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Quality of life in children following balloon Eustachian tuboplasty

This study aimed to demonstrate the efficacy of balloon Eustachian tuboplasty (BET) in children by assessing their quality of life with the Otitis Media-6 questionnaire (OM-6). The OM-6 questionnaire is the most frequently used instrument to measure health-related quality of...

A novel graft material for endoscopic tympanoplasty using the pre-tragal SMAS layer

The traditional biological graft materials for providing a scaffold for tympanic membrane reconstruction include temporalis fascia as well as conchal and tragal perichondrium/cartilage. This group from Taiwan present a novel graft option using the superficial musculo-aponeurotic system (SMAS) layer. They...

RCT: tongue retaining devices vs CPAP for OSA

This study compared the effect of a tongue retaining device versus the use of CPAP in 27 patients within a crossover RCT design. Tongue retaining devices (also known as tongue stabilising devices), are similar in appearance to a plastic tongue-sized...

Non-autologous graft material in paediatric tympanoplasty – is it as good as temporalis fascia and is it cost-effective?

This retrospective case review looks at the experience of a single unit using a variety of autologous (temporalis fascia, n=292) and non-autologous graft material, n=241 (alloderm (human dermis), biodesign (porcine submucosa, $170-$255) and tutoplast (human pericardium, $350). The average patient...

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...

THRIVE: redefining airway management in endoscopic oesophageal surgery

Transnasal humidified rapid insufflation ventilatory exchange (THRIVE) is no longer just a tool to help anaesthetists secure a difficult airway. Thanks to the work of authors like Yang and colleagues, it is being revolutionised to provide apnoeic oxygenation during endoscopic...

Adenoid cystic carcinoma – insights from a national database

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC) is a rare cancer of the salivary glands that accounts for approximately 1% of all head and neck malignancies. Hallmarks of this cancer type include a predilection for perineural infiltration, a prolonged clinical course with late...

Covid-19 and vestibular symptoms review

Since the coronavirus pandemic, there have been several studies looking into alterations within the auditory system but few in the vestibular system associated with Covid-19. This review delves into the specific evidence. It is challenging to elucidate the link between...

Association of tinnitus with dementia

In this large case-controlled study, the authors have compared the presence of tinnitus prior to the diagnosis of dementia in the study group with those without dementia. Dementia patients were selected from the National Health Insurance group. The control group...

Can we predict risk of adverse events preoperatively in patients undergoing head and neck cancer surgery?

Ed’s Choice reviews a paper aiming to create a reliable index to predict postoperative outcomes in head and neck cancer patients. This interesting study identifies variables that may assist in risk assessing prospective surgical candidates. There have been a few...

MRI scanning patients with cochlear implants and auditory brainstem implants

In the last five to six decades, MRI scanning has gone from physics experiments in Nottingham University through to Nobel prize-winning work by Sir Peter Mansfield and Paul Lauterbur, to a ‘routine’ imaging modality with an estimated 60 million MRI...