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1479 results found

Association between depression and survival in patients with head and neck cancer

Approximately 40% of patients develop major depressive disorder (MDD) during diagnosis and treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC). Depressive symptoms in these patients have a significant effect on their rehabilitation and survival. Given the small number of studies in...

Olfactory neuronal damage in sinusitis

So many patients with nasal disorders have poor olfactory function, yet sometimes the nose may seem comparatively clear of conductive problems. This study postulated that neuronal damage in the olfactory apparatus would lead to a leakage of neuron specific enolase...

Working with clients of communication disorders from culturally and linguistically diverse populations

Speech language therapists (SLTs) deliver evidence based services worldwide for communication disorders to culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations. They have to modify their approaches and tailor them to the needs of their students / patients. This article studies the...

A comparison of cold dissection, coblation and diode laser tonsillectomy

Excellence in tonsillectomy is based on the time taken, blood loss and rapid recovery with minimal pain. In this study, 120 children underwent tonsillectomy by three methods, namely cold dissection, coblation and diode laser dissection in three randomly allocated groups...

Smoking and immunotherapy – does it worsen outcome?

This interesting study aimed to address the issue of smoking in patients who had their allergic rhinits treated by sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). Assessment was with validated quality of life questionnaires. There were 163 patients recruited in Greece who had completed...

A spoonful of sugar… helps the operated sinuses calm down?

Ottoviano et al. present a prospective double-blinded RCT to assess the effect of a nasal gel containing silver sucrose octasulfate (Silsos Gel) on wound healing after endoscopic sinus surgery. The placebo used was a glycol gel. Thirty-four consecutive patients were...

Thalidomide in HHT

An interesting paper from a specialist centre in the Netherlands regarding the use of thalidomide in HHT patients. The St Antonius hospital has 1238 patients with HHT and 1% of these use thalidomide. The aim was to assess the benefits,...

Inspiratory peak flow and tracheostomy

The evaluation of the degree of laryngeal obstruction to indicate a tracheostomy has always been a subjective decision. The authors correlated the visual laryngeal obstruction by flexible nasolaryngoscopy and the peak inspiratory flow using a pocket peak inspiratory flowmeter. Twenty-two...

Which is worse – unilateral or bilateral tinnitus?

Few studies have analysed subjective aspects of tinnitus or the association between clinical characteristics and the directionality of tinnitus. The study subjects comprised 207 patients who presented with tinnitus over two years and underwent tinnitus-related physical examinations and tinnitograms (includes...

The mark of the head and neck surgeon

Like Zorro, the head and neck surgeon leaves their mark. No more so than during parotid surgery. Various modifications have been put forward modifying the classic Blair incision. This latest modification camouflages the pre-tragal scar by running it on to...

Botox application for drooling shrinks salivary glands

The large majority of sialorrhoea (drooling) in paediatric patients is managed conservatively. However in severe cases, often where there is associated developmental delay or a motor disorder, medical and surgical techniques can be used to decrease salivary flow. Botulinum toxin...

Tricky post-laryngectomy swallows

Despite improvements in chemoradiation therapy and the adoption of organ preservation for some head and neck cancers, total laryngectomy remains the treatment often providing best survival chances for advanced laryngeal cancer. This article reviews the causes of dysphagia post-laryngectomy and...