Flexible fibre-optic nasendoscopes have become a ubiquitous ENT out-patient tool for the inspection of the nasopharynx, larynx and hypopharynx. Disinfection of the instrument between patient use is important to prevent potential spread of infection but the methods used vary considerably. We designed a questionnaire which was piloted and then sent to 115 UK ENT out-patient departments to establish current UK practice. Most units (67 per cent) use a chemical soak system but the type of chemical disinfectant, the method of delivery and the duration of soak varied considerably. A few hospitals use a disposable plastic sheath system and others simply wipe the instrument with an alcohol swab in between patient use. The protocols for disinfection after high risk patients e.g. human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B varied from hospital to hospital.

The results demonstrate a lack of standard practice that is wasteful of financial resources and may expose patients to unnecessary risk. There is a need for an authoritative ENT body to publish national guidelines as may be found in other specialities and other countries.

We have audited our results after changing the management practice in patients with intractable epistaxis. These patients are offered trans-nasal endoscopic sphenopalatine artery diathermy with or without anterior ethmoid artery diathermy instead of conventional surgical procedures. During the first year after the change in practice, 145 patients were treated as inpatients for epistaxis. Ten patients (seven per cent) required a surgical procedure under general anaesthesia due to the recurrent nature of bleeding. All 10 patients had endoscopic sphenopalatine artery diathermy, whereas in four patients anterior ethmoid artery diathermy was also performed concurrently. The post-operative hospital stay ranged from one to three days (mean 2.1 days). The mean follow-up was 10 months. The epistaxis recurred in one patient and this was managed conservatively. There were no complications related to surgery. In the previous year, 132 patients were admitted for epistaxis and eight patients had surgical procedures, which included septoplasty, nasal packing and external carotid artery ligation. The post-operative stay ranged from three to six days (mean 3.9 days). Our audit shows that endoscopic sphenopalatine artery diathermy is a safe, successful and effective management option for patients with refractory epistaxis. The morbidity is reduced and the hospital stay is shortened. The sphenopalatine artery diathermy can be combined with anterior ethmoid surgery, when necessary.

Endoscopes require repeated cleaning and application of antimist solution during surgery. A novel, simple and inexpensive method of application of the antimist solution is described.

Osteomyelitis of the frontal bone is becoming an increasingly rare complication of frontal sinusitis. We present seven cases that represent the largest series published in the last 50 years. Three cases were associated with intracranial involvement. Osteomyelitis should enter the differential diagnosis when there is a fluctuant swelling on the scalp, or if there is a discharging fistula. Treatment requires aggressive surgery to remove all sequestra in combination with long-term antibiotic therapy. Intracranial complications should be excluded by imaging and treated simultaneously if present.

The postcricoid subsite is difficult to visualize on flexible laryngopharyngoscopy. The view can be improved with either auto-insufflation manoeuvres or anterior neck skin traction. In this study, the view of the hypopharynx was graded whilst anterior neck skin traction was applied during the trumpet manoeuvre; the latter involves the patient blowing on his finger as if blowing up a balloon. On auto-insufflation alone, the postcricoid site was demonstrated in 22/25 (88 per cent) of cases and the upper oesophageal sphincter (UOS) in two out of 25 (eight per cent). Of the 22 cases in whom only the postcricoid site was demonstrated, subsequent neck skin traction revealed the UOS in eight. Overall, the use of auto-insufflationsolely or in combination with traction resulted in UOS visualization in 40 per cent (10/25) of cases. The application of skin traction during trumpeting is easy to perform and should be used routinely.

Polymorphic epithelial mucin (PEM), the protein product of the gene muc-1, is a surface glycoprotein that is produced by a range of normal epithelial cells, but has been shown to be expressed at high levels in a range of adenocarcinomas. It has not been investigated extensively in head and neck related tissues, and not at all in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). This immunohistochemical investigation using two monoclonal antibodies to muc-1 represents a baseline study of 18 HNSCC. In 13 cases, the glycoprotein was expressed at varying levels, usually in keratinizing foci. Although less prominent, expression was also present to some degree in nine of 23 control specimens of non-neoplastic mucosa, mostly at an epithelial level early in the parakeratinization process. Both antibodies showed a pattern of staining. The cellular basis for muc-1 expression is speculative at present and although it is at a lower level than in adenocarcinomas, it may help to provide further insight into epithelial cell differentiation in squamous cell carcinomas.

Surgical voice restoration is an important part of functional rehabilitation of patients following ablative surgery for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal carcinoma. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the functional status with regard to speech of a cohort of 100 patients (age ranged 34-84 years), who underwent laryngectomy and laryngopharyngectomy over a 10-year period (1989-1999).

Ninety-two patients consented to surgical voice restoration. Primary tracheoesophageal punctures were performed in 70 and secondary punctures in 22 (mainly after jejunal flap reconstruction). Nine patients were excluded from this analysis (seven patients died prior to assessment, one had the prosthesis removed at her request and one patient had insufficient follow-up). Tracheoesophageal speech was assessed in the remaining 83 patients using a rating scale measuring the number of syllables per breath, use of voice and intelligibility by non-professional listeners. Currently, Provox 2 valves are being used in the majority of patients. Overall tracheoesophageal speech results were good in 45/83 (54.2 per cent), average in 22/83 (26.5 per cent) and poor in 15/83 (18 per cent). One patient could not develop tracheoesophageal speech. The majority of laryngectomy patients had good speech but in patients who had complex reconstructions tracheoesophageal speech was mostly rated as average.

Average to good speech in more than two-thirds of the cohort of patients show that surgical voice restoration is a highly successful and valuable technique to restore speech functions after ablative surgery for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

The speech perception and speech production performance following cochlear implantation of congenitally deaf children and children deafened by meningitis were analysed. Three groups consisting of 70 congenitally deaf children, 22 children deafened by meningitis before two years of age and 14 children deafened by meningitis after two years of age were compared. The group deafened by meningitis after two years of age demonstrated significantly better speech perception than the other two groups. Their speech production appeared better but did not achieve statistical significance compared with the other two groups. There was no significant difference in either speech perception or speech production between the congenitally deaf group and the group deafened by meningitis before two years of age.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the commonest causes of peripheral vestibular disorders. In this prospective study 21 patients with BPPV were treated by Epley’s manoeuvre. All patients had an immediate improvement in their symptoms. Recurrence was noted in three patients who required further treatment sessions with resultant improvement in all. However, one patient who originally had suffered from Me´nie`re’s disease involving the same ear for more than 14 years developed another recurrence which was treated successfully by further application of Epley’s manoeuvre. This study supports the usefulness of Epley’s manoeuvre for the treatment of BPPV.

The objective of this study was to present aspects of the current treatment protocol, such as patient evaluation and selection for therapy, multimodality monitoring for optimal auditory brainstem implant (ABI) positioning and radiological evaluation, that might have an impact on the functional results of ABI. Out of a series of 145 patients with bilateral vestibular schwannomas 10 patients received an ABI, eight of which are reported here. Patient selection was based on disease course, clinical and radiological criteria (according to the Hannover evaluation and prognosis scaling of neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2)), extensive otological test battery and psycho-social factors. ABI placement was controlled by multimodality electrophysiological monitoring in order to activate the auditory pathway and to prevent false stimulation of the cranial nerve nuclei or long sensory or motor tracts. Results of hearing function were correlated with patients’ ages, duration of deafness, tumour extension, tumour-induced compression or deformation of the brainstem, and numbers of activated electrodes without any side-effects. Out of 59 patients with pre-operative deafness eight patients received an ABI of the Nucleus 22 type. All these patients became continuous users without any side effects and experienced improved quality of life. Speech reception in combination with lip-reading was markedly improved, with further improvement over a long period. A short duration of deafness may be favourable for achieving good results, while age was not a relevant factor. Lateral recess obstruction may necessitate a more meticulous dissection, but did not prevent good placement of the ABI in the lateral recess. Pre-existing brainstem compression did not prevent good results, but brainstem deformation and ipsi- and contralateral distortion were followed by a less favourable outcome. Among the factors that can be influenced by the therapy management are the selection of patients with a slow progressing NF2 disease, a short duration of deafness, a careful analysis of brainstem deformation and consideration of either side for implantation. Long-standing brainstem deformation might not lead to recovery, but instead lead to a low number of active electrodes and possibly only moderate results. ABI treatment is a safe procedure that can increase a patient’s quality of life considerably. ABI placement along with neurophysiological control helps to prevent side effects and to improve acoustic activation. Further studies on structural and functional changes of the brainstem after previous tumour compression and distortion should increase our understanding and facilitate a decision on the best side for ABI implantation.

Grommet insertion is one of the commonest surgical procedures performed in the UK. We have come across three cases in which grommets have displaced medially in the middle ear after establishing a satisfactory postinsertion position. We suggest that an abnormally long myringotomy incision and improper placement of the grommet are responsible for this unwanted outcome.

Since April 1997, in Melbourne, Australia, speech pathologists have collaborated to establish a prospective database of functional outcomes of speech, swallowing and voice for patients undergoing head and neck cancer treatments.

Staff at eight acute care hospitals, all of which offer speech pathology for head and neck cancer services in Victoria, are contributing data, collated centrally, in an agreed pro forma.

Early results are given (after 12 months’ data collection). The implications for clinically-based research, and the future potential for benchmarking outcomes – by expansion of the rehabilitation database beyond the current participating sites – is discussed.

This paper outlines the rationale of establishing the database is multicentred, and explores some of the complexities involved, including the challenges inherent in long-term accurate data collection in the head and neck cancer patient population. This work represents the development of an appropriate, usable tool for data collection on functional outcomes.

Thyroglossal duct remnants presenting as a lump in the neck are usually called thyroglossal cysts. Meticulous dissection of the cyst and duct, along with the body of the hyoid bone (Sistrunk’s operation) is necessary to avoid recurrence. The authors have reviewed the histology of 61 consecutive specimens diagnosed preoperatively as thyroglossal cysts and have found that a true cyst exists in only 46 per cent of cases.

Bacterial penetration into epithelial cells, scraped from the palatine tonsils of 14 patients (10 males, four females; median age 16 years) with current infectious mononucleosis and concomitant membranous tonsillitis, was studied using the transmission electron microscopic (TEM) technique. Bacteria were seen to adhere to and penetrate the epithelial cells, some of which were completely filled with bacteria. This finding suggests intracellular proliferation of bacteria. Epstein – Barr virus, the causative agent of infectious mononucleosis, especially when associated with growth of β-haemolytic streptococci on the palatine tonsils, induces bacterial penetration into tonsillar tissue, that in turn might be a causative mechanism in the development of peritonsillar abscess.

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is prevalent in the Indian subcontinent. In a large number of patients conductive deafness due to eustachian tube dysfunction has been found. The present study was, therefore, planned to assess the histopathological changes in palatal and paratubal muscles in oral submucous fibrosis. Incisional biopsy from the soft palate was taken in clinically proven cases of OSMF. In most of the cases, signs of chronic inflammation and fibrosis were seen in the submucosa. Dysplasia was noticed in seven (13.2 per cent) patients. Degenerative changes in palatal/paratubal muscles were found in the form of loss of cross striations in seven (13.2 per cent), oedematous muscle fibres in five (9.4 per cent) and atrophy in five (9.4 per cent) cases. It was concluded that there was definite involvement of palatal and paratubal muscles in OSMF. This could explain the eustachian tube dysfunction in these patients.

A concha bullosa may require surgical reduction to facilitate access to the middle meatus during endoscopic sinus surgery. Here we describe an original instrument which enables this procedure to be performed simply with minimal mucosal damage.

We describe a modified technique for the introduction of the Groningen speech valve. This technique can be used in patients in whom the standard technique is either difficult or impossible.

We present the case of a 58-year-old diabetic renal transplant patient who developed a left jugular foramen syndrome, secondary to an ipsilateral staphylococcal malignant (necrotizing) otitis externa. This followed a protracted episode of uncomplicated otitis externa with no evidence of bone involvement on computed tomography (CT) scanning. Cyclosporin-induced hypertrichosis (excess hair growth) in his external auditory canal contributed greatly to the initial difficulty in managing his otitis externa. Following an initial successful treatment with prolonged intravenous antibiotics the patient relapsed with a secondary infection in the same anatomical site due to Candida parapsilosis. Despite further intensive treatment including antimicrobials, a subtotal petrosectomy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy he eventually succumbed to his disease.

Creating an adequate meatoplasty is an important and integral part of a mastoidectomy. It allows ventilation of the ear canal but also provides for an easy access for visualizing and cleaning the mastoid cavity. There are numerous techniques for performing a meatoplasty. We describe our method of utilizing the endaural incision and superiorly based tympanomeatal flap incision to create an easy and effective Z-meatoplasty.

Epistaxis in adults often arises from a posteriorly-placed bleeding point. This paper describes a method of cauterizing these vessels under endoscopic control using simple materials found in most ENT departments, thus avoiding the need for more specialist equipment.