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Assessment and management of dysphagia in the elderly

This article covers dysphagia in older patients, which is an important topic due to an ageing population, and a relatively common symptom that we see in clinic. Dysphagia could be due to presbyphagia secondary to changes in head and neck...

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...

Laryngopharyngeal reflux - would mucolytics help?

With laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) being such a common presenting complaint to ENT clinics, who would not want to have more, effective treatment options for patients suffering with this annoying condition? In their small randomised, controlled trial, Chae et al put...

Speech analysis via mobile phone – is there an app for that?

Experienced ENT surgeons will often be able to discern the likelihood of significant laryngeal pathology in a patient referred with dysphonia by the sound of their voice during the initial history-taking phase of a consultation. With the move earlier in...

Otosclerosis - to scan or not to scan?

In an era of insidiously reducing thresholds for investigating patients, Maxwell and colleagues pose an important question: is high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) prior to stapes surgery for otosclerosis worthwhile? Their practice typically considers HRCT for cases of suspected otosclerosis presenting...

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss – who will get better?

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is a rare but potentially devastating condition. For patients presenting with this condition, prognosis is of paramount importance. Wu et al begin to address this issue by retrospectively studying 17 potential prognostic factors for...

Inequitable access to cochlear implantation across the UK

Referral rates and uptake of cochlear implantation in the global adult population are low. Five audiology centres across England and Wales retrospectively explored data over a six-month period in late 2019, post implementation of new National Institute for Health and...

Auditory processing disorder (APD): knowledge and practice in hearing healthcare

Awareness and practice for children and adults presenting with APD is variable across healthcare practice. Recently reported experiences of individuals and their families affected by APD show difficulty accessing referral and overall lack of recognition, and note that audiologists show...

Loss of smell in the age of COVID-19

Loss of smell (LOS) is a debilitating symptom with increasing interest for the medical community due to its high prevalence in COVID-19. In the present paper, a team of 15 experts provide recommendations for the investigation and management of patients...

Painful temporomandibular joints

This paper is a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials comparing arthrocentesis with conservative management in painful and restricted mouth opening temporomandibular joint symptoms. Temporomandibular joint dysfunction comprises a spectrum of disorders commonly involving facial pain and loss of oral function...