Search

Muscle tension dysphagia: an underdiagnosed problem

In this article, the authors introduce the description of swallowing problems which have been recently attributed to muscle tension dysphagia (MTDg). The authors are clear that this is a diagnosis of exclusion, and it is important to rule out other...

Dysphagia in complex laryngology – maintaining the balance

These authors from the speech and language therapy department at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, describe their view of a patient-centred approach to managing dysphagia in complex laryngology. Careful consideration of the balance of airway, voice and swallow, which is...

Recent advances in the diagnosis of silent reflux

The vexed topic of reflux always generates much discussion, particularly when it comes to testing. We hear about a non-invasive assay that is gaining in popularity. Voice disorders impact around four percent of the UK population and can significantly hamper...

The role of metrics in studies of hearing and cognition

Introduction When perceiving sounds in real-world listening environments, older adults encounter several sources of degradation that can interfere with the perceptual process (Figure 1). Target signals (i.e. the sounds that a listener wants to focus on) have specific acoustic characteristics...

Patient-centred audiological rehabilitation: facilitating and hindering factors for implementation

Introduction Patient-centred care in the health sector is a worldwide concern [1, 2]. Patient-centred rehabilitation is characterised by availability, appropriateness, preference, and timelines [3]. A consensus report by the Institute of Medicine [4] defines a patient-centred approach as ‘providing care...

Scientific advances in mapping syndromic hearing loss

From more than 22000 genes that we humans have, approximately 3000 genes are associated with human communication. There are tens of syndromes which have been identified to be accompanied by hearing loss. Disorders of almost every organ of the body...

Vestibular rehabilitation therapy: diagnosis based strategies

In his second article on this topic (see here for the first article), Richard E Gans explains how to use vestibular rehabilitation therapy to treat vestibular patients, and demonstrates why this method of diagnosis based strategies has proved so successful....

Assessing dizziness-related quality of life in the paediatric population

In this article, Devin McCaslin and Gary Jacobson share their experience of assessing dizziness-related quality of life in paediatric patients, and demonstrate that the involvement of care-givers is vital in ensuring the most appropriate assessment and treatment for this particular...

Outcome measurements WG5. Developing a core outcome set of measures for tinnitus

Alain Londero presents a large-scale collaboration that invites clinicians and patients to develop a minimum standard for assessing the efficacy of tinnitus treatments. This will become an international recommendation for all clinical trials of tinnitus. WG5 is working towards a...

Otoacoustic emissions in the diagnostic test battery for hearing loss

So, they are great for screening, but how can otoacoustic emissions be integrated into the diagnostic test battery? Beth Prieve examines the role of diagnostic OAEs by asking three simple questions. Audiologists and otolaryngologists are familiar with otoacoustic emissions (OAEs)...

TEN testing in paediatric patients

Threshold equalising noise (TEN) testing is used to identify dead regions (DRs) of the cochlear. Alexandra Lusty considers the challenges of using the TEN test in the paediatric population as well as the importance of identifying DRs. Diagnosing dead regions...

Hearing aids 2019: today’s technology

High-end or basic hearing aids: does the technology level make a difference? Catherine Palmer shares the current evidence base and suggests where hearing healthcare professionals can make the most impact. The most common complaint from individuals with mild-to-moderately severe hearing...