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Balloon dilatation of the eustachian tube: An evidence based review

Eustachian tube dysfunction has long provoked debate among otolaryngologists with wide-spread variation in management. Establishing a safe and effective surgical technique to bring about resolution would be of benefit to those affected, with an estimated incidence of 0.9% in the...

Cost effectiveness and vestibular schwannoma surgery

This is the first cost effectiveness modelling study looking at the three main treatment options for small to medium sized vestibular schwannomas. This study uses the widely accepted cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) outcome measure to evaluate three...

Are elective neck dissections needed during salvage laryngectomy?

There has recently been a move away from elective neck dissections in the setting of salvage laryngectomy. This has mainly resulted from an appreciation of the increase in morbidity, in particular pharyngocutaneous fistula formation, and an improvement in cross-sectional imaging...

Endoscopic stapes surgery

This retrospective Turkish study looked at the audiological and surgical outcomes of 40 patients who underwent endoscopic stapes surgery over a three-year period. To assess the learning curve, the patients were divided into two groups based on the date of...

Antibiotics in orthognathic surgery

This paper from the Netherlands looked at 137 patients over a one-year period, 18 of whom had Le Fort I procedures, 68 bilateral sagittal split surgery, and 51 bi-maxillary surgery. A further 54 surgical procedures were undertaken, including 15 having...

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...

Pre-habilitation in head and neck cancer – a literature review to guide best practice

Curative treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC) often requires surgery; however, outcomes are impacted by the complexity of the surgery and the patient population. Increasingly ‘Enhanced Recovery After Surgery’ (ERAS) protocols are being used to maximise patient outcomes and...

Endolymphatic sac surgery (ESS) revisited

Ever since the destructive articles by Toss and coworkers, ESS was considered a taboo. However more and more centres are reviving it and report favourable results in properly selected patients. In this article the authors conducted a retrospective, single-centre observational...

Assessing Middle Ear Function in Infants

This book fills a significant void in the clinical literature. There are key reference texts for each area of clinical work which should be on every departmental bookshelf, and Assessing Middle Ear Function in Infants joins that list. It might...

Vestibular Testing Interpretation: Drill and Practice

My overall impression of this book is that I liked it. While it reports to be designed for a trainee or junior practitioner, it may be useful for clinicians for whom vestibular conditions and testing is an area of heart-sink...

Pediatric Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Clinical Reference Guide

It is perhaps inevitable that this book will draw comparisons to the well-known Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery: Clinical Reference Guide, edited by Raza Pasha and Justin Golub. That book, usually simply referred to as ‘Pasha’, has become a...

Diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea hypopneoa syndrome (OSAHS) without sleep studies

Polysomnography is considered the ‘gold standard’ in the diagnosis of sleep apnoea but it is expensive and difficult to perform in children. Diagnosis based on subjective judgement is often inaccurate. An accurate diagnostic scale based on clinical parameters could obviate...