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Emergent surgical airway in head and neck conditions

This systematic review and meta-analysis looked at 1011 surgical airways in 14 studies. Of these airways, 50 were cricothyroidotomies. The mean complication rate was 16.8% with an airway-related mortality rate of 0.2%. They noted that the odds of complication significantly...

Head and Neck Vascular Anomalies: A Practical Case-Based Approach

I was genuinely delighted when this book arrived for review. Usually I get something on vertigo which props up one end of the book case gathering dust. A quick skim through this instantly told me the section editor had blessed...

Head and Neck Ultrasonography Essential and Extended Applications – 2nd Edition

This is a very well-written and much-needed second edition to the original book. The author focuses on the head and neck ultrasonography from an ENT surgeon’s perspective. The text is very reader-friendly. The book focuses on the basic and extended...

Cummings Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery: Seventh Edition - Volumes 1-3

It’s no secret Cummings Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery is amongst the most widely recognised international texts on the subject. This edition does not disappoint, and provides a truly comprehensive evidence-based evaluation of topics in general otolaryngology, facial plastic and...

Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery: Clinical Reference Guide – Sixth Edition

When I began my ENT training, the revered ‘Pasha’ textbook was one of the first recommendations given to me by senior colleagues who were in the throes of FRCS revision. This revamped edition serves to improve a book which was...

Are there benefits of prophylactic swallowing exercises for patients with head and neck cancer?

This randomised controlled trial aimed to establish the impact of prophylactic swallowing exercises in patients undergoing chemoradiation therapy for head and neck cancer. The primary outcome was the functional oral intake scale (FOIS), although secondary measures for feeding tube use,...

What is the evidence for duration of antibiotic prophylaxis in head and neck free-flap cases?

The topic of this systematic review is one which is commonly heard in discussions between microbiologists and head and neck surgeons – what is the evidence for antibiotic prophylaxis in clean-contaminated free-flap cases, and crucially, how long should antibiotics be...

Managing high flow head and neck arteriovenous malformations (AVM)

Vascular malformations are lesions where the traditional network of capillaries linking arteries and veins are lacking. Patients usually present with bleeding, pain, disfigurement and tissue expansion and destruction. High flow lesions can be challenging to manage in the head and...

Best timing for post-treatment PET-CT scans in head and neck cancer

Unfortunately we know that the recurrence rate for head and neck cancer can be high, up to 30-50% in some series. These recurrences tend to occur within the first two years following treatment. Optimal surveillance strategies to detect recurrences early...

Margin control using optical techniques in head and neck surgery

Emerging optical techniques such as high-resolution microendoscopy (HRME) are currently being examined for their reliability in discriminating benign from neoplastic epithelium. These techniques may offer the potential to detect the margin of an upper aerodigestive tract tumour in a non-invasive...