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BACO: The Master’s role

Ian Mackay is this year’s BACO Master, with Valerie Lund taking over for the next meeting. As the senior overseer of the conference, the role of Master is a crucial one, and Ian tells us how he has gone about...

Barotrauma

Barotrauma is an injury which is due to the effects of pressure upon an air-containing space. Healthy middle ear cavities and paranasal sinuses are normally in equilibrium with the atmospheric pressure, but if an individual moves away from the surface,...

Unpacking the World Health Organization’s World Report on Hearing: what does it say?

The inaugural report on hearing from the World Health Organisation is a tool for advocacy, and for getting hearing loss on government agendas. Nguyen Ngoc Bao Tran was 11 months old when her hearing loss was diagnosed. Despite being informed...

ENTelligence: driving safe and transparent AI innovation in ENT

AI is seemingly going to be ubiquitous. How do we as ENT clinicians help to shape its direction? Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping modern medicine. Algorithmic analysis is now influencing decisions once made solely by clinicians. Yet, in surgical specialties...

The totally implantable cochlear implant

*The authors are in alphabetical order – both authors are first authors on this publication A groundbreaking fully implantable cochlear implant marks the start of a new era in hearing restoration – discreet, continuous and free from external hardware. The...

Greener pastures? Reflections from UK ENT surgeons now practising abroad

Ever considered practising ENT abroad? Here are some experiences of previously UK-based ENT surgeons who took the plunge and are now plying their trade in distant lands. Andrew McCombe ENT ConsultantDate of migration: December 2015Place of work: Mediclinic City Hospital,...

The power of mentoring

What is a mentor, and what are the benefits for mentee and mentor? Emma Stapleton and Rohma Abrar, mentor and mentee respectively, explain. The term ‘mentor’ is derived from Homer’s Odyssey, in which the goddess Athena, disguised as Mentor, guides...

Plasticity with cochlear implants: individual factors in the outcomes

Andrej Kral gives us an overview of neuronal plasticity in congenital hearing loss, and discusses why it is core to our clinical interventions in hearing loss and rehabilitation. The brain is born immature and undergoes extensive shaping during early development....

Hidden hearing loss in humans: cochlear synaptopathy is superseded by cognitive effects when listening to speech in noise

Elizabeth Beach presents an overview of the recent research being undertaken at the National Acoustic Laboratories on speech in noise and its relationship to cochlear synaptopathy. Our team at the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) has been investigating hidden hearing loss...

Cochlear implantation in children with single-sided deafness: rationale and early findings

Cochlear Implantation (CI) in children with single-sided deafness (SSD) is a controversial treatment option. Profs Karen Gordon, Papsin and Cushing discuss the rationale and early findings on the relative success of achieving binaural hearing for SSD with CI. If you’d...

Enhancing and extending hearing care using Ida Telecare

Tele-audiology has been on our radar for a long while, and evidence shows that its application in clinical practice is beneficial to both patients and clinicians. Cherilee Rutherford discusses the benefits and gives an overview of the freely-available tools developed...