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Consultative Selling Skills for Audiologists

I must admit that when I was first asked to review this book I tried to find excuses not to do it. The title rather put me off as whilst I am Hearing Aid Dispenser registered, I do not dispense...

Can we tell the difference between benign recurrent vertigo, migraine and Menière’s disease?

I chose to review this article as it reminds us of the difficulties in diagnosing dizzy patients accurately and the significant crossover of symptoms between the diagnoses. Does Benign Recurrent Vertigo (BRV) even exist as a separate entity? BRV is...

An app to help display hearing results

Vestibular neuronitis (VN) is a common condition that we treat. Despite this, many of us lack the in-depth knowledge and scientific reasons for doing what we do. Granted, the evidence is lacking in some areas but this paper is worth...

Nasal nitric oxide – an inflammatory marker in paediatric allergic rhinitis?

Nasal nitric oxide (nNO) is mainly produced in the paranasal sinus mucosa and was shown in some studies to have increased expression in allergic rhinitis (AR). Although it represents a potential non-invasive tool for AR measurement, there remains no consensus...

Adenoidal hypertrophy in children with allergic rhinitis

Nasal congestion in children with allergic rhinitis can be confounded by adenoidal hypertrophy. This retrospective Turkish study examines this association in more detail. The sample studied was 566 children (age 2-18) that were diagnosed (based on ARIA guidelines) and treated...

Olfactory ensheathing cells and their safe harvest

This interesting and unique paper not only demonstrates that biopsy of olfactory mucosa in the region of the superior turbinate is a safe procedure but also provides valuable insight into an engaging area of research by a world class team...

A raised neutrophil / lymphocyte ratio predicts vestibular schwannoma growth

It has long been known that the neutrophil to lymphocyte count ratio (NLR) is a marker of inflammation and that a higher ratio relates to poorer outcomes in some malignant tumours including some head and neck cancers. Neutrophilia (and therefore...

Does pre-op intratympanic gentamicin improve balance control after vestibular schwannoma surgery?

This retrospective study was based on data from 44 patients selected from a cohort of 153 who had undergone surgical resection of vestibular schwannoma over a 10-year period. The aim was to evaluate the dynamics of the postural control system...

Lower respiratory involvement in allergic rhinitis and chronic sinusitis

The recent ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma) project has generated interest in simultaneous involvement of the lower respiratory airway in cases of chronic rhinosinusitis and allergic rhinitis. This study takes into account the extent of pulmonary function...

A diagnostic survey of dizziness

The prevalence of self-reported dizziness and that requiring medical consultation is remarkably high. Cardiac and neuropathic comorbidities, often associated with these patients confuse the diagnosis. In this multicentre study, the prevalence and characteristics of various diagnostic groups, for example, Benign...

Recurrent seroma in cochlear implanted patients

Little is known about why some patients experience recurrent seromas over the implant package and in the absence of any cause, antibiotics are frequently prescribed as a precaution to protect the implant from infection. A tertiary referral centre selected five...

Which cross-over frequency is best for electro-acoustic stimulation?

Advances in technology and improved soft surgical techniques have led to individuals with better hearing thresholds, especially at the low frequencies, becoming candidates for cochlear implants (CI). Surgeons are more confident that residual hearing can be preserved thus making those...