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Prevention better than cure?

This systematic review looks at methods of ‘barrier protection’ or ‘barrier-enforcing’ to minimise allergic rhinitis symptoms, using 15 RCTs. Whilst the authors admit that patient numbers were small in a number of these studies, generally it seems that barrier techniques...

Voice change after total thyroidectomy with intact laryngeal nerves – a common but temporary problem

It has been reported that up to 87% of patients have a degree of voice dysfunction after thyroidectomy, even when the laryngeal nerves are preserved. Postoperative inflammation, laryngeal oedema due to vascular congestion, direct damage to the cricothyroid muscles and...

A new hearing health scheme for musicians

Joe Hastings, Health & Welfare Manager for Help Musicians UK, discusses the results of the charity’s 2015 survey of musicians’ hearing and plans for a new scheme which will give all professional musicians in the UK affordable access to specialist...

Classification and assessment of midfacial fractures; no more Le Fort facial fractures

There is some evidence that severe or complex midfacial or orbital fractures have declined over the last decade. Interestingly there is also evidence of an increase in road traffic accidents but a decrease in facial injuries. This is possibly attributed...

Specific language impairment in bilingual vs monolingual children

Research has focused mainly on the specific language impairment (SLI) in monolingual children. This article focuses attention on the SLI in bilingual children. The study was conducted with bilingual children from Luxembourg and monolingual children from Portugal who all had...

Effects of nasal sprays on ciliary function

What do topical nasal sprays do to the nasal mucosa in the long term? This study reports the effect of corticosteroids, antihistamines and common preservatives in nasal sprays, benzalkonium chloride (BKC) and potassium sorbate (PS), on an in-vitro model of...

Developing an Innovation for ENT – from Idea to Market: how ‘e-i’ did it

Background endoscope-i (e-i) Ltd was incorporated into Companies House on December 3rd, 2012 following eight months of developing our first project, a simple iPhone adapter for endoscopes. Of the three founding shareholders, two are ENT surgeons and one a lecturer...

The impact of rhino-sinusitis treatment on olfaction

This study included 28 adults prospectively enrolled between March 2011 and May 2013 into a non-randomised, multi-institutional cohort. Adults electing endoscopic sinus surgery experienced gains in olfaction comparable to adults electing continued medical management. The evidence in this study comparing...

Cochlear implants and therapeutics: a natural partnership?

Global awareness of cochlear implants as a solution for hearing loss is slowly increasing and gaining acceptance. The potential for combining cochlear implants with inner ear therapeutics is immense, with promise in several areas. This article takes us on a...

Audiology in this issue...Prevention

Alex Griffiths-Brown, BSc(Hons), MRes, Audiologist, The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust, Shrewsbury, UK. E: alex.griffiths-brown@nhs.netTwitter: @griffithsbrown1 'Prevention is better than cure’ is an adage that is attributed to the Dutch philosopher, Desiderius Erasmus, in around 1500. It is a...

Audiovisual antics – now you see it, now you don’t

This series of stories is dedicated to those of you with whom some of these moments were shared (or endured) and, above all, to my amazing and long-suffering husband, David Howard. Most of you know him as an exceptional head...

EU petition on patient safety

Professors Adrian Agius of Malta and John Fenton of Ireland have brought a petition on patient safety to the European Union. “Are European patients fully informed and protected when they consult a specialist in ORL?,” they ask, “And will specialists practicing outside their area of competence be legally liable for their surgical outcomes?”