Otolaryngology News and Research

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The medical discipline and practice of otolaryngology is a specialty that addresses conditions of the ears, nose, and throat. Another name for this practice is otolaryngology head and neck surgery.

Genetic, ethnic background may be underlying factors for acquired laryngotracheal stenosis

Endotracheal intubation, in which a tube is inserted through the voice box (larynx) into the windpipe, and tracheotomy, in which surgery is undertaken to create a hole through the neck and into the windpipe (trachea) to facilitate breathing, are widely used in the hospital setting for elective surgery and in cases of serious illness or critical injury.

22 Nov 2017

NYU Langone launches new, comprehensive center for facial paralysis

Thousands of New Yorkers every year will suffer some form of facial paralysis, a diagnosis with many causes which can greatly affect a person's appearance and day-to-day functioning.

16 Nov 2017

Lavender aromatherapy reduces preoperative anxiety in surgery patients, study finds

Lavender aromatherapy reduced preoperative anxiety in a study of ambulatory surgery patients undergoing procedures in general otolaryngology. The effect observed in the Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology study was modest, however.

8 Nov 2017

Research advance may lead to preservation of hearing in people with Usher syndrome type III

A research advance co-led by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine's Kumar Alagramam, PhD, may stop the progression of hearing loss and lead to significant preservation of hearing in people with Usher syndrome type III, a form of hereditary hearing loss linked to defects in the sensory "hair" cells in the inner ear. USH3 is caused by a mutation in the clarin-1 gene.

26 Oct 2017

Penn study sheds light on genetic cause of early hearing loss

From the moment a baby is born, they are put through a battery of screenings to test for all sorts of characteristics, which includes the sense of hearing.

26 Oct 2017

Brain-training could help elderly people increase their understanding of words in noisy situations

For many people with hearing challenges, trying to follow a conversation in a crowded restaurant or other noisy venue is a major struggle, even with hearing aids. Now, Mass. Eye and Ear researchers reporting in Current Biology on October 19th have some good news: time spent playing a specially designed, brain-training audiogame could help.

19 Oct 2017

Natural decline of senses can predict poor health outcomes, including death

A long-term study spanning five years and including more than 3,000 nationally-representative older US adults has found that a natural decline of the five classical senses (vision, hearing, taste, smell and touch) can predict a number of poor health outcomes, including greater risk of death.

6 Oct 2017

Losing sense of smell linked to dementia

Scientists have found that losing the sense of smell is an early sign that a person is at risk of development of dementia later in life. The study entitled “Olfactory Dysfunction Predicts Subsequent Dementia in Older US Adults,” was published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

2 Oct 2017

PupilScreen could detect concussion, brain injuries on the spot using smartphone camera

University of Washington researchers are developing the first smartphone app that is capable of objectively detecting concussion and other traumatic brain injuries in the field: on the sidelines of a sports game, on a battlefield or in the home of an elderly person prone to falls.

7 Sep 2017

Some thyroid cancer patients can safely delay surgery

Most people diagnosed with cancer want to start treatment as soon as possible, for fear that delaying care will allow their tumor to grow out of control.

31 Aug 2017

Olfactory tissue regeneration requires inflammatory processes that create loss of smell

In a mouse study designed to understand how chronic inflammation in sinusitis damages the sense of smell, scientists at Johns Hopkins say they were surprised to learn that the regeneration of olfactory tissue requires some of the same inflammatory processes and chemicals that create injury and loss of smell in the first place.

30 Aug 2017

Scientists identify key compound that reduces severity of AMD in preclinical model

A compound of specific bioactive products from a major family of enzymes reduced the severity of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a preclinical model, according to a new study led by Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers.

22 Aug 2017

Temple physicians offer less invasive, novel approach to repair complex temporal bone defects

Temple University Hospital is offering an innovative approach to treat patients with complex temporal bone defects, including conditions known as tegmen dehiscence and temporal encephalocele (TE).

11 Aug 2017

Researchers present novel gene-editing technique to prevent retinal angiogenesis

A research team from the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear has successfully prevented mice from developing angiogenesis of the retina--the sensory tissue at the back of the eye--using gene-editing techniques with CRISPR-Cas9.

25 Jul 2017

Double-booked: When surgeons operate on two patients at once

The controversial practice has been standard in many teaching hospitals for decades, its safety and ethics largely unquestioned and its existence unknown to those most affected: people undergoing surgery.

12 Jul 2017

Novel technique to monitor nerve function could transform the way doctors perform surgeries

In a first-of-its-kind study, Mount Sinai researchers have discovered a novel technique to monitor laryngeal and vagus nerve function while patients are under anesthesia during otolaryngology and neurosurgery procedures.

3 Jul 2017

Study could help surgeons choose best approaches for hearing preservation in cochlear implant patients

Cochlear implants that have electrodes designed without wire perform better than those with wires for long-term hearing preservation, a Mount Sinai researcher has reported in a first-of-its-kind study.

27 Jun 2017

Vanderbilt engineers use coffee grounds to develop novel surgical tool

Imagine plopping six cups of coffee grounds on the heads of patients just before they are wheeled into the operating room to have nose or throat surgery? In essence, that is what a team of Vanderbilt University engineers are proposing in an effort to improve the reliability of the sophisticated "GPS" system that surgeons use for these delicate operations.

21 Jun 2017

Mass. Eye and Ear ophthalmologists offer new type of minimally-invasive laser vision correction

Ophthalmologists at Massachusetts Eye and Ear are now offering a new type of minimally-invasive laser vision correction, the ReLEx SMILE procedure. FDA-approved in 2016, and with more than 750,000 procedures performed worldwide each year, SMILE is a proven laser procedure for the treatment of myopia (nearsightedness).

16 Jun 2017

New program provides free hearing aids to low-income, uninsured adults

Low-income people dealing with hearing loss just got a little hope. Doctors from Michigan Medicine's Department of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery partnered with the Hope Clinic to create Hope for Hearing, a program that provides free hearing aids to uninsured adults.