You searched for "neuro-otology"
New MRI technique assesses treatment response in skull base osteomyelitis
This paper describes another useful imaging technique to monitor Necrotising Otitis Externa (NOE). Echoplanar diffusion weighted magnetic resonance (DW MR) shows high signal on the ‘ADC map’ with active disease and this reduces in signal intensity as symptoms improve. This...
Cochlear implantation in SSD
There are currently several trials for cochlear implantation (CI) in single-sided deafness (SSD) being undertaken to answer some of the questions this paper from New York raises. Who is best suited to receive one? What are their outcomes and how...
Darn it! It’s going to take longer to get good at stapes surgery!
Traditionally, it has been said the learning curve for a particular operation lies between 20 and 30 cases. In stapedotomy, a surgeon is deemed successful and perhaps competent if closure of the air-bone gap (ABG) is reached to within 10dB...
BPPV duration as a predictor for therapy
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common vestibuar disorders encountered in the neurotology clinic. The majority of cases of BPPV are due to vestibuar lithiasis in the posterior semicircular canal, but there are reports of cases...
When should that child’s wet ear be operated on?
The team from Birmingham have provided a meta-analysis to answer the question of when to perform a type 1 tympanoplasty on chronic paediatric perforations (under 18 year olds). Forty-five studies were included which resulted in 2609 cases. Closure rate at...
Long-term results of incus vibroplasty in patients with moderate-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss
The Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) middle ear implant is now a well-accepted and widely utilised treatment option for patients with sensorineural hearing loss unable to use standard hearing aids. However, as a relatively recent addition to the portfolio of implants available...
When should we decompress the facial nerve in Bell’s Palsy?
It has been over three decades since Fisch popularised facial nerve (FN) decompression for Bell’s Palsy. Studies further exploring this have been few since, partly due to the major complications that can occur following this type of surgery. The current...
Consider PCR testing in culture negative necrotising otitis externa
Necrotising otitis externa (NOE) often does not yield identification of a causative organism to treat although in 90% of cases it is a member of the pseudomonas species. The incidence of fungal NOE is not to be forgotten and this...
Canal wall down with obliteration of cavity for paediatric cholesteatoma
The authors present evidence that canal wall down (CWD) surgery with primary obliteration is an effective way to treat paediatric cholesteatoma. Fifty-eight ears were operated on and follow-up was for five years on average. Residual cholesteatoma rate was 9.9% with...
Vascular loops found on MRI IAM for tinnitus
This group from the Netherlands looks at the finding of vascular loops found on MRI IAMs requested for tinnitus. It is a common finding for all who request such imaging. This work adds to the body of evidence that such...
Mastoid obliteration for canal wall down surgery
Surgery for acquired cholesteatoma is varied amongst surgeons with some only performing combined approach tympanoplasty. The change in lifestyle for patients with canal wall down surgery is significant and hence this group in Japan looked at 118 adult patients with...
