The Journal of laryngology and otology
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Practice Guideline
Speech and swallow rehabilitation in head and neck cancer: United Kingdom National Multidisciplinary Guidelines.
This is the official guideline endorsed by the specialty associations involved in the care of head and neck cancer patients in the UK. The disease itself and the treatment can have far reaching effects on speech and swallow function, which are consistently prioritised by survivors as an area of concern. This paper provides recommendations on the assessments and interventions for speech and swallow rehabilitation in this patient group. Recommendations • All multidisciplinary teams should have rehabilitation patient pathways covering all stages of the patient's journey including multidisciplinary and pre-treatment clinics. (G) • Clinicians treating head and neck cancer patients should consult the National Cancer Rehabilitation Pathway for head and neck cancers. (G) • All head and neck cancer patients should have a pre-treatment assessment of speech and swallowing. (G) • A programme of prophylactic exercises and the teaching of swallowing manoeuvres can reduce impairments, maintain function and enable a speedier recovery. (R) • Continued speech and language therapist input is important in maintaining voice and safe and effective swallow function following head and neck cancer treatment. (R) • Disease recurrence must be ruled out in the management of stricture and/or stenosis. (R) • Continuous radial expansion balloons offer a safe, effective dilation method with advantages over gum elastic bougies. (R) • Site, length and completeness of strictures as well as whether they are in the presence of the larynx or not, need to be assessed when establishing the likelihood of surgically improved outcome. (G) • Primary surgical voice restoration should be offered to all patients undergoing laryngectomy. (R) • Attention to surgical detail and long-term speech and language therapist input is required to optimise speech and swallowing after laryngectomy. (G) • Patients should commence wearing heat and moisture exchange devices as soon as possible after laryngectomy. (R).
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Simulation-based training has a fundamental role in medical education as it allows the learner to gain experience managing emergencies in a safe, controlled environment. ⋯ This was the first fully immersive ENT simulation course developed in the region. The learning objectives for each scenario were mapped to the ENT Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme. Feedback from the course indicated a continued demand for this style of training, leading to its inclusion in the training calendar.
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Case Reports
A novel endoscopic hydro-mastoidectomy technique for transcanal endoscopic ear surgery.
In order to remove a cholesteatoma in the mastoid under transcanal endoscopic ear surgery, it is necessary to perform transcanal endoscopic mastoidectomy. Bone dust and blood, however, obscure the surgical field. A novel endoscopic hydro-mastoidectomy technique was developed, in which the operator performs the mastoidectomy 'underwater' using a lens cleaning system that provides saline perfusion in the surgical space. ⋯ This technique provides a clear surgical view by washing out bone dust and blood from the surgical area. The setup for endoscopic hydro-mastoidectomy technique is easy and the operator needs only to buy sheaths if they already own the power console, as many otological and rhinological surgeons do.
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Practice Guideline
Management of neck metastases in head and neck cancer: United Kingdom National Multidisciplinary Guidelines.
This is the official guideline endorsed by the specialty associations involved in the care of head and neck cancer patients in the UK. A rational plan to manage the neck is necessary for all head and neck primaries. With the emergence of new level 1 evidence across several domains of neck metastases, this guideline will identify the evidence-based recommendations for management. Recommendations • Computed tomographic or magnetic resonance imaging is mandatory for staging neck disease, with choice of modality dependant on imaging modality used for the primary site, local availability and expertise. (R) • Patients with a clinically N0 neck, with more than 15-20 per cent risk of occult nodal metastases, should be offered prophylactic treatment of the neck. (R) • The treatment choice of for the N0 and N+ neck should be guided by the treatment to the primary site. (G) • If observation is planned for the N0 neck, this should be supplemented by regular ultrasonograms to ensure early detection. (R) • All patients with T1 and T2 oral cavity cancer and N0 neck should receive prophylactic neck treatment. (R) • Selective neck dissection (SND) is as effective as modified radical neck dissection for controlling regional disease in N0 necks for all primary sites. (R) • SND alone is adequate treatment for pN1 neck disease without adverse histological features. (R) • Post-operative radiation for adverse histologic features following SND confers control rates comparable with more extensive procedures. (R) • Adjuvant radiation following surgery for patients with adverse histological features improves regional control rates. (R) • Post-operative chemoradiation improves regional control in patients with extracapsular spread and/or microscopically involved surgical margins. (R) • Following chemoradiation therapy, complete responders who do not show evidence of active disease on co-registered positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scans performed at 10-12 weeks, do not need salvage neck dissection. (R) • Salvage surgery should be considered for those with incomplete or equivocal response of nodal disease on PET-CT. (R).
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In developing countries with limited access to ENT services, performing emergency cricothyroidotomy in patients with upper airway obstruction may be a life-saving last resort. An established Danish-Zimbabwean collaboration of otorhinolaryngologists enrolled Zimbabwean doctors into a video-guided simulation training programme on emergency cricothyroidotomy. This paper presents the positive effect of this training, illustrated by two case reports. ⋯ Emergency cricothyroidotomy training should be considered for all surgeons, anaesthetists and, eventually, emergency and recovery room personnel in developing countries. A video-guided simulation training programme on emergency cricothyroidotomy in Zimbabwe proved its value in this regard.