Recent Advances in ENT · Archive
Each day, our harvester pulls peer-reviewed articles from 44 whitelisted ENT journals, scores them for clinical relevance with an AI model, and writes a 1–2 sentence summary lead with the clinical bottom line. 121 articles across 30 days so far.
Noninvasive treatments for laryngeal dystonia—including voice therapy, GABAergic modulators, neuromodulation, and complementary therapies—showed limited clinical benefit across 25 studies, with improvements generally small and short-lived. Neuromodulatory approaches showed the most promise but remain constrained by small samples and heterogeneous study designs.
Survival in head and neck neuroendocrine carcinoma varied markedly by site and histology: laryngeal and well-differentiated tumors fared best, while poorly-differentiated and small-cell variants had median OS under 24 months. No treatment guidelines exist, and therapeutic heterogeneity across studies underscores the need for standardized, histology- and site-specific protocols.
Psychophysical taste testing detected dysfunction in over 70% of Bell's palsy patients, far exceeding self-reported rates of 10–60%, with taste deficits often preceding facial weakness, indicating early chorda tympani involvement. Taste function typically recovered within 6 months, but its value as a prognostic marker for motor recovery remains unclear.
Laryngofissure approach enabled NIR-PIT delivery to a subglottic/posterior recurrent laryngeal cancer (cT2N2bM0, post-chemoradiotherapy), achieving larynx preservation in a case where endoscopic light delivery was inaccessible.
Singers regulate vocal intensity and pitch through expiratory muscle control and subglottal pressure management, not inspiratory capacity, which is no better in trained singers than non-singers. This review concluded that breath pedagogy should shift focus from deep inhalation to graded expiratory pressure control, consistent with the bel canto appoggio principle.
Source-specific dynamic range compression — applying separate release times to speech and background before mixing — produced better overall sound quality, music pleasantness, speech clarity, and reduced noisiness compared to conventional DRC in hearing aid listeners, with the greatest speech clarity gains at low speech-to-background ratios.
BDET in children with ETD improved air-bone gap and Eustachian tube scores within cohorts, but comparative analyses showed no significant advantage over standard management, with a pooled efficacy rate of 67% and complication rate of 3%.
Dupilumab, mepolizumab, and benralizumab reduced nasal polyp burden and improved symptom scores in CRSwNP, with type 2 inflammatory biomarkers (blood eosinophils, total IgE, FeNO) guiding patient selection; dupilumab showed the broadest evidence base across comorbid asthma and NSAID-exacerbated disease.
Eustachian tube dysfunction management evolved from early catheterisation through myringotomy and tympanostomy tubes to modern endoscopic approaches and balloon dilation, with current practice recognising a spectrum from obstructive to patulous disease.
Pediatric temporal bone meningocele can present with canal wall swelling and a pulsatile tympanic membrane without middle ear effusion, as CSF tracked directly into the external auditory canal subcutaneous tissue in this case. Surgical repair with fascia, multilayered DuraGen, and lumbar drainage achieved successful closure.
AI-based dysphagia screening tools matched conventional clinical methods in sensitivity (up to 94%) and specificity while completing assessment in 0.7 seconds versus 5–10 minutes per patient. Standard screening methods showed wide psychometric variability and contributed to 80% underdiagnosis of oropharyngeal dysphagia in hospitalised older adults.
Adenotonsillectomy produced moderate improvement in parent-reported behavior (SMD −0.58) and a smaller but significant gain in executive function (SMD −0.25) in children with sleep-disordered breathing, while objective neurocognitive and ADHD measures did not reach significance.
Balloon dilation of the Eustachian tube improves symptoms and objective middle ear measures in carefully selected adults with chronic obstructive ETD refractory to medical management, with low serious adverse event rates; patient selection requires phenotyping and endoscopic nasopharyngeal assessment before intervention.
Botulinum toxin injection remains the gold standard treatment for laryngeal dystonia, with voice therapy and surgery as adjuncts; diagnosis is primarily clinical, supported by laryngoscopy and multidisciplinary assessment of task-specific voice disturbance.
Occult malignancy (most commonly squamous cell carcinoma via perineural spread) caused unilateral facial paralysis with a mean diagnostic delay of 21 months. Progressive paralysis without recovery, trigeminal symptoms, additional cranial neuropathies, or prior skin cancer history should prompt repeat imaging and biopsy even after negative initial workup.
Adenotonsillectomy improved mandibular growth direction, incisor inclination, and dental arch dimensions in children with sleep-disordered breathing, with greater skeletal benefit when performed before age six. Full craniofacial normalisation was unpredictable, and adjunctive orthodontic treatment is often needed.
LEMG-guided injection laryngoplasty achieved satisfactory vocal fold augmentation in 90% of 64 patients, with shorter procedure times and better patient tolerance than standard two-operator fibreoptic-guided injection. Complications included extravasation, incorrect lamina propria placement, and one case requiring filler removal, so temporary substances are recommended.
Percutaneous ethanol ablation for recurrent papillary thyroid carcinoma nodal metastasis caused an esophagocutaneous fistula in a previously operated and irradiated neck, managed successfully with primary esophageal closure and pectoralis major flap reconstruction. Clinicians should consider this risk when performing PEA in scarred or irradiated tissue.
Mouth breathers showed higher TMD prevalence, forward head posture, increased lumbar lordosis, and reduced masticatory muscle efficiency compared to nasal breathers, though evidence certainty was very low. No studies directly examined whether mouth breathing causes musculoskeletal pain.
Eustachian tube dysfunction causes otitic barotrauma in divers and aircrew, presenting as otalgia, hearing loss, tinnitus, and TM injury; management ranges from conservative treatment to balloon Eustachian tuboplasty in recurrent cases, with inner ear barotrauma warranting caution against forceful equalization.
Validated technical skills assessment tools exist across all six ENT subspecialties, with otology/neurotology most represented; OSATS, task-specific checklists, and global rating scales consistently differentiated trainee skill levels and showed strong interrater reliability, though multicenter validation and cross-program standardization remain lacking.
Vitamin A supplementation improved olfactory function in patients with post-infectious and other causes of olfactory dysfunction across multiple studies, though effect sizes varied. It represents a low-risk adjunct to olfactory training in clinical practice.
Level IIB metastasis prevalence was low across all cN0 HNSCC subsites (LSCC 1.7%, OCSCC 1.2%, OPSCC 2.6%, HSCC 2.5%), supporting selective omission of routine level IIB dissection in low-risk patients to reduce spinal accessory nerve morbidity.
REFCOR guidelines recommend CT/MRI staging, surgical resection with adjuvant radiotherapy as standard care, and at least 20 years' follow-up for olfactory neuroblastoma, with chemotherapy reserved for high-grade or unresectable disease and Hyams grade as the key prognostic factor.
CO2 laser, KTP laser, coblation, and cryotherapy all effectively manage RRP; adjuvant cidofovir, bevacizumab, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, and therapeutic HPV vaccination prolong surgical intervals. This review supports a multimodal, patient-centred approach personalised to lesion characteristics.
No single test reliably diagnoses Eustachian tube dysfunction; combining tympanometry, manometry, and sonotubometry within a structured diagnostic pathway improves accuracy and guides treatment selection across the obstructive-to-patulous spectrum.
Crossmodal plasticity following deafness extends beyond higher-order auditory areas into core auditory cortex in some species and models, though its extent and functional significance remain unclear; primate studies controlling for anaesthetic effects are needed to resolve the debate.
Subtotal petrosectomy in children showed a 10% major complication rate with no implant loss or permanent facial nerve palsy across 20 patients over 4.3 years. Indications split by age: congenital pathology dominated in children ≤6 years, while acquired disease (predominantly cholesteatoma) predominated in older children.
CRSwNP affects 69% of EGPA patients and precedes systemic diagnosis by a median of 5.5 years, highlighting the need for vigilance in refractory CRSwNP cases. Mepolizumab dominated biologic use; dupilumab achieved complete sinonasal remission in 83% of the small cohort treated.
Central vestibular disorders cause 11–15% of dizziness presentations and can mimic peripheral vestibular disease; MRI misses up to 20% of cases, so recognising brainstem and cerebellar neurotologic signs on examination is essential for early diagnosis.
Higher endothelin-1 levels predicted worse audiometric thresholds in hearing-dominant SNHL-with-vertigo, while reduced cerebral flow velocity predicted greater vestibular handicap in vertigo-dominant cases. Cochlear and vestibular phenotypes showed distinct vascular signatures, suggesting endothelial dysfunction and macrovascular compromise drive these presentations separately.
Rapid weight loss on semaglutide caused vocal fold atrophy and glottic insufficiency requiring revision medialization thyroplasty 9 years after a previously successful bilateral procedure. Clinicians should consider GLP-1 agonist–related weight loss as a cause of late thyroplasty failure.
Singing expertise is associated with enhanced auditory-motor integration, reduced dependence on external auditory feedback, and greater vocal stability under sensory perturbation, reflecting distributed neuroplastic adaptations across cortical and subcortical networks.
In a single case of post-parotidectomy facial palsy (House-Brackmann Grade IV), 12 sessions of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation combined with Faradic current electrical stimulation over 6 weeks improved HB grade to II and raised Facial Disability Index scores from 44 to 93 (physical) and 64 to 94 (social). Residual cervical branch weakness persisted, and controlled trials are needed.
Infraorbital compression tape applied immediately after open rhinoplasty reduced periorbital bruising area by 36% on postoperative day 5 compared with the untaped contralateral side (228 vs 359 mm²) in this 64-patient split-face RCT.
Pembrolizumab and nivolumab are established standards of care in recurrent/metastatic HNSCC, with emerging phase III data supporting earlier integration via neoadjuvant and adjuvant approaches to improve event-free and disease-free survival. Biomarker refinement remains key to personalising patient selection.
Obesity worsens chronic rhinosinusitis (particularly nasal polyps) via adipokine-driven inflammation, and weight reduction through bariatric surgery or GLP-1 receptor agonists reduced sinonasal disease burden and improved surgical outcomes.
Digital interventions for first-time hearing aid users most consistently improved knowledge, skills, and self-management (moderate-certainty evidence), but showed no significant pooled effects on hearing aid use or IOI-HA outcomes. Evidence for benefit, satisfaction, communication, and psychosocial adjustment remained low-certainty and inconsistent.
Intratympanic gentamicin achieved the highest vertigo control rate (89%) in Menière's disease but carried a 23% subjective hearing loss risk; intratympanic steroids offered modest benefit with fewer auditory risks, and endolymphatic sac decompression showed 75–82% initial vertigo control that declined over time.
Surgical debulking remained the most effective treatment for rhinophyma across all severity grades, with CO₂ laser and cold steel excision showing the strongest evidence; milder cases tolerated topical or systemic therapies, but no single treatment algorithm was universally agreed upon.
Spatial filter benefit was greater during free VR conversation than adaptive speech testing, because participants oriented their heads more toward active speakers in conversational conditions and SNRs were more realistic. VR-based conversation testing showed higher ecological validity than standard lab speech tests for evaluating hearing device performance.
Voice therapy dropout rates range from 30–65%, with adherence undermined by employment demands, transport barriers, financial burden, and poor clinician-patient rapport, while structured follow-up and telehealth improved attendance in some studies.
Surgical site infections in ENT are best managed with a multimodal approach combining surgical debridement, targeted antimicrobial therapy, and stage-appropriate wound care including hydrophobic or silver-containing dressings. Structured risk tools such as the W.A.R. score and TILI score enable early identification of at-risk wounds to guide timely intervention.
Botulinum toxin injection reduced salivary fistula and sialocele formation after parotidectomy both as prophylaxis and treatment, with most reviewed studies reporting complete resolution.
Early NUT carcinoma testing and systemic surveillance are critical, as this case showed hyperacute destructive progression with new osseous metastases shortly after pembrolizumab-based immunochemotherapy, suggesting clinicians should interpret immunotherapy responses cautiously and consider BET inhibition or trial referral early.
Voice dissatisfaction in trans women was linked to anxiety, social avoidance, and reduced quality of life, with binary gender norms and limited specialist access identified as key barriers to care. Purely acoustic interventions were insufficient; affirmative, psychosocially integrated care models improved outcomes.
Using a 3 French suction catheter as a tactile guide during OSIA 3 implantation improved haptic feedback and rotational range when aligning the OSI300 actuator with the BI300 implant.
Short courses of systemic corticosteroids transiently reduced nasal polyp size and improved olfaction in CRSwNP, but benefits waned within weeks and routine postoperative use showed no advantage over topical therapy. This review recommends reserving systemic steroids for time-limited indications while prioritising topical therapy, surgery, and biologics to reduce cumulative steroid exposure.
REFCOR guidelines recommend surgical resection with clear margins plus adjuvant radiotherapy as standard treatment for sinonasal SCC, with prophylactic nodal irradiation (levels 1b, 2, and retropharyngeal) in N0 disease; radiotherapy or chemotherapy alone are not recommended for operable tumours.
All IONM device types — handheld probes, stimulating dissecting instruments, and attachable ring stimulators — produced comparable RLN and vagus nerve EMG amplitudes and latencies in thyroid surgery. Evidence for newer SDI and ARS devices remains limited to small single-centre series.
Korean tinnitus guidelines recommend TRT, CBT, hearing aids (with coexisting hearing loss), and sound therapy (all Grade B) as first-line approaches to reduce tinnitus-related distress, while strongly recommending against routine zinc or vitamin supplementation. Imaging is recommended for pulsatile tinnitus or asymmetric hearing loss, and neuromodulation (tDCS/rTMS) is conditionally recommended as adjunctive treatment.
Most hearing aid users preferred modest adaptive directionality and noise reduction settings, and showed stronger preferences for small gain changes than for DIR+NR variations. Audiologic and environmental factors did not reliably predict DIR+NR preferences, supporting clinician-guided initial fitting optimised for speech-in-noise with gain fine-tuning driven by user feedback.
Orticochea flap reconstruction achieved successful closure of moderate-to-large scalp defects across nine patients, offering a reliable alternative to more commonly used techniques.
Post-pandemic lifting of COVID-19 restrictions was associated with a worldwide rise in severe bacterial ENT infections, particularly in children, though German cohort data showed no change in bacterial spectrum or complication rates for mastoiditis and complicated sinusitis. Reduced pathogen exposure during lockdowns, not direct SARS-CoV-2 infection, is considered the primary driver.
Insufficient information in the abstract to summarise the clinical findings or recommendations of this article.
Combined acoustic stimulation and transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (bimodal) reduced tinnitus loudness and awareness ratings more than acoustic stimulation alone in patients with tonal tinnitus. Bimodal treatment also improved auditory sensory gating, which correlated with tinnitus awareness and annoyance scores.
Congenital intraoral synechiae most commonly involve alveolar bands (52%) and frequently co-occur with palatal clefts (66%) and syndromic diagnoses; surgical release within the first month achieved uncomplicated recovery in 81%, with 6.7% mortality driven by associated systemic disease rather than the synechiae themselves.
Parotid keratocystoma presented as painless swelling across all 15 reviewed cases and was cured by partial or lateral parotidectomy with no recurrences at mean 22.8-month follow-up. This rare benign neoplasm should be included in the differential for cystic parotid lesions, distinguished from squamous malignancy by consistent p63, CK5/14, and AE1/AE3 positivity.
Turkish teachers screening positive for voice disorder risk scored markedly higher on all Voice Activity and Participation Profile subscales than low-risk colleagues, with activity limitation and participation restriction scores approximately 35 and 28 points higher respectively, confirming that early voice complaints significantly impair occupational and social functioning.
Obesity reduces the effectiveness of pharyngeal surgery and hypoglossal nerve stimulation for OSA, while maxillomandibular advancement remained effective regardless of BMI. Clinicians should prioritise weight management and consider bariatric surgery referral in eligible patients with OSA.
Cervical stabilization exercises outperformed conventional exercises in improving head posture, pain, neck disability, and maximum phonation time in patients with chronic neck pain, though neither approach changed acoustic voice measures.
CPP accurately identified voice disorders with sensitivity and specificity of ~82% for both sustained vowels and connected speech, with connected speech showing superior diagnostic odds. CPP is recommended as a robust acoustic complement to auditory-perceptual voice assessment.
Pneumococcal vaccination, allergy treatment, and Eustachian tube optimisation remain the cornerstones of otitis media prevention, while surgery stays the gold standard for chronic disease and cholesteatoma. OCT and minimally invasive laser surgery are emerging adjuncts aimed at reducing the morbidity of radical middle ear procedures.
Larger gross tumour volume (GTV) was associated with significantly worse locoregional control and overall survival in laryngeal cancer. GTV should be considered a prognostic factor when planning treatment and counselling patients.
Across 13 studies, tumor growth rate in treatment-naïve HNSCC showed inconsistent associations with survival and locoregional control due to significant heterogeneity in imaging, volume measurement, and growth rate calculation methods, making it an unvalidated prognostic marker.
Transcervical approach achieved complete resection with acceptable morbidity in most parapharyngeal vagal schwannomas, though larger or skull base-extending tumours required combined or transparotid approaches. Postoperative vagal deficits were common regardless of approach, and surgeons should counsel patients accordingly.
Dysplasia in sinonasal inverted papilloma carried 3.4 times higher odds of recurrence (36.7% vs 22.4%) across 1,893 patients, supporting its use as an independent predictor for postoperative risk stratification and surveillance intensity.
Endoscopic anterior ethmoidal artery flap repair achieved an 84.6% closure rate for nasal septal perforations under 2.5 cm across 175 adults, with no significant difference in success between patients who received an interposition graft and those who did not.
Laryngeal IgG4-RD presents as either fibrostenotic airway narrowing or mass-like lesions, and serum IgG4 levels were frequently normal, making deep submucosal biopsy essential for diagnosis. Management required systemic glucocorticoids with immunosuppression and endoscopic dilation, but relapse and progression to fixed fibrostenosis were common.
Adults with voice disorders consistently reported reduced emotional well-being, social withdrawal, stigma, and restricted life participation beyond vocal symptoms alone. Clinicians should incorporate psychosocial assessment and counselling into routine voice care, with low thresholds for onward referral.
The retrolabyrinthine approach achieved hearing preservation in 67% and normal facial nerve function in 95.8% of 121 patients across indications including vestibular neurotomy, schwannoma, and CPA meningioma, with a CSF leak rate of only 2.4%. This extradural route warrants wider adoption in lateral skull base surgery given its adaptability and low complication profile.
Bisgaard profiles performed best among audiogram-only frameworks, while Hearing4All profiles showed strongest overall separation when supra-threshold measures were included, outperforming seven other established auditory profiling systems across 1,127 patients. Both clustering method and number of profiles substantially affected the resulting auditory profiles.
Meniere's disease research is growing at 5.3% annually, with current focus shifting toward MRI, VEMPs, and cochlear electrocochleography for diagnosis, while traditional Chinese medicine and genetic factors (MITF, SOX10) are emerging treatment and aetiology research areas requiring larger trials.
The Turkish Frequency-Based Auditory Attention Test showed acceptable test-retest reliability in 40 children aged 10–13, with background noise (+10 dB SNR) reducing performance on general-frequency word lists and high-frequency lists proving harder than low-frequency ones.
Tezepelumab reduced nasal polyp scores, nasal congestion, and SNOT-22 scores compared to placebo across three RCTs in moderate-to-severe CRSwNP, but small trial sizes, industry sponsorship, and absence of comparisons with surgery or standard biologics limit its current clinical positioning.
Vestibular migraine remains diagnostically challenging due to symptom overlap with Ménière's disease and BPPV, and no universally effective treatment regimen has been established. Acute management uses vestibular suppressants and triptans, while prevention relies on β-blockers, calcium channel blockers, or antidepressants, all supported by limited trial evidence.
NLRP3 and other NOD-like receptors drive inflammation in otitis media, cholesteatoma, and hearing loss, and targeting these pathways offers potential therapeutic strategies for common otological diseases.
Balloon occlusion testing of the peroneal artery, confirmed by duplex ultrasound, identified adequate collateral perfusion and allowed safe fibula free flap harvest in a patient with bilateral peronea arteria magna, with no donor-site complications.
Mutations in ATP6V1B1, a gene causing distal renal tubular acidosis, produced the Pendred ear phenotype (enlarged vestibular aqueduct with sensorineural hearing loss) without SLC26A4 mutations, expanding the genetic differential for this imaging finding.
Whole exome sequencing in a family with non-syndromic hearing loss identified co-existing MT-RNR1 and MYO15A mutations explaining divergent phenotypes, including aminoglycoside-induced, congenital profound, and post-lingual hearing loss within the same pedigree, expanding the known genotype-phenotype spectrum of MYO15A.
Historical analysis of Thomas Edison's archives showed that deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, including Edison himself, made substantive contributions to acoustic science and hearing aid development through direct lived experience with hearing loss.
Oropharyngeal adenoid cystic carcinoma affected women more than men (1.7:1), arose most often at the tongue base (73%), and carried significant metastatic risk—36% developed distant metastases (mainly pulmonary) and 5-year disease-free survival ranged from only 22–44%.
Gender-affirming voice research has grown rapidly but remains limited by small samples, retrospective designs, and absent control groups across 290 studies reviewed. Anterior web glottoplasty and cricothyroid approximation dominate surgical literature for trans women, while trans men and nonbinary individuals remain substantially understudied.
MYO6 variants cause both autosomal dominant (DFNA22) and recessive (DFNB37) sensorineural hearing loss through disruption of hair cell stereocilia structure, with genotype-phenotype correlations informing prognosis. Preclinical gene therapy strategies targeting MYO6 are in development and may guide future genetic counseling.
Across 69 studies, disfluency types fell into seven categories (repetition, prolongation, revision, pause, filler, incomplete production, non-verbal behaviours), but terminology was inconsistent across speech-language pathology, linguistics, and engineering, and 71% of classification frameworks applied only to English.
Mitochondrial dysfunction from oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, micronutrient deficiencies, sleep apnea, and gut dysfunction is proposed as a pathway to SNHL, with lifestyle interventions such as improved diet and intermittent fasting suggested as adjuncts to conventional treatment; the authors acknowledge these postulations require further research to substantiate.
vHIT in Suppression Head Impulse Paradigm modality captured vestibular compensation patterns in a patient with sequential bilateral vestibular neuritis occurring 4 years apart. Combined vHIT and vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials distinguished complete from partial nerve involvement and monitored compensation in bilateral vestibular loss.
Bilateral cochlear implantation in a 14-year-old with neurobrucellosis-related profound SNHL and complete blindness achieved a Categories of Auditory Performance score of 7 and 100% sentence recognition at 22 months, supporting early implantation when audiological testing confirms cochlear rather than retrocochlear pathology.
Bilateral cochlear implantation restored open-set sentence recognition from 0% to 93% at 3 months in a 12-year-old with Cogan's syndrome whose profound SNHL was triggered by COVID-19 infection and failed medical therapy, with imaging showing early cochlear ossification.
Cochlear implantation in a 5-year-old with Cornelia de Lange syndrome yielded limited but progressive auditory gains, with PEACH scores rising from 2% pre-implant to 27% at 12 months, despite inner ear anomalies and residual hearing thresholds of 60–70 dB HL.
Translabyrinthine excision of an intravestibular lipoma with intracochlear extension in an 8-year-old, combined with simultaneous cochlear implantation, achieved successful tumour removal and hearing rehabilitation with an uneventful postoperative course.
Esophageal button battery injuries carry significant morbidity and mortality; prompt removal is essential, and honey or sucralfate can mitigate tissue damage while awaiting intervention. Delayed, nonspecific symptoms mimicking viral illness make early diagnosis challenging.
When standard facial recess/round window access is blocked by cochlear ossification, multiple viable alternatives exist including extended round window, scala vestibuli cochleostomy, double cochleostomy, retrograde insertion, drill-out, and subtotal petrosectomy, with specialised short, split, or stiff electrode arrays used accordingly.
The NCIQ was the most used quality-of-life PROM in adult cochlear implant users and covered the widest ICF domains, while the GBI and EQ-5D lacked any coverage of environmental factors. PROMs not aligned with the ICF framework missed real-life challenges relevant to CI recipients.
Mothers of children with cochlear implants used significantly more nonverbal behaviours during shared book reading than mothers of typically developing children, who relied more on verbal strategies including non-immediate talk. Longer therapy duration correlated with increased nonverbal referencing and text provision in the cochlear implant group.
Cochlear implantation outperformed stapedotomy plus hearing aid in speech outcomes and reduction of tinnitus and vertigo in bilateral advanced otosclerosis, while pure-tone hearing outcomes were comparable between the two approaches.
Hyaluronic acid dominates facial filler use, but calcium hydroxylapatite, poly-L-lactic acid, and PMMA products are increasingly used; vascular occlusion remains the most serious complication and requires familiarity with anatomical risk zones and emergency management protocols.
Endoscopic ultrasound helped determine the correct dissection layer and resectability before endoscopic laryngopharyngeal surgery in a hypopharyngeal cancer case with subepithelial invasion, enabling successful minimally invasive resection where preoperative depth assessment is otherwise unreliable.
BVP patients reported greater symptom burden and functional limitations than chronic UVH patients, but both groups showed similarly impaired emotional well-being and generic quality of life compared to healthy controls.
Translabyrinthine fistula closure via the lateral semicircular canal with a three-layer construct resolved recurrent meningitis in two children with IP-I malformations, including one case refractory to four prior window closure surgeries, with no recurrence over 1–8 years follow-up.
Gut dysbiosis showed early associative evidence with Ménière's disease, potentially via AVP-V2R-AQP2 signalling pathway disruption, though the review concluded that a causal role remains unproven and requires further research before gut-directed therapy can be recommended.
Residual and recurrent cholesteatoma rates were lower with canal wall down than canal wall up procedures, though patient age, middle ear status, and extent of disease also influenced long-term outcomes. No single surgical technique eliminated recurrence risk entirely.
Staged top-up injection laryngoplasty effectively closed large glottic gaps in unilateral vocal fold paralysis, with sequential injections allowing incremental volume adjustment to achieve optimal voice outcomes without over-correction.
Titanium mesh reconstruction of the thyroid cartilage after resection of locally advanced papillary thyroid carcinoma preserved laryngeal function while achieving oncologic resection in a single reported case.
Tetanus presenting as acute dysphagia and trismus was misattributed to radiation sequelae in a head and neck cancer survivor until a hand injury history was elicited the following day. Clinicians should obtain a trauma history in irradiated patients with rapidly progressive dysphagia, as tetanus can closely mimic post-chemoradiotherapy effects.
Age-related hearing loss was associated with disrupted brain connectivity, particularly in the Default Mode Network, which correlated with reduced cognitive control performance, especially task-shifting. Causality remains unestablished, but altered connectivity preceded other neurocognitive markers, suggesting a potential early indicator of cognitive vulnerability.
In adult endoscopic type I tympanoplasty, perichondrium, MegaDerm (allograft), and Biodesign (xenograft) achieved equivalent graft-take rates (~85–95%) and hearing gains, but perichondrium harvest added roughly 25–30 minutes of operative time.
Survival outcomes are comparable between primary surgery and (chemo)radiotherapy for non-metastatic OPSCC regardless of p16 status, so treatment choice should be driven by toxicity profile and quality of life; surgery alone carries the lowest toxicity burden, while surgery plus adjuvant treatment and definitive chemoradiotherapy show broadly similar QoL outcomes.
Perioperative immune checkpoint inhibitors improved event-free survival in resectable HNSCC, with neoadjuvant monotherapy preserving tissue planes without increasing wound complications or surgical delays; surgeons must distinguish pseudoprogression from true progression and use PD-L1, TMB, and ctDNA to guide patient selection and operative planning.
AI-assisted MRI for cervical nodal metastasis detection in OSCC achieved pooled sensitivity of 0.72 and specificity of 0.79 (AUC 0.82) across 548 patients, but low-certainty evidence and significant heterogeneity mean multicenter validation is needed before clinical use.
Endoscopic CO2 laser diverticulectomy for Zenker's diverticulum showed lower recurrence rates than other endoscopic approaches in this institutional series; the authors detail their complete diverticulectomy technique with operative illustrations and video.
Voice complaints affected 53% of physicians, 30% of nurses, and up to 77% of SLPs, but clinician-diagnosed laryngeal pathology was found in only 5.1% of one cohort, highlighting a large gap between subjective symptoms and confirmed disease. High vocal load and extended work hours were the main risk factors identified.
Humanitarian ENT outreach programs in LMICs achieved good surgical outcomes with low complication rates, but long-term sustainability was poorly measured, with only three studies maintaining follow-up beyond two years. Key barriers were supply constraints, insufficient staff training, and inadequate infrastructure.
Higher pretreatment HALP score was associated with significantly better overall survival (HR 0.52) and disease-free survival (HR 0.60) in head and neck cancer across six retrospective cohorts, though inconsistent cutoff values across studies limit immediate clinical application.
The CARL manikin-based audiometric simulator produced pure-tone audiograms within 5 dB HL of programmed targets across all participants, supporting its validity for training. Ease of use and workflow clarity were rated as facilitators, while cost and limited technical support were the main barriers to adoption.
Mandibular distraction osteogenesis for Robin sequence showed better airway outcomes when performed in the neonatal period compared with later infancy, with earlier intervention associated with reduced tracheostomy rates and shorter hospital stays.
LLMs showed moderate-to-high accuracy (55–77%) for tasks like generating operative notes and patient communication in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, but hallucination risk, data privacy gaps, and absent longitudinal safety data currently limit clinical adoption.
Disclaimer
For educational purposes only. Not for clinical use. This platform is an instructional resource intended to support learning about clinical decision-making and the interpretation of investigations. Clinicians remain completely responsible for the interpretation of findings, the formulation of a differential diagnosis, and any clinical decision. Nothing in this application replaces individualized assessment, hands-on training, expert consultation, or established practice guidelines.
Not for profit effort by
Supporting organisations
