The role of antiviral medications in the treatment of Bell’s palsy remains somewhat controversial. Antivirals alone do not appear to be helpful, whereas numerous studies have shown that corticosteroids improve the chance of a full recovery compared to placebo. What...
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a known aetiological factor in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). HPV-positive OPSCC is recognised to have a more favourable prognosis than HPV-negative disease. Treatment deintensification for HPV+ OPSCC has therefore been an area of research focus...
Nasal septal surgery is a very common procedure that we tend to learn as junior trainees. Most of us still find that we have a lot to learn with every deviated septum that we encounter. There is a range of...
Bone conduction mechanisms and history of bone conduction aids Bone conduction hearing devices work by stimulating hair cells via the bone conduction hearing pathways. These pathways are less well understood than the air conduction pathways, but recent research has shown...
Peritonsillar abscesses (PTAs) are one of the most common reasons for patients being referred to ENT services on an emergent basis worldwide. The conventional treatment for adult patients with a PTA in the UK involves needle aspiration or incision and...
The steep rise in thyroid surgery around the globe, has led to the development of risk stratification to define the indications for surgery and the extent of surgery as well as adjuvant therapies for papillary carcinoma, to avoid over treatment....
“The more you know, the harder it is to take decisive action. Once you become informed, you start seeing complexities and shades of gray. You realize that nothing is as clear as it first appears. Ultimately, knowledge is paralyzing.” Calvin,...
Ed’s Choice reviews a paper aiming to create a reliable index to predict postoperative outcomes in head and neck cancer patients. This interesting study identifies variables that may assist in risk assessing prospective surgical candidates. There have been a few...
The ongoing peaks and troughs of the COVID-19 pandemic have imposed unprecedented challenges on day-to-day healthcare provision that we all took as given across the globe prior to spring 2020! The pandemic has, in many ways, made us push boundaries...
This month’s Editors’ Choice is a systematic review of the role of liver assessment in patients with glandular fever. Admission of patients with sore throat constitutes a significant burden of acute work for paediatric and adult ENT services as well...
As of December 2020, seven robotic surgical systems have received approval for use in different jurisdictions, and many more task-specific robots are in the pipeline. Jack Faulkner takes us through what’s on the horizon for head and neck cancer surgery....
These authors from the speech and language therapy department at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, describe their view of a patient-centred approach to managing dysphagia in complex laryngology. Careful consideration of the balance of airway, voice and swallow, which is...