Several years ago, after being appointed as a consultant, my esteemed senior colleague entered my office and questioned why I was reading a textbook at that stage of my career, suggesting that I should be focusing solely on journals. Whilst...
The recent rise in HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma is well described. There has been a significant shift from tobacco-driven to virus-driven cancers at this anatomical site. This retrospective study analysed US tumour registry data over a long period (1973–2009)...
So it has finally happened. I have reached that stage of reactionary bewilderment known as middle age. As well having my finger nowhere near the pulse of contemporary culture, I am finding the siren charms of BBC Radio 2 and...
The issue of ambient music in the operating theatre is frequently controversial and has been known to cause ‘Bluetooth wars’, as different team members vie for control of the speakers. Our own Chris Potter gives his personal slant on this...
On a stroll through Neolithic Britain, Seville oranges on a quay in Dundee, marmalade and 14th century coins, Chris Potter unravels the story of a man (a surgeon?) seemingly crushed by a falling 13-tonne stone. But things are not quite...
Dawn Bramham introduces us to the newly launched Veterans Hearing Fund (VHF). This organisation aims to improve the lives of military personnel with hearing loss by providing access to technologies, services and bespoke rehabilitation that are not routinely available via...
Endoscopic lateral skull base surgery could be performed via less invasive techniques due to wide panoramic visualisation of the operative field. With less invasive techniques, patients have been shown to require shorter recovery time and reduced postoperative pain. In this...
Facial nerve paralysis (FNP) can occur following trauma, with a small number of these patients requiring facial nerve decompression (FND) to aid recovery. The authors shared their experience in decompressing the facial nerve for persistent severe FNP via a transmastoid...
In this Egyptian study, the authors looked at the hearing outcomes in patients who underwent ossiculoplasty with cartilage interposition versus those with partial ossicular replacement prosthesis (PORP). They looked at a total of 47 ears from 45 consecutive patients with...
This article provides an overview of auditory implants. Implanted auditory devices may be classified into bone conduction implants (BCI) and active middle ear implants (AMEI) that stimulate cochlear hair cells, and cochlear implants (CI) that stimulate neural structures. CIs bypass...
From an international driver to the client-centred care model; in this article Anthony Hogan explores outcome measures for individual goal setting and measuring those outcomes. Introduction When people present for hearing help, they are typically looking for solutions to the...
The internet has become a major source for health information, with many people preferring to use the internet to search for advice than speaking to health professionals. Yet much of the information available is very difficult to read for the...