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Surgery for drooling

This paper looks at the surgical options for sialorrhoea once the first two options of behavioural and physiotherapy interventions and pharmacotherapy have been exhausted. The social impact of sialorrhoea on patients and their families is significant and often lifelong therefore...

Coblation for lingual haemangiomas

Haemangiomas are benign vascular tumours characterised histologically by a marked proliferation of blood vessels. They can be either congenital or acquired, and can affect the tongue, both within the oral cavity and the oropharynx. A variety of interventions exist for...

Tinnitus: Clinical and Research Perspectives

This book encapsulates the many facets of tinnitus from its enigmatic neurophysiological underpinnings to its cognitive effects and treatment approaches. The editors’ multidisciplinary approach in recruiting field experts from a variety of clinical and research backgrounds provides the reader with...

Margin control using optical techniques in head and neck surgery

Emerging optical techniques such as high-resolution microendoscopy (HRME) are currently being examined for their reliability in discriminating benign from neoplastic epithelium. These techniques may offer the potential to detect the margin of an upper aerodigestive tract tumour in a non-invasive...

A bittersweet finding

This is an elegant study, documenting the role of, and activation of, nitrous oxide in chronic sinusitis. Bitter taste receptors (TR2) have recently been identified as novel ‘players’ in sinonasal innate immunity and in chronic rhinosinusitis. The receptors are triggered...

Are imaging studies necessary in uncomplicated headaches?

Over-imaging is one of the banes of modern medicine. One may argue that in this litigious atmosphere it is safer to get an MRI done rather than not. Despite the recommendations of the American Headache Society and the American College...

A novel way to reduce postoperative nausea and vomiting

This is an interesting RCT which evaluates the prophylactic effect of bilateral endoscopic injection of local anaesthetic in the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) on postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). It has a robust design, and is sufficiently powered and blinded, with...

What causes delays in head and neck cancer treatment?

This article identifies which factors are responsible for delays in cancer management by a retrospective case-control series study, statistically comparing two groups, each of 50 patients, one receiving timely treatment and the other breaching set targets. It was observed that...

Impact of delaying otologic surgery

In this Belgian study, the authors looked at the impact of delaying otologic surgery by sending an online survey to 44 adult patients diagnosed with benign ear pathology whose surgery was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire was...

Sarcopenia and dysphagia in older community-dwelling adults

The prevalence of dysphagia in community-dwelling older adults is reported to be around 15%. Outside of common neurological causes such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease and dementia, recent studies have suggested that sarcopenia may be an independent risk factor for the...

Is it worth paying for group therapy?

Group therapy for post-stroke communication difficulties has been described in the research literature for more than 50 years and is generally considered an efficacious approach. Yet these authors express concern that the American Medicare system is less willing to fund...