You searched for "postoperative"
Surgery or medicine: when should we stop trying to be conservative?
Although most otolaryngologists would agree that surgery improves the outcomes of patients with CRS when medical treatment has failed, both Cochrane reviews state that there is no proof of improved efficacy of surgery over medicine – however, that was after...
An overview of cranioplasty
This article provides a summary of the indications, materials and current techniques available in cranioplasty. Cranioplasty is performed to restore the normal architecture of the skull following craniectomy for many reasons including intracranial infection, trauma and neoplasm. The timing of...
Cough no more?
The challenge of the ‘unexplained chronic cough’ that just will not go away is a challenge that frustrates many of us. Often patients have seen respiratory, upper GI and eventually they see you as the last resort! Is behavioural therapy...
Paper patching for aural fullness
This Belgian prospective study reported on the effect of paper patching on aural fullness of unknown aetiology. It looked at 22 patients who complained of aural fullness without any middle ear pathology. The patients were divided into a treatment group...
Money saving using CAD-CAM in mandibular reconstruction
CAD-CAM (computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing) is an exciting field in the functional and accurate reconstruction of oral cavity defects. This is a prospective study from Italy based on data from 20 consecutive mandibular reconstructions from 2011 to...
Transoral surgery for submandibular stones
The authors assessed the factors that influence the outcome of transoral excision of submandibular duct stones. This was a retrospective case-note review and prospective telephone survey of 125 patients, who had surgery over an eight-year period by a single surgeon....
Can obstructive snoring affect the snorer’s ears as well?
Patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) often show severe nasal obstruction, chronic sinusitis and/or a deficit of nasal mucociliary clearance with nasopharyngeal stagnation of secretions possibly predisposing to eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD). This clinical prospective study investigates ETD, nasal resistance...
Middle ear pressures with different anaesthetic agents
The use of appropriate anaesthetic agents is essential to avoid complications during middle ear surgery. This Turkish study attempted to identify whether intravenous (IV) anaesthetics (propofol) or inhalational agents (sevoflurane) cause more variations in middle ear pressures. The authors performed...
How young is too young for tympanoplasty?
This paper presents the largest series of pre-school age children undergoing tympanoplasty compared with older children. The authors have collected much prospective data on 259 children undergoing 284 surgeries so were able to perform multivariate analysis. The age groupings of...
Benefits of combined antiviral and corticosteroid therapy in Bell’s palsy and the role of decompression surgery
Early use of steroids has been established as standard management in Bell’s palsy but simultaneous use of antiviral agents has variable acceptance. This review article analyses statistically based evidence to settle the issue. High quality evidence from a 2009 Cochrane...
Red flag head and neck cancer symptoms
This was a prospective study of 1589 patients that were enrolled in the Scottish Audit of Head and Neck Cancer between 1999 and 2001. It recorded their presenting symptoms and assessed their long-term survival with respect to symptoms and subsites...
