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Silent sinus syndrome: which approach offers the best outcome?

Silent sinus syndrome (SSS) is a rare condition with patients presenting as spontaneous, painless enophthalmos, hypoglobus, orbital asymmetry, and maxillary sinus collapse on the ipsilateral side. The orbital resorption occurs secondary to negative pressure created in the maxillary sinus by...

Quality of life in children following balloon Eustachian tuboplasty

This study aimed to demonstrate the efficacy of balloon Eustachian tuboplasty (BET) in children by assessing their quality of life with the Otitis Media-6 questionnaire (OM-6). The OM-6 questionnaire is the most frequently used instrument to measure health-related quality of...

Vestibular migraine or BPPV?

There are close similarities between benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and vestibular migraine (VM) as both can be presented by positional nystagmus. Though BPPV remains the commonest cause of pure positional vertigo, VM can mimic this condition. This study is...

Botulinum toxin and drooling – how much, how often and where?

This was an incredibly useful article covering all aspects of the use of botulinum toxin as a treatment modality in sialorrhoea. The article starts by outlining why treating sialorrhoea is important and describes the non-pharmacological and pharmacological options, highlighting that...

Is there a ‘best’ ventilation tube?

Studies on grommet materials and sizes are not exactly new but this was a well-designed randomized study in Sweden with some useful findings. The extrusion rate and complications associated with four different ventilation tubes (grommets) were assessed prospectively in 400...

Prophylactic swallowing exercises in head and neck cancer

Clinicians working in head and neck cancer will be familiar with the increased interest in prophylactic swallowing exercises to reduce the devastating impact of dysphagia experienced by patients undergoing radiation or chemo-radiation therapy. This study from Denmark is one of...

Can prediction models help identify dysphagia in ventilated patients?

Dysphagia commonly affects patients in intensive care units (ICU), particularly those on mechanical ventilation, and is associated with high risk of mortality. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to identify predictors for dysphagia in ventilated ICU patients by summarising existing...

Cognitive development in children with cochlear implants

This systematic review investigates the comparative cognitive outcomes in children using bilateral versus unilateral cochlear implants, as well as those using cochlear implants versus hearing aids. The review synthesises findings from 30 studies involving a total of 11,986 children and...

How does endoscopic surgery for subglottic stenosis affect voice outcomes?

Patients with subglottic stenosis (SGS) require interventions to improve their breathing and airway patency. Increasingly, these interventions are completed endoscopically but little is known about how endoscopic surgery impacts voice outcomes. The authors of this study completed a systematic review...