental stuttering: a speech-motor impairment with sensory aspects

In treating patients who stutter, understanding the effects of sensory input (i.e. auditory input) can help to direct therapeutic approaches. Sensory processing has been identified as a contributory factor in several diagnoses, notably autism and ADHD [1], however it has...

Case studies – transformational benefits of using connecting hearing aids

While hearing aids can provide great benefits there remain some challenging situations for people with hearing loss. These include listening in background noise, groups, using the telephone and listening to TV / music. Hearing aids with integrated wireless functionality allow...

Musical hallucinations and audiology

Many of us will have been stuck with an ‘earworm’ for a day but consider how it would be to have that earworm stuck on repeat, possibly forever. Drs Lauw, Blom and Coebergh review the current literature on musical hallucinations...

Audiological testing strategies for children and young people with ASD

In 2014 the Hummingbird Clinic was opened, offering a bespoke clinic for children with complex needs or autism. In this article Keiran Joseph shares the wealth of knowledge gained in this clinic over the years and offers some top tips...

Effective and profitable provision of paediatric audiology care in the private sector

Similar to other specialty areas of hearing healthcare, paediatric audiology is a potential net loss for a private-sector, for-profit, business. Given the time-intensive needs of patients with cochlear implants, tinnitus and those who are under the age of 18 years...

The ups and downs of overseas research – the inner ear at altitude

Conducting research at extreme altitude presents unique challenges. This study of the inner ear at 5350m navigates setbacks in a quest for scientific discovery. Having completed a diploma in mountain medicine in my foundation years, I decided to undertake a...

American Thyroid Association Thyroid Cancer Management Guidelines: utilising risk stratification to optimise patient care

The steep rise in thyroid surgery around the globe, has led to the development of risk stratification to define the indications for surgery and the extent of surgery as well as adjuvant therapies for papillary carcinoma, to avoid over treatment....

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...

Laryngeal transplantation: is it a thing?

Few organs could be said to be more complex than the larynx when it comes to transplantation. Martin Birchall looks at past challenges, current issues and future prospects. I am not clear exactly why I chose to spend a life...