The aggressiveness of paediatric cholesteatoma has long been a matter of debate. While much of the evidence is substantiated by data from the Western world, it is further limited by the retrospective nature of most studies. Therefore, this paper presents a comparative analysis of various characteristics of cholesteatoma between paediatric and adult populations seen at our centre.

A total of 50 patients (25 adults and 25 paediatric) with clinical diagnosis of chronic suppurative otitis media with cholesteatoma underwent canal wall down mastoidectomy over a period of two years. The intra-operative findings were noted and patients were followed up for six months.

There was more extensive spread and ossicular erosion in paediatric cases. However, complications such as facial canal dehiscence and lateral semicircular canal dehiscence were more common in adults.

Paediatric cholesteatoma is more aggressive and invasive than adult cholesteatoma, and the clinical behaviour is consistent with findings from other parts of the world.

To describe a case of asymptomatic superior semicircular canal dehiscence.

Clinical case report.

A 50-year-old man presenting with right-sided Ménière´s disease also showed an enhanced response on vestibular evoked myogenic potential testing for the left ear. Unilateral left-sided superior semicircular canal bone dehiscence was clearly visualised on a subsequent temporal bone computed tomography scan. These findings were consistent with superior canal dehiscence syndrome. However, the patient did not complain of any specific superior canal dehiscence syndrome symptoms. Given that vestibular evoked myogenic potential testing may detect asymptomatic forms of superior canal dehiscence, as noted in this case, such testing seems to exhibit reduced specificity for superior canal dehiscence syndrome.

An enhanced response on vestibular evoked myogenic potential testing in isolation appears to be a weaker indicator of superior canal dehiscence syndrome, and rather a marker of superior semicircular canal dehiscence.

Necrotising otitis externa is a serious condition that requires hospital admission. Longer hospital stays are associated with increased complications.

This was a closed audit cycle in a tertiary ENT centre of patients presenting with necrotising otitis externa to the ENT department between 2015 and 2019. The aim was to audit the length of hospital stay in comparison to national figures as well as the time needed for investigations.

The number of patients with necrotising otitis externa is increasing in England. Length of stay, however, appears to be more stable. A total of 66 admissions occurred over the study period for 48 patients in total, and mean length of stay was 12.4 days. After implementation of a new protocol, length of stay was reduced to 7.1 days.

Patients with necrotising otitis externa require prompt diagnosis and management in order to shorten length of stay in hospital and avoid serious complications. Multi-disciplinary protocol development and implementation could help in reducing length of stay of necrotising otitis externa patients.

To present our case series and management of Scedosporium apiospermum infections of the middle ear and mastoid, and review the current literature on this rare yet potentially life-threatening condition.

Medical records of patients treated at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital for S apiospermum middle ear and mastoid infections between 2009 and 2019 were reviewed. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Medline and Cochrane Library databases.

Two patients were identified in our institution: a 62-year-old diabetic woman with otogenic skull base osteomyelitis, and a 12-year-old boy with unilateral chronic suppurative otitis media which developed after tympanostomy tube insertion. The persistence of otalgia and otorrhoea despite prolonged antibiotic treatment characterised these cases. Both patients received voriconazole, and achieved disease resolution without complications. Ten relevant cases were identified after review of the literature. Despite treatment, there were three patient deaths, and four patients with otological or neurological complications.

The presence of a middle ear or mastoid infection refractory to appropriate topical and systemic antibiotics should prompt clinicians to consider a fungal infection. The role of surgical debridement in the treatment of S apiospermum infection of the middle ear and mastoid is equivocal.

Cholesteatoma often presents with persistent otorrhoea, conductive hearing loss or vestibular dysfunction. Rarely, cholesteatoma can cause dysgeusia if the lesion invades into the chorda tympani nerve. This paper presents an individual with cholesteatoma whose dysgeusia resolved following a mastoidectomy in which the chorda tympani was sacrificed. The current literature was reviewed for explanations behind this phenomenon.

A previously fit 57-year-old man presented with a 3-month history of persistent otorrhoea and the complaint of a metallic taste in the mouth, and was diagnosed with cholesteatoma. The patient underwent radical mastoidectomy and the chorda tympani nerve was sacrificed. On post-operative review, he reported complete resolution of dysgeusia.

The sense of taste is mediated by a complex neural network. It is possible that once the diseased chorda tympani is transected, compensation arises from other parts of the network. Sectioning of the chorda tympani could lead to a beneficial outcome in selected patients.

Acute facial palsy is a consequence of various diseases, with the number of patients increasing with advancing age. This study aimed to analyse the clinical characteristics of acute peripheral facial palsy in older adults.

A total of 30 patients with a mean age of 68.4 ± 9.1 years were included in the study. All patients received a standardised investigation and follow up. The hospital charts of the patients with acute facial palsy were reviewed retrospectively.

The predominant causes of acute facial palsy in older adults were: Bell's palsy, Ramsay Hunt syndrome, trauma, otitis media and malignancy. At baseline, complete and incomplete facial palsies were seen in 26.7 per cent and 73.3 per cent of patients, respectively. The overall rates of good recovery, partial recovery and no recovery were 66.7 per cent, 10 per cent and 23.3 per cent, respectively. Increased age led to a significantly lower level of recovery in older adults.

Bell's palsy and Ramsay Hunt syndrome were the most common aetiologies of acute facial palsy in older adults, and such patients are likely to have incomplete recovery. Active early treatment is necessary for achieving good outcomes in older adults.

Migrated ingested foreign bodies in the aerodigestive tract can lodge within vital organs and vessels, causing potentially devastating complications. It is often difficult to localise these foreign bodies, with extrication resulting in the requirement for open approaches which may cause significant morbidity.

This paper presents the case of an ingested migrated stingray bone lodged adjacent to the vertebral artery in the upper cervical spine. This was managed via an endoscopic transoral approach, with the assistance of an image-guidance system.

Successful extraction of the foreign body was achieved, with minimal residual morbidity.

Our study showed that image-guided endoscopic surgery is a safe, precise and feasible option for the localisation and removal of migrated foreign bodies in the aerodigestive tract involving critical neurovascular structures.

In transnasal endoscopic surgical procedures, the lens of the endoscope often becomes fogged or smeared with mucus or blood. The surgeon has to clean the lens and reintroduce the endoscope multiple times during the surgery, making it a tiring process.

This paper describes an innovative lens irrigation system comprising a modified 16 Fr Foley catheter, a 20 cc or 50 cc syringe filled with warm normal saline (0.9 per cent), and a commercially available intravenous infusion set. The rigid endoscope is introduced into the catheter through the urine draining port. When the lens gets smudged with blood or mucus, the irrigating saline in the syringe is forced through the inflating port.

A clear vision was restored immediately on flushing the syringe. The system did not compromise the operative space or hinder manoeuvrability.

This cost-effective, innovative lens irrigation system saves the time spent in cleaning the lens and enhances operational efficiency, especially in a low-income setting.

In a bid to end the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, many countries, including the UK, have rolled out mass immunisation programmes. While considered generally safe and effective, vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 have been reported to be associated with rare and potentially adverse reactions and side effects.

This paper reports an unusual case of a patient who developed a unilateral vocal fold paralysis shortly after receiving the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 nCov-19 vaccine.

To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of vocal fold paralysis following administration of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The authors support the position that currently approved coronavirus disease 2019 vaccines remain safe and effective; however, further surveillance and vigilance using real-world data are highly encouraged.

To study the effectiveness of unilateral cochlear implantation, binaural-bimodal hearing devices, and bilateral cochlear implantation in children with inner-ear malformation.

This study comprised 261 patients who were allocated to inner-ear malformation or control groups. Twenty-four months after surgery, aided sound-field thresholds were tested, and the Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale, Infant-Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale, Meaningful Use of Speech Scale, Categories of Auditory Performance scale and Speech Intelligibility Rating test were completed.

Aided sound-field thresholds were significantly better for bilateral cochlear implantation patients than for unilateral cochlear implantation or binaural-bimodal hearing device patients. There was no significant difference in Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale, Infant-Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale, or Categories of Auditory Performance scores among the three groups. The binaural-bimodal hearing device patients outperformed unilateral cochlear implantation patients on both Meaningful Use of Speech Scale and Speech Intelligibility Rating scores. No statistical difference was observed between the two subgroups.

Children who received bilateral cochlear implants have the best auditory awareness in a quiet environment. Children with binaural-bimodal hearing devices have better voice control and verbal skills than unilateral cochlear implantation patients, and people are more likely to understand them. Children with inner-ear malformations benefit from cochlear implantation.

There is currently limited evidence regarding the potential complications of sphenopalatine artery ligation. The post-operative outcomes at two secondary care centres over a 10-year period were reviewed.

A retrospective review was undertaken of patients undergoing emergency and elective sphenopalatine artery ligation between January 2011 and January 2021. Their demographics, peri-operative care and post-operative outcomes were recorded. The median follow-up time was 54 days (range, 0–2657 days).

Ninety-one patients were included. Four patients (4.4 per cent) had a septal perforation at post-operative review. Nineteen patients (20.9 per cent) had post-operative bleeding that extended their in-patient stay, with five patients (5.5 per cent) requiring revision surgery. Pre-operative non-dissolvable nasal packing was used a median of 1 time (range, 0–8 times).

Further research on outcomes of sphenopalatine artery ligation is needed. Pre-operative non-dissolvable nasal packing, concurrent septal surgical procedures, surgical techniques, and co-morbidities such as hypertension represent potential confounding factors that could not be further assessed in this small, retrospective study.

The increased popularity of reusable drinking bottles may have safety implications when used by children. This paper discusses the lessons learnt from managing two cases of children presenting to our ENT department who required surgical intervention for complications arising from their use.

This paper presents a case series of two five-year-old children who attended the emergency department with circumferential entrapment of their tongue within plastic drinking bottle lids of similar design. The unique anaesthetic and surgical challenges surrounding these cases are discussed.

These represent the only reported cases of circumferential entrapment of the tongue by a foreign body requiring general anaesthesia where orotracheal intubation was contraindicated. A creative general anaesthetic approach was taken using ketamine and Optiflow high-flow nasal oxygen therapy. A reproducible surgical technique using powered cutting instruments is also discussed.

Myringoplasty success rate is estimated to be between 60 and 90 per cent. Factors predicting success include the choice of graft and use of auditory canal packing. This study aimed to determine the intra-operative factors associated with endoscopic myringoplasty success.

A retrospective review of all endoscopic myringoplasty cases between January 2017 and January 2020 was undertaken. Data were collected on: patient demographics, tympanic membrane perforation size, intra-operative details, audiology and post-operative outcomes.

There was no significant difference in graft success rates between cases using bismuth iodoform paraffin paste and Spongostan packing (86.7 per cent vs 84.9 per cent, respectively). Conchal cartilage graft had a higher success rate (100.0 per cent) compared with Biodesign grafting biomaterial (66.7 per cent), but was not superior to tragal cartilage (84.6 per cent) or temporalis fat or fascia (80.0 per cent).

Spongostan packing is equivalent to bismuth iodoform paraffin paste in terms of endoscopic myringoplasty success rate. Although conchal cartilage graft had higher success rates, it was not statistically significantly different from tragal cartilage.

Delay in the diagnosis of head and neck cancer can result in significant excess morbidity and mortality. How the pandemic has affected patient presentation in Scotland is unknown.

This retrospective cohort study compared all presentations of head and neck cancer between June and October of 2019 with the same period following the peak of the pandemic in 2020 in West Scotland, a region populated by 2.5 million people.

A total of 528 patients met our inclusion criteria. Compared with 2019, patients in 2020 were more likely to present with a higher American Joint Committee on Cancer stage (odds ratio, 1.67 (95 per cent confidence interval = 1.20 to 2.31); p = 0.002), a longer preceding symptom duration (odds ratio, 2.03 (95 per cent confidence interval = 1.44 to 2.87; p < 0.001) and to have an emergency presentation (odds ratio, 2.53, (95 per cent confidence interval = 1.15 to 5.55; p = 0.017).

Patients are presenting later with more advanced head and neck cancer following the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.