The affect of radiotherapy on oropharyngeal bacterial flora was studied in the hope that this might help in controlling post-operative infections in previously irradiated patients. Eighty patients were included from whom swabs were taken before and at the end of irradiation, Swabs were also taken two weeks after treatment in the last 40 patients. Thirty healthy controls were included.

It was found that coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus, β-haemolytic streptococci, Candida albicans, B. proteus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, were significantly increased at the end of irradiation, while Klebsiella was increased significantly in the period after irradiation. Culture and sensitivity was performed for the organisms isolated in the last 40 patients.

From this study it is evident that irradiation has a significant effect on oropharyngeal flora.

A prospective trial of hearing aid provision was undertaken to define factors which might be used to allow hearing aids to be fitted optimally. Patients referred for the provision of a hearing aid were studied prospectively at each of five visits when they were questioned by means of a proforma. Fifty-six patients completed the trial and gave adequate responses for analysis. No audiometric or symptomatic criteria were found to be of use in predicting the final choice of hearing aid combination. It may be that initial sequential monaural aiding leads to a higher uptake of binaural aids in the long term. Patients valued multiple visits to the clinic and sequential trials of monaural aiding, the majority felt that binaural aids should be tried.

Flexible endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract usually does not form part of the primary diagnostic evaluation of the globus syndrome. In a prospective trial, a flexible endoscopy was performed in 51 globus patients with normal results of the laryngologic and radiographic examination. Pathologic findings requiring therapy were diagnosed in 70.6 per cent of cases. The most frequent findings were reflux oesophagitis (n = 24; 47 per cent) and hiatial hernia (n = 25; 49 per cent). In 16 cases (31,4 per cent) these were accompanied by other pathologic lesions. A total of 32 patients (62.7 per cent) suffered from oesophageal diseases as sole aetiologic factors of the globus syndrome, which led us to postulate a causative relationship in these cases. Flexible endoscopy therefore can contribute significantly to the differential diagnosis of the globus syndrome. It must be kept in mind, however, that there is a ‘blind zone’ for endoscopic assessment in a region of the hypopharynx, thus some indications may require rigid endoscopy.

The type I Chiari malformation consists of a caudal displacement of the cerebellar tonsils through the foramen magnum into the cervical spinal canal. The most common presenting symptoms, such as pain, weakness and headache, are frequently preceded by otoneurological symptoms. Sensorineural hearing loss, vertigo, nystagmus, dysequilibrium, tinnitus and other cranial nerve involvement have been reported in Chiari-I malformation. A case report is presented and the clinical features of the disease are discussed with emphasis on the otoneurological aspects.

During the years 1984 to 1991, of 32 patients who had one large glomus or carotid body tumour, six were found to have other paragangliomas. Excluded from the above total of 32 are patients whose only lesion was a solitary glomus tympanicum. No two patients had identical problems and no pattern emerged on which patient management in any particular case could be based. The major problems associated with the tumours themselves and their treatment is the risk to hearing and the lower cranial nerves. Individual cases and their treatment are discussed.

The performance of various specialzed and general purpose drills was assessed for use in temporal bone dissection. The Minicraft MB120 and MB130 were found to be as effective as specialized drills but with grater convenience and much reduced cost. The use of these drills allows high quality temporal bone dessection to be performed on a limited budget.

A rare case of paraganglioma of the external auditory canal is presented. It was treated by excision and no recurrence has been noted after 18 months of follow up.

A rare complication relating to the use of a Foley catheter in the control of posterior epistaxis is described. The balloon failed to deflate after the catheter had been in place for 32 hours and per-oral removal was required.

ENT surgeons may well be asked to remove cannabis from the external ear where it has been lodged for various reasons. We report two cases and review four other cases we found in the literature to illustrate some of the difficulties. It is important that anyone working with people who abuse drugs are aware that cannabis can be concealed in the external ear.

A rare case of a congenital fistula of the stapes footplate, in a 10-year-old girl, resulting in recurrent meningitis, is reported. A full ENT examination and a high index of suspicion, is essential if the diagnosis is to be made.

Exploratory tympanotomy should be considered on clinical grounds, even if a high resolution CT scan of the temporal bones does not show any anomalies, in order to ascertain the definite diagnosis of a fistula and to seal it permanently.

A simple device is described which enables the patient with a tracheo–oesphageal valve and a large tracheostome to easily occlude the stoma, avoiding the need for stomaplasty.

An improved technique for fixation of a Foley catheter in posterior epistaxis is presented. It has the advantage of rigidity combined with a narrow diameter.

Pilomatrixoma is a benign skin tumour arising from the outer hair root matrix. It is an uncommon tumour which favours the hair bearing area of the head and neck. The preauricular area is a well documented site, but to our knowledge, there are no reports of a pilomatrixoma arising in the external auditory meatus. We present such a case and discuss the historical background along with its pathological and clinical features.

A young boy presented with loss of speech and behaviour disturbance and was thought to be deaf. He was subsequently found to have the Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS), or acquired aphasia with epilepsy. Children with this disorder commonly present to an audiology or ENT clinic. Early recognition is important to initiate supportive, speech and educational care.

Pseudocyst is a rare, often misdiagnosed condition affecting the pinna. A case of bilateral pseudocyst is reported and the recent literature discussed with respect to aetiology and treatment.

Estimation of haemoglobin is still undertaken routinely before ENT surgery in many centres despite evidence that it is unnecessary, traumatic and expensive. The haemoglobin was estimated of all 372 children about to undergo ENT surgery in a busy district general hospital over a one year period. No child was noted to be clinically anacmic, and no child had a haemoglobin of less than 9 g/dl. Of 18 children with a haemoglobin level of 10.5 or less, 10 had their operations postponed and eight did not. There were no complications in the latter group. We can find no published evidence that operating on children with mild anaemia is unsafe. Ceasing routine pre-operative haemoglobin estimation would safely save an estimated £9000 per year in our unit.

Tracheo-oesophageal prostheses are commonly inserted in patients following total laryngectomy to improve the quality of the voice. Unfortunately the device eventually fails and requires replacement. A valve change, although well tolerated by patients, necessitates an out-patient visit and delay in its replacement can lead to problems of pneumonia or dehydration. In this short paper we describe a simple temporary solution for a leaking valve and recommend its use in patients who are delayed in returning to the unit for example when on holiday.

First branchial cleft anomalies are considered to be duplications of the external auditory meatus (EAM) and pinna with a sinus that runs parallel to the EAM (Type 1) or with a sinus that runs from an opening in the neck and ends blindly near the cartilaginous EAM (Type 2). In this paper we discuss a young patient that presented with an infected sinus that did not resemble either of the two known types of first branchial cleft anomalies.

A case of a moderate essentially low tone unilateral conductive hearing loss without a previous history of secretory otitis media in a six-year-old female patient is described. The condition was found to be due to a dermoid cyst in the tympanic cavity, which was confirmed by pathological examination of the surgically removed specimen. This is the sixth documented case of dermoid cyst in the tympanic cavity.

We report a 68-year-old male with a rare case of synchronous bilateral carcinomas of the maxillary sinus. A CT scan revealed a large tumour mass that extruded from the left maxillary sinus; tissue of soft density filled the right antrum which had intact bony walls. A probe antrostomy on the right side disclosed a tumour which was diagnosed histologically as the same poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma as that in the left antrum. The incidence and aetiology of this disorder are presented, and its diagnosis and management are discussed.