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Surgery for hypopharyngeal obstruction causing OSA

Surgical treatments for OSA are evolving with improved diagnostic accuracy of the level(s) involved. Where the collapsing segment lies below the soft palate, a variety of surgical techniques to correct the affected segment(s) are emerging. This article concentrates on one...

Medical trends in sleep disordered breathing

This duo provide an eloquent outline of sleep disordered breathing in general, with particular emphasis on the medical impact and associations of the condition. The increasing prevalence of the condition is described, with increasing worldwide obesity, increased association of cardiac...

Pyriform turbinoplasty

This article describes a new operative technique to improve nasal airflow, the pyriform turbinoplasty. This specifically addresses the lateral part of the nasal valve where there may be impingement into the airway in select patients. This corresponds to the area...

Righting the paralysed lip

Many surgical procedures that otolaryngologists perform put the facial nerve at risk of injury, a complication that the surgeon and patient fear alike. Unfortunately, injuries to the nerve can and do happen despite adequate precautions, and facial paralysis may be...

Aerosols and polypi

Infection in the operative cavities after endoscopic sinus surgery for sinonasal polyposis leads to recurrence of symptoms and mucopurulent discharge. The usual therapies include systemic antibiotics sometimes with steroids. The authors hypothesised that the use of a topical antimicrobial (tobramycin...

Marginal gains

Many consider facial nerve monitoring compulsory in parotid surgery yet few do the same for the marginal mandibular nerve in a submandibular approach, even though the nerve is finer and more difficult to identify. Here a group map the nerve...

Tongue tie – just a snip?

This article regarding ankyloglossia raises an eyebrow; surely it’s just a snip isn’t it? Seemingly not. The authors describe two types of tongue tie – the first being posterior, with the frenulum being short and tight, the second being anterior,...

Surgery for drooling

This paper looks at the surgical options for sialorrhoea once the first two options of behavioural and physiotherapy interventions and pharmacotherapy have been exhausted. The social impact of sialorrhoea on patients and their families is significant and often lifelong therefore...

Clival chordoma recurrence

Chordomas are generally slow growing and are histologically considered low grade tumours. Their high recurrence rate even after postoperative radiation renders them difficult to treat. This is particularly true for clival chordomas whose deep anatomic location and proximity to vital...

Unilateral vocal cord mobility impairment and laryngopulmonary physiology

The concept of iatrogenic recurrent laryngeal nerve injury following thyroid surgery is often considered with respect to voice change but its potential impact on airway physiology has thus far not been evaluated. A cross-sectional observational study reviewed 21 patients with...

Paediatric conductive hearing loss management

This review article discusses the current guidelines for the management of paediatric otitis media, tympanostomy tube placement indications, management of risk factors for chronic otitis media, intraoperative and postoperative management guidelines and the management of complications. The important takeaways include...

Comparing surgical freedom of four transsphenoidal approaches to the sella

Four transspenoidal approaches to the sella were performed and studied by the authors on eight silicon-injected cadaveric heads. Surgical freedom, that is, the ability of the surgeon to move his or her hands in a fixed space, was determined with...