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Is there hope of hearing for postmeningitic patients deemed unsuitable for a cochlear implant?

Rehabilitation of patients with profound hearing loss deemed unsuitable for cochlear implants is challenging. An auditory brainstem implant (ABI) is a viable option for these patients. This paper evaluates auditory and speech perception outcome measures following ABI in 10 postmeningitic...

Predictors of postoperative improvement after endoscopic sinus surgery in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis

Improvement after endoscopic sinus surgery in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis varies considerably. If elaborate preoperative and intraoperative data could be used to predict the postoperative course, management and length of the follow-up could be adjusted to provide optimal care. Two...

Motor learning: better knowing how, not how well

Motor learning is described as the ability to perform a motor skill due to practice and/or experience. Research on interventions to enhance limb motor skills can be influenced through the amount, distribution, variability and schedule of practice as well as...

Graft material success for tympanoplasty

This retrospective Belgian study looked at the success rates of xenograft and human allograft materials as alternatives to more common autograft materials like fascia, fat or cartilage. A total of 71 consecutive patients who underwent type 1 tympanoplasty were included,...

Obstructive sleep apnoea: Does maxillomandibular advancement work?

This is a paper from the Netherlands reviewing 62 patients who underwent maxillomandibular advancement for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea. The authors observed a 71% success rate with mean apnoea hypopnea index (AHI) reduction of 69%. There was no...

Precision medicine in allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis

Precision medicine (PM) with its ‘four Ps’ (personalised, predictive, preventive and participatory) is about appreciating differences between individuals when offering management options for health problems. Multiple groups interested in rhinology such as EPOS and ARIA supported a review of the...

Application of balloon dilatation in chronic eustachian tube dysfunction

Chronic eustachian tube dysfunction prevails in 1% of the adult population and can predispose to middle ear disease. There are subjective and objective features of this condition that can affect quality of life. The common methods to treat eustachian tube...

Objective testing for Eustachian tube dysfunction

Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) is typically diagnosed based on subjective symptoms and examination leading to wide variation in its diagnosis and management. The search for an objective test has looked at ways of measuring the passage of air through the...

Revising pinna embryology and anatomy

This forms an introductory article for a group of papers discussing the reconstruction of the pinna. It is a succinct yet adequately detailed article that all of us, at whatever stage of our careers should endeavour to read, as it...

Single sided deafness and cochlear implants

Cochlear implants (CI) can restore hearing in the profoundly deaf ear. Risk/ benefit and cost considerations dictate strict criteria that must be met for patients to be eligible. People with single-sided deafness are not eligible to receive a cochlear implant...

‘Close’ surgical margin in oral tongue redefined, 2.3mm is as good as 5mm

Gold standard treatment of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral tongue remains surgical resection of the primary tumour with negative margins. The primary goal is the complete excision of the tumour with no residual cancer cells left behind. A...

Tinnitus and Sound Sensitivity Case Book

This book, as the title suggests, is full of case studies written by health wprofessionals involving patients who are experiencing tinnitus and/or sound sensitivity. There are 29 different case studies spanning both adults and paediatrics (though mainly adults). Each case...