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Is flexible nasendoscopy really aerosol generating?

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the safety of office-based laryngoscopy has been a source of considerable concern, speculation and debate. Flexible nasendoscopy is a key diagnostic tool in the assessment of the ENT patient, however most healthcare providers consider this to...

Can we get some satisfaction (in aphasia therapy)?

Patient satisfaction is associated with improved health outcomes, yet using surveys to collate information on satisfaction is limited by the types of questions asked. Satisfaction remains a broad concept but asking respondents more open questions allows service users to define...

All videoswallows are not performed equally…

Videofluoroscopy is one of the main instrumental tools used to assess swallowing biomechanics and physiology. In the UK, it is mainly within the remit of speech and language therapists (SLT) to perform videoswallows but there is considerable variability in both...

Patient-reported outcome measures: what do the people say?

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) assess and quantify health outcomes from the patient’s perspective. Defining these questionnaires as outcomes indicates that they are psychometrically sensitive to change. This article describes three PROMS: namely the Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS),...

Cochlear implantation following radiotherapy treatment of vestibular schwannomas

The authors presented a case report and systematic review assessing the outcomes of patients from cochlear implantation (CI) following radiotherapy treatment for vestibular schwannoma (VS). Outcomes of cochlear implantation in these patients are uncertain due to the combination of both...

Impedance for different electrode types

Measuring cochlear implant (CI) electrode impedances is common in CI programming appointments to measure the integrity of the implant e.g. whether there are any open or short electrodes. This is because impedance measures the flow of current between intra and...

Pharmacological treatment of glue ear in children

Otitis media with effusion (OME), also known as glue ear, is a common cause of hearing loss in children. Most cases resolve spontaneously within three months. Early and proper management of OME can help avoid hearing and speech impairment that...

Early results of the Cochlear Osia (active transcutaneous bone-conduction implant) in teenagers

This funded research trial involving 14 adolescents, aged 10 to 17 years, in the Toronto Hospital for Sick Kids was carried out just prior to the new Osia implant obtaining FDA approval for use in the USA. The majority had...

What are the risk factors for new onset tinnitus?

Factors associated with tinnitus have mainly been studied cross-sectionally. Tinnitus is associated with hearing loss, noise exposure, ototoxic medication, head and neck trauma, smoking and depression and anxiety. Only a few studies exist that report on risk factors for developing...

Is it beneficial for children to undergo bilateral cochlear implantation before 12 months old?

Universal newborn hearing screening has allowed early diagnosis and, subsequently, early intervention in hearing loss. In 2020 the Food and Drug Administration candidacy criteria for cochlear implants (CI) expanded to include profound sensorineural hearing loss (HL) in children as young...

Analysing videofluroscopy: does it matter how it’s done?

Videofluoroscopy, as a tool that assesses the process of swallowing, has transformed our understanding of dysphagia. Clinicians can observe the biomechanics of a bolus moving from the oral cavity through the pharynx and oesophagus and into the stomach. Over the...

In the context of the person with aphasia participating in life

Approaches to assessment and treatment for people with aphasia have traditionally taken a syndrome or deficit-based view. It’s only in the last few decades that a more functional approach to aphasia has been recognised, namely the need to couch both...