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.

Nearly one-fifth of Americans have severe hearing loss

Nearly a fifth of all Americans 12 years or older have hearing loss so severe that it may make communication difficult, according to a new study led by Johns Hopkins researchers and published in the Nov. 14 Archives of Internal Medicine.

15 Nov 2011

Simple outpatient procedure can quickly diagnose and treat ankyloglossia

Mothers struggling to breastfeed are benefiting from a simple outpatient procedure to fix an easily missed 'tongue-tie' condition that could be preventing their newborns from feeding properly.

11 Nov 2011

Xylitol can prevent inner ear infections in healthy children

There is "fair evidence" to support the use of xylitol, a natural sweetener used in gums and mints, to prevent inner ear infections in healthy children, a new evidence review finds.

11 Nov 2011

Novel scarless surgery effectively removes skull base tumors

A technique developed by Johns Hopkins surgeons is providing a new route to get to and remove tumors buried at the base of the skull: through the natural hole behind the molars, above the jawbone and beneath the cheekbone.

27 Oct 2011

HMS, EPFL to collaborate on 6 pioneering neuroengineering projects

Two of the world's leading universities are joining forces to combine neuroscience and engineering in order to alleviate human suffering caused by such neurological disabilities as paralysis and deafness. Scientists, engineers, and clinicians at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Ecole Polytechnique F-d-rale de Lausanne (EPFL) will collaborate on six pioneering neuroengineering projects made possible thanks to a $3.6 million grant from the Bertarelli Foundation.

24 Oct 2011

IRIDEX introduces optional MicroPulse module

IRIDEX Corporation announced today that it has expanded its product offering by introducing an optional MicroPulse module in the Company's IQ532 (green) laser system and now provides a complete portfolio of infrared, yellow and green laser systems which can deliver MicroPulse laser treatments.

19 Oct 2011

Positive new data from Otonomy's OTO-104 Phase 1b study on Meniere's disease

Otonomy, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics for diseases and disorders of the inner and middle ear, today announced that researchers presented positive new data from a Phase 1b study of the company's lead product candidate, OTO-104, in patients with Meniere's disease.

29 Sep 2011

Scientists discover mechanism behind MRI-induced vertigo

A team of researchers says it has discovered why so many people undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), especially in newer high-strength machines, get vertigo, or the dizzy sensation of free-falling, while inside or when coming out of the tunnel-like machine.

23 Sep 2011

IRIDEX licenses rights to Ocunetics' intellectual property

IRIDEX Corporation today announced that it has exclusively licensed the rights to all of the intellectual property of Ocunetics, Inc., a privately held company based in Alamo, California. Ocunetics develops procedure-enabling medical devices that are intended to increase surgeons' efficiency, while improving case predictability for ophthalmic surgeries.

21 Sep 2011

MUHC orders GlobalMed TotalExam 2 Examination Cameras for Québec telemedicine program

McGill University Hospital Centre in Montréal, Canada, has ordered 95 TotalExam2 Examination Cameras from Scottsdale, Arizona-based GlobalMed for its telemedicine program in the province of Québec. GlobalMed, the industry leader in telemedicine design, manufacturing and marketing, developed TotalExam to deliver crystal clear digital close-ups of the skin, eyes and throat.

19 Sep 2011

HPV more prevalent among men with laryngeal cancer, private health insurance

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is more likely to be found in tumors of laryngeal cancer patients who are male and those with private health insurance, according to a new study from researchers at Henry Ford Hospital.

15 Sep 2011

Differences in lifestyle, tumor genetics linked to head and neck cancer in African Americans

Why are African Americans more likely than Caucasians to be not only diagnosed with head and neck cancer, but also die from the disease? While the answer isn't a simple one, differences in lifestyle, access to care and tumor genetics may, in part, be to blame, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital.

15 Sep 2011

Henry Ford study identifies 23 microRNAs for laryngeal cancer

A Henry Ford Hospital study has identified 23 microRNAs for laryngeal cancer, a discovery that could yield new insight into what causes certain cells to grow and become cancerous tumors in the voice box.

14 Sep 2011

UC Berkeley scientists offer treatment hope for patients with tinnitus

Neuroscientists at the University of California, Berkeley, are offering hope to the 10 percent of the population who suffer from tinnitus - a constant, often high-pitched ringing or buzzing in the ears that can be annoying and even maddening, and has no cure.

13 Sep 2011

Entellus Medical introduces easy-to-use tool for navigating sinus passages

Entellus Medical, a Minnesota-based medical technology company, today announced the launch of its PathAssist™ Light Seeker™ at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in San Francisco.

12 Sep 2011

IRIDEX introduces new XP Module for IQ 532 ENT laser system

IRIDEX Corporation announced the introduction of its new XP Module - a high power factory installed option for the IRIDEX IQ 532 green laser system.

31 Aug 2011

AAO-HNSF's 2011 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO to convene in San Francisco

The 2011 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), the largest meeting of ear, nose, and throat doctors in the world, will convene September 11-14, 2011, in San Francisco, CA.

29 Aug 2011

Flexible-fiber CO2 laser-assisted ablation safe for endoscopic assisted transsphenoidal craniotomies

A new study has shown the Flexible-Fiber CO2 laser to safely cut and coagulate during endoscopic assisted transsphenoidal craniotomies (TSC) without the line of sight problems encountered with conventional CO2 lasers.

17 Aug 2011

ACS, 20 other organizations publish sixth edition of Physicians as Assistants at Surgery

In light of continuing Medicare and other third party-payer physician reimbursement issues and changes, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and 20 other specialty surgical organizations have jointly published the sixth edition of Physicians as Assistants at Surgery, a guide that indicates whether an operation may call for the use of a physician as an assistant.

16 Aug 2011

New role for harmonin protein in Usher syndrome

University of Iowa scientists have discovered a new role for a protein that is mutated in Usher syndrome, one of the most common forms of deaf-blindness in humans. The findings, which were published Aug. 8 in Nature Neuroscience, may help explain why this mutation causes the most severe form of the condition.

16 Aug 2011