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Radiology and paediatric neck lumps

This is a comprehensive article examining the modalities available for children presenting with suspected congenital neck lumps. Each modality is explained in turn, with pros and cons highlighted, but also in the context of the emergency patient and the elective....

Should we do oesophagoscopy during panendoscopy?

Panendoscopy entails a complete evaluation of the upper aerodigestive tract, and consists of oral inspection, direct laryngoscopy, bronchoscopy, oesophagoscopy, or some combination of these procedures. Despite many advances in imaging over the years, a skilled surgeon’s eyes remain superior in...

Extrapolating lessons from vestibular schwannoma management

This paper presents a delightfully simple and sensible hypothesis for the management of benign schwannomas in the head and neck region. They have taken the approach used for the management of vestibular schwannomas and used the same principles to assess...

Vascular loops found on MRI IAM for tinnitus

This group from the Netherlands looks at the finding of vascular loops found on MRI IAMs requested for tinnitus. It is a common finding for all who request such imaging. This work adds to the body of evidence that such...

Associated findings in MRI used for detecting acoustic neuroma

Presently, gadolinium enhanced magnetic resonance imaging is the ‘gold standard’ for investigating acoustic neuroma. There are often ‘incidental’ findings that may or may not be significant. In this study of 109 scans, the authors noted an uptake of 0.9% for...

Useful algorithm to manage adults with branchial cysts

Managing a solitary cystic lateral neck mass, specifically differentiating between a simple second branchial cyst and a metastatic cyst poses a challenge. Often the diagnosis only becomes apparent on the final histology. This paper analysed 28 adults that presented to...

How effective and safe is audiologist-led screening of acoustic neuroma in patients with asymmetrical hearing loss and unilateral tinnitus?

About two out of 100 patients presenting with asymmetric hearing and unilateral tinnitus have acoustic neuroma. The traditional method in which these patients first attend a clinician and then undergo screening through an MRI, can be expensive and prolong the...

MRI in diagnosis Meniere’s disease: what is the evidence?

The utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of Meniere’s disease (MD) has attracted a lot of interest recently. It is well accepted that the saccule is the most common vestibular organ affected by endolymphatic hydrops (EH) and...

Handbook of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery – Second Edition

The authors and contributors of this book have done a stellar job of updating the content while maintaining the portability essential for any ‘handbook’. They begin with a sound introductory section which presents a comprehensive road map to evaluating the...

The push towards scarless parotid surgery

When dealing with benign parotid pathology, high expectations are placed on the operating surgeon to preserve key neurovascular structures, especially the animating facial nerve, through meticulous dissection. With time, there has been a greater emphasis on improving cosmesis in parotid...