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Thyroidectomy and hypnosis

This is a retrospective study comparing thyroidectomy under conventional general anaesthesia and surgery under hypnosis. Patients are interviewed and evaluated before the surgery and the process explained. During the surgery, they are induced into a hypnotic trance in a controlled...

Round window niche drilling with intratympanic for ISSHL. A new option for salvage?

This paper from China compares the technique of widening the round window via a posterior tympanotomy approach and steroid-soaked gelatin sponge with intratympanic steroids alone for salvage therapy in severe idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss. Salvage therapy was defined as patients...

MRI and the endolymphatic space

This is an interesting study which was performed to evaluate the endolymphatic space in patients with endolymphatic hydrops (EH), using MR imaging. Seven patients aged between 21–77 years; five female, two male with unilateral or bilateral symptoms of EH were...

Middle ear pressures with different anaesthetic agents

The use of appropriate anaesthetic agents is essential to avoid complications during middle ear surgery. This Turkish study attempted to identify whether intravenous (IV) anaesthetics (propofol) or inhalational agents (sevoflurane) cause more variations in middle ear pressures. The authors performed...

Guidelines for management of orbital infections

Orbital infections predominantly affect the paediatric population and complications can be very serious. The cellulitis can be preseptal or orbital and the abscess can be confined within the periosteum or extend into the orbit. Cavernous sinus thrombosis can complicate the...

Clonidine based vs Remifentanil based hypotensive anaesthesia in FESS

A study investigating the use of clonidine preoperatively in FESS surgery. A double blinded trial of 47 patients in Barcelona randomised into receiving clonidine (20 minutes preoperatively) versus Remifentanil (continuous infusion). Propofol and fentanyl were used for induction and then...

Deep neck infections

This study from Shanghai is a retrospective review of 142 patients presenting to an ENT hospital with deep neck infections (DNIs). The findings of the study are comparable to many of the previous studies, however the authors found tonsillitis and...

Use of tranexamic acid in ENT surgery

Postoperative bleeding in otolaryngologic procedures causes delayed discharge, requires re-admission and adds considerably to the cost of patient care. Whether the anti-fibrinolytic activity of tranexamic acid should be used routinely to prevent haemorrhagic complications after ENT operations is speculation but...