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Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder

This is a concise summary of auditory neuropathy and current knowledge of the disorder through review of a recently published article. The terminology of this hearing disorder implies the site of the lesion is neural; however the characteristic electrophysical signature...

Cochlear implants with an absent or hypoplastic cochlear nerve?

The cornerstone of successful cochlear implantation has been the presence of a population of cochlear nerve endings which are able to mount a neural response to electrical stimulation. The authors of this paper present their experience of five children with...

Mental practice could be a great COVID-19 solution for delivering swallow rehab

Motor imagery is defined as the process of voluntarily generating a mental image of a motor function without actually doing said function. Mental practice (MP) is the process of doing this repeatedly; practising it. There is some evidence that this...

Olfactory protective effect of omega-3 supplements during healing after endoscopic sellar and parasellar resection

This multicentre study, led by researchers from Stanford, demonstrates another use for omega-3 supplements. The study analysed cohorts equally divided between control arm and omega-3 supplementation. Post endoscopic sellar and parasellar resection, better olfactory function was observed at three and...

Hydrogen peroxide and its uses in healthcare

This is an interesting review about the origin and uses of hydrogen peroxide, especially in neurosurgery. However, its uses are ubiquitous and applicable to several medical specialties. When hydrogen peroxide was first discovered in 1818 by Louis Thenard, it had...

Olfactory and gustatory recovery in coronavirus patients after six months

It remains unclear for how long olfactory and gustatory losses persevere in patients with COVID-19. This is a prospective study of 300 patients who lost taste and smell within seven days of contracting COVID-19. The patients were objectively assessed with...

How can we manage children with poor speech discrimination but with normal audiogram

We often come across children and young adults brought in for consultation for suspected hearing loss and having hearing difficulty in noisy backgrounds but who often have normal audiograms. Such patients are suspected to have auditory neuropathy. The term auditory...

Facial reanimation dynamic trends

Facial nerve paralysis leads to functional loss and aesthetic issues. Several techniques are used to restore function and to improve cosmesis. The gold standard is dynamic facial reanimation. Typically, the masseteric, hypoglossal, and contralateral facial nerve branches have been used...

Facial paralysis revisited

Facial paralysis grading is a confusing issue. Lots of classifications have been proposed but all are subjective. The authors attempted to automate the Sunnybrook Facial Grading System (SFGS) by training a convoluted neural network (CNN) deep learning system. They used...