The role of antiviral medications in the treatment of Bell’s palsy remains somewhat controversial. Antivirals alone do not appear to be helpful, whereas numerous studies have shown that corticosteroids improve the chance of a full recovery compared to placebo. What...
In this article, John Phillips considers the evolution of management options for Ménière’s disease. Treatment options past and present are discussed, together with an insight into future developments regarding the role of intratympanic steroids. Ménière's disease can be the source...
Scott Russell is an anaesthetist with an almost unrivalled experience of complex head and neck surgery, and has seen all manner of new ideas come and go. However, in this article he describes a new pharmaceutical agent that is already...
Introduction Over the past 150 years, military personnel wounded in action had a survival rate of approximately 80% [1]. During the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, those servicemen wounded in action have a 90.4% survival rate [2]. During the...
As a portable alternative to videofluoroscopy, fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) is often carried out at the patient’s bedside. The authors of this paper have chosen to examine the reliability of the penetration-aspiration ratings (Rosenbek scale) of FEES examinations...
Research in the field of language treatment and rehabilitation to date has used single-word naming as a controlled measure of outcome. Yet, given people do not actually communicate in single words, there is much debate as to whether this approach...
Patients with dysphagia are often asked to use compensatory techniques or manoeuvres to facilitate safe swallowing. For example, they may be taught to do a supraglottic swallow to minimise aspiration or a specific postural adjustment to support bolus flow. These...
9 September 2020
| Michal Luntz, Emma Stapleton
|
ENTA - Otology
Professor Michal Luntz is an Otologist and Cochlear Implant Surgeon, and Director of the Ear and Hearing Center in A.R.M, Assuta Tel Aviv, Israel. We caught up with her to hear about her life, her background, and her unique insight...
Benchmarking is a process of comparison between the performance characteristics of separate, often competing, organisations intended to enable each participant to improve its own performance [1]. Often, in healthcare, benchmarking is carried out by central government departments or regional agencies...
Getting in the zone, recognising our personal stress limits and looking after ourselves are vital components in our efforts to stay healthy advises Abbie Lane, after almost a generation of de-stressing others. They say a rugby player like Brian O’Driscoll...
1 July 2019
| Ibrahim Almufarrij, Piers Dawes (Prof), Kevin J Munro (Prof), Michael A Stone, Harvey Dillon (Prof)
|
ENTA - Audiology - Adult
How safe and desirable are direct-to-consumer amplification devices? A team has put a range of devices through their paces and compared them to a standard NHS hearing device. Why do most individuals who would benefit from hearing aids not try...