Previous literature reviews comparing transoral laser surgery versus radiotherapy for glottic carcinoma treatment have analysed ‘early stage’ disease as one group. The current review aimed to assess local control outcomes, comparing these two treatment modalities, specifically for either tumour stage 1a or stage 1b lesions.

The three authors conducted independent, structured literature searches. Simple weighted means were calculated.

Thirty-six publications were analysed. Three-year local control rates for tumour stage 1a tumours were 88.9 per cent for transoral laser surgery (n = 1308) and 89.3 per cent for radiotherapy (n = 2405). For tumour stage 1b tumours, the local control rates were 76.8 per cent for transoral laser surgery (n = 194) and 86.2 per cent for radiotherapy (n = 492).

From this analysis of level four evidence, there was no demonstrable difference in local control rates for tumour stage 1a glottic squamous cell carcinoma treated by transoral laser surgery or radiotherapy. There was a trend towards improved local control of tumour stage 1b tumours treated with radiotherapy, but this finding was based on a limited number of published outcomes (n = 194).

This study aimed to compare recurrence and survival in patients undergoing either selective neck dissection or modified radical neck dissection to treat metastatic cutaneous head and neck squamous cell carcinoma to the cervical lymph nodes (levels I–V) only.

Twenty-eight year, retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database from a tertiary referral hospital, with a minimum follow up of two years.

There were 122 eligible patients: 96 males (79 per cent) and 26 (21 per cent) females (median age, 66 years). Sixty-six patients (54 per cent) underwent selective neck dissection and 56 (46 per cent) modified radical neck dissection. The former patients had a lower rate of regional recurrence compared with the latter (17 vs 23 per cent, respectively). There was no significant difference in five-year overall survival (61 vs 57 per cent, respectively) or five-year disease-free survival (74 vs 60 per cent, respectively), comparing the two groups. Overall survival and disease-free survival were significantly improved by the addition of adjuvant radiotherapy.

We found no difference in outcome in patients undergoing selective versus modified radical neck dissection. Adjuvant radiotherapy significantly improved outcome.

To determine whether tonsillectomy improves quality of life in adults suffering from chronic or recurrent tonsillitis.

A systematic literature search of the Medline and Pubmed databases was conducted in order to identify all relevant studies measuring quality of life directly.

Eight studies were identified. The Glasgow Benefit Inventory and the Short Form questionnaire were the main tools used to assess quality of life changes. Tonsillectomy is likely to improve the overall quality of life as it particularly improves patients' physical and general health. The social benefits of tonsillectomy appear to be non-significant. The effects are likely to be long-lasting and have a greater impact on younger patients. The presence of coexisting chronic conditions and the severity of infective symptoms due to tonsillitis are also influencing factors.

Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Advances in management have not greatly altered overall survival. Over the last decade, there have been significant scientific advances in our knowledge of cell cycle regulation and the complex oncogenic processes. MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs which are integral to the regulation of gene expression and which play a part in carcinogenesis. The literature on the role of microRNA in head and neck cancer is reviewed.

To introduce the role and significance of microRNAs in head and neck cancer.

The possibilities of incorporating microRNAs into clinical practice are discussed, including their potential role in diagnosis, prognosis, prediction of metastatic spread, therapy and tumour surveillance.

Discoveries in expression profiling of microRNA in head and neck oncology promise advancements in the diagnosis, prognosis and therapy of these cancers.

This study aimed to: understand the effect that high intensity noise associated with drilling (during otological surgery) has on hearing in the contralateral ear; determine the nature of hearing loss, if any, by establishing whether it is temporary or persistent; and examine the association between hearing loss and various drill parameters.

A prospective clinical study was carried out at a tertiary centre. Thirty patients with unilateral cholesteatoma and normal contralateral hearing were included. Patients were evaluated pre-operatively and for five days following surgery using high frequency pure tone audiometry, and low and high frequency transient evoked and distortion product otoacoustic emission testing.

The findings revealed statistically significant changes in distortion product otoacoustic emissions at high frequencies (p = 0.016), and in transient evoked otoacoustic emissions at both low and high frequencies (p = 0.035 and 0.021, respectively). There was a higher statistical association between otoacoustic emission changes and cutting burrs compared with diamond burrs.

Drilling during mastoid surgery poses a threat to hearing in the contralateral ear due to noise and vibration conducted transcranially.

Biobanking is the process of storing high quality human biospecimens alongside linked clinical data, for research purposes. The aim is to identify novel biomarkers with prognostic or diagnostic significance. However, the challenges implicit in the collection and storage of human tissue for research have curtailed the impact of this technique to date.

This paper aims to summarise the challenges faced by biobanking within the ENT specialty in the UK, and to present protocols used for the routine collection, freezing and storage of tissue specimens at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital. These protocols could be used to guide other ENT departments (in the UK and worldwide) wishing to initiate the routine collection and storage of tissue samples. Their publication could also help to establish basic standards and ensure consistency in ENT tissue storage.

Interviews conducted with industry experts, and a literature review of ‘best practice’ in biobanking.

The ENT specialty must stay abreast of progress in human tissue research in order to ensure the best possible management of its patients. Our protocol for the routine banking of ENT tissue at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital could be used as a template for other ENT departments (in the UK and worldwide) to encourage widespread implementation of high quality tissue banking.

Many patients with human immunodeficiency virus present with atypical features. Early indicators of human immunodeficiency virus are scarce and hence most affected patients are diagnosed in the later stages of the disease, which is associated with poor prognosis. Salivary gland disease usually develops before acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and is sometimes the first manifestation of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Salivary gland lesions include benign lymphoepithelial cysts of the parotid gland, which are seen in 3–6 per cent of patients. Many of the reported lesions are diagnosed on routine examination.

This review aimed to highlight the association between parotid gland benign lymphoepithelial cyst and human immunodeficiency virus infection, in order to aid early diagnosis and management of the disease.

Human immunodeficiency virus testing is recommended for patients with benign lymphoepithelial cysts, as this can often be the first indication of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Benign lymphoepithelial cysts are important diagnostic and prognostic indicators in human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Symptoms, including tinnitus, ear pain and vertigo, have been reported following exposure to wind turbine noise. This review addresses the effects of infrasound and low frequency noise and questions the existence of ‘wind turbine syndrome’.

This review is based on a search for articles published within the last 10 years, conducted using the PubMed database and Google Scholar search engine, which included in their title or abstract the terms ‘wind turbine’, ‘infrasound’ or ‘low frequency noise’.

There is evidence that infrasound has a physiological effect on the ear. Until this effect is fully understood, it is impossible to conclude that wind turbine noise does not cause any of the symptoms described. However, many believe that these symptoms are related largely to the stress caused by unwanted noise exposure.

There is some evidence of symptoms in patients exposed to wind turbine noise. The effects of infrasound require further investigation.

Review of the literature on the role of surgery in the management of head and neck cancer in the era of organ preservation.

Literature search based on the essential practice guidelines set out by the US National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

Despite the increasing popularity of non-surgical treatment options, the surgeon remains a key figure in the multidisciplinary head and neck cancer team, along with the radiation oncologist, the medical oncologist and the speech and swallowing therapist. Even when organ preservation is successful, early and late toxicity may cause serious complications, including laryngeal dysfunction with a ‘frozen larynx’. When organ preservation fails, salvage surgery is often associated with increased complications and reduced survival.

There is a definite need to apply more rigorous standards to the use of organ preservation strategies, and to re-evaluate the role of surgery in head and neck cancer treatment.

Sore throat is a common condition associated with acute upper respiratory tract infection, and recurrent episodes of infection may result in chronic tonsillitis. The current UK and USA guidelines for tonsillectomy use the incidence of sore throat episodes as an indication for surgery. However, the mechanism of sore throat is poorly described in the literature.

This review will provide basic information for the clinician regarding: the causes, pathophysiology and neurophysiology of sore throat; the mechanism of inflammation; and the role of transient receptor potential ion channels as nociceptors involved in sore throat. The review will present new ideas on the mechanism of ice therapy as an analgesic for post-tonsillectomy pain, and the role of vanilloid and cold receptors.

Many ENT conditions can be treated in the emergency clinic on an ambulatory basis. Our clinic traditionally had been run by foundation year two and specialty trainee doctors (period one). However, with perceived increasing inexperience, a dedicated registrar was assigned to support the clinic (period two). This study compared admission and discharge rates for periods one and two to assess if greater registrar input affected discharge rate; an increase in discharge rate was used as a surrogate marker of efficiency.

Data was collected prospectively for patients seen in the ENT emergency clinic between 1 August 2009 and 31 July 2011. Time period one included data from patients seen between 1 August 2009 and 31 July 2010, and time period two included data collected between 1 August 2010 and 31 July 2011.

The introduction of greater registrar support increased the number of patients that were discharged, and led to a reduction in the number of children requiring the operating theatre.

The findings, which were determined using clinic outcomes as markers of the quality of care, highlighted the benefits of increasing senior input within the ENT emergency clinic.

To evaluate the primary and long-term surgical outcomes of patients with postinflammatory medial meatal fibrosis.

A retrospective study was conducted of 14 ears (in 12 patients) with postinflammatory medial meatal fibrosis managed surgically. Outcome measures were primary (i.e. less than six months) and long-term (i.e. greater than five years) closure of the air–bone gap, and the incidence of otorrhoea and restenosis.

At primary review, the mean air–bone gap ± standard deviation had decreased from 29.9 ± 11.6 dB to 12 ± 8.4 dB (p < 0.0006). Seven (50 per cent) ears had closure of the air–bone gap to within 10 dB. However, for the 9 ears receiving long-term review, the mean air–bone gap ± standard deviation increased to 19.3 ± 15.2 dB; there was no significant difference between this result and pre-operative values (p = 0.06). Of the 9 long-term review ears, 3 (33 per cent) showed closure of the air–bone gap to within 10 dB. Recurrent otorrhoea was the most common complication, occurring in 5 of the 9 long-term review ears (56 per cent); in addition, 3 (33 per cent) of these 9 ears developed restenosis.

Over time, the success of surgery for postinflammatory medial meatal fibrosis diminishes. This was demonstrated in the present study by progressive post-operative hearing decline and a high prevalence of otorrhoea and restenosis.

This review addresses Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in the context of ENT, and aims to summarise the relevant history, pathophysiology and implications for contemporary practice.

Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease is a rare, fatal, neurodegenerative disorder. It is a prion disease with four different subtypes that can only be definitively diagnosed post-mortem. The main implications for the ENT surgeon lie in the risk of iatrogenic transmission. The three facets of assessing individual patient risk are: patient history; tissue infectivity; and procedure infectivity.

This is a controversial area in medicine, and ENT in particular. This review highlights a clinically applicable approach for everyday use.

Skull base osteomyelitis typically presents in an immunocompromised patient with severe otalgia and otorrhoea. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the commonest pathogenic micro-organism, and reports of resistance to fluoroquinolones are now emerging, complicating management. We reviewed our experience of this condition, and of the local pathogenic organisms.

A retrospective review from 2004 to 2011 was performed. Patients were identified by their admission diagnostic code, and computerised records examined.

Twenty patients were identified. A facial palsy was present in 12 patients (60 per cent). Blood cultures were uniformly negative, and culture of ear canal granulations was non-diagnostic in 71 per cent of cases. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated in only 10 (50 per cent) cases; one strain was resistant to ciprofloxacin but all were sensitive to ceftazidime. Two cases of fungal skull base osteomyelitis were identified. The mortality rate was 15 per cent. The patients’ treatment algorithm is presented.

Our treatment algorithm reflects the need for multidisciplinary input, early microbial culture of specimens, appropriate imaging, and prolonged and systemic antimicrobial treatment. Resolution of infection must be confirmed by close follow up and imaging.

To analyse cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential response parameters in normal volunteers and vertiginous patients.

A prospective study of 50 normal subjects and 50 patients with vertigo was conducted at Chiang Mai University Hospital, Thailand. Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential responses were measured using air-conducted, 500-Hz, tone-burst stimuli with subjects in a sitting position with their head turned toward the contralateral shoulder.

The mean ± standard deviation age and male:female ratio in the normal (44.0 ± 9.3 years; 12:38) and vertigo groups (44.7 ± 9.8 years; 17:33) were not significantly different. The prevalence of absent responses in the normal (14 per cent) and vertigo ears (46 per cent) differed significantly (p < 0.0001). Other cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential parameters (i.e. response threshold, P1 and N1 latency, P1–N1 interlatency and interamplitude, inter-ear difference in P1 threshold, and asymmetry ratio) showed no inter-group differences.

The absence of a cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential response is useful in the identification of vestibular dysfunction. However, patients should undergo a comprehensive battery of other vestibular tests to supplement their cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential response findings.

This systematic review aims to advise on the effectiveness of the active middle-ear implant in patients with sensorineural hearing loss, compared with external hearing aids.

A systematic search of several electronic databases, including PubMed and Embase, was used to identify relevant studies for inclusion.

Fourteen comparative studies were included. Nine studies reported on the primary outcome of functional gain: one found that the middle-ear implant was significantly better than external hearing aids (p < 0.001), while another found that external hearing aids were generally significantly better than middle-ear implants (p < 0.05). Six of the seven remaining studies found that middle-ear implants were better than external hearing aids, although generally no clinically significant difference (i.e. ≥10 dB) was seen.

Generally, the active middle-ear implant appears to be as effective as the external hearing aid in improving hearing outcomes in patients with sensorineural hearing loss.

Petrous apex cholesterol granulomas are expansile, cystic lesions containing cholesterol crystals surrounded by foreign body giant cells, fibrous tissue reaction and chronic inflammation. Appropriate treatment relies on an accurate radiological diagnosis and an understanding of the distinguishing radiological features of relevant entities in the differential diagnosis of this condition.

Firstly, this paper presents a pictorial review of the relevant radiological features of petrous apex cholesterol granuloma, and highlights unique features relevant to the differential diagnosis. Secondly, it reviews the histopathological and radiological findings associated with surgical drainage of these lesions.

Radiological features relevant to the differential diagnosis of petrous apex cholesterol granuloma are reviewed, together with radiological and histopathological features relevant to surgical management. Following surgical management, histopathological and radiological evidence demonstrates that the patency of the surgical drainage pathway is maintained.

Accurate diagnosis of petrous apex cholesterol granuloma is essential in order to instigate appropriate treatment. Placement of a stent in the drainage pathway may help to maintain patency and decrease the likelihood of symptomatic recurrence.

The vestibulocochlear nerve is a sensory nerve that serves the organs of hearing and equilibrium. Neuropathies of the nerve, particularly auditory neuropathy, may be caused by primary demyelination or axonal disease. Cochlear amplification function is normal in cases of auditory neuropathy, but afferent neural conduction in the auditory pathway is disordered. It is highly probable that the vestibular nerve has some involvement in disorders affecting the cochlear nerve.

To provide an overview of vestibular test findings in individuals with auditory neuropathy.

A structured literature search was carried out, with no restrictions to the dates searched.

Auditory neuropathy implicated the vestibular branch of the VIIIth cranial nerve as well as the cochlear nerve. However, there was variability in terms of vestibular test findings.

To determine the rate of spontaneous tumour shrinkage in a group of patients with sporadic vestibular schwannoma managed with a ‘wait and scan’ approach.

All patients with a unilateral cerebello-pontine angle tumour resembling a vestibular schwannoma were registered prospectively in a national database in Denmark. Patients registered with tumour shrinkage were identified and all computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans retrieved, re-evaluated and related to the clinical data.

Of 1261 observed patients, 48 displayed spontaneous shrinkage (3.81 per cent). Mean absolute shrinkage was 6.25 mm, equivalent to 52.1 per cent. Absolute shrinkage correlated with tumour size and follow-up period, whereas relative shrinkage was significantly greater for tumours which were purely intrameatal at diagnosis. There was no correlation between age and the degree of shrinkage.

Four per cent of sporadic vestibular schwannomas shrink spontaneously. These findings substantiate the ‘wait and scan’ strategy for tumours with a largest extrameatal diameter of up to 20 mm.