Search

How patients reacted to postponement of cochlear implant surgery due to COVID-19

The onset of COVID-19 in 2020 required widespread cancellation of elective surgeries, one of these being cochlear implant for profoundly deafened adults and post-lingually deafened children. Through a questionnaire, to which 23 out of 38 patients responded, this qualitative study...

Effect of age-related changes in voice production and hearing on Voice Handicap Index and Geriatric Depression Scores

The ageing process affects hearing and production of voice. It is not unknown that impairment of these faculties can affect quality of life and also cause depression. The authors have presented an array of actual anatomical and functional changes that...

Effects on the nasal cavity and maxillary sinus after a Le Fort I osteotomy

This paper from Turkey divided 28 patients into three groups: those having a maxillary advancement osteotomy, those with a maxillary advancement and impaction, and those that underwent advancement with a yaw rotation. They found that pure advancement movement of the...

More aggressive FESS for recalcitrant CRS is the key

This is an interesting paper assessing the effectiveness of endoscopic modified medial maxillectomy (MMM) in cases of recalcitrant chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), (the technique was also used for tumours, cystic fibrosis, FB, odontogenic disease and AFS) in 551 patients. The technique...

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...

How common is self-reported dysphagia in the general population?

Healthcare policymakers and commissioners of services often review incidence and prevalence data when deciding on resource allocation. The authors of this paper have capitalised on a large dataset, the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), which collects data on over...

Are individuals with vestibular vertigo accessing healthcare more frequently?

Vestibular vertigo is estimated to have an adult lifetime prevalence of 7.4%. Vestibular dysfunction has been linked to physical, cognitive, and psychiatric impairments. There is, therefore, a large economic burden and healthcare usage. Patients with vestibular vertigo are more likely...

Cochlear implantation in inner ear schwannoma patients

Inner ear schwannomas (IES) are rare. Patients with IES tend to lose their hearing. Surgery is a treatment option, but it leads to complete loss of hearing. Other treatment options include stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and watchful waiting (WW). The authors...

Posterior nasal neurectomy – long-term data shows tailing off of benefits but still improvement after three years

It is well understood that allergic rhinitis has a very detrimental effect on quality of life for afflicted patients. This study looks at patients with allergic rhinitis but no other associated sinonasal or respiratory diagnoses. Patients with a history of...

Nasal septoplasty: is it more effective than medical management?

Question1. How do we know that undertaking an operation will benefit a patient? Question 2. How do policy makers / health systems know an operation is effective and ‘good value for money’? As trained professionals, we spend our careers seeking...