A force sensor improves trainee technique for rigid endoscopy.

Objective: Developing skills in rigid endoscopy poses challenges to the surgical trainee. This study investigates whether a modified manikin can improve the technical skill of junior operators by providing direct quantitative feedback.

Methods: A force-sensing pad was incorporated into the oral cavity of a life support manikin.

Auditory deprivation and health in the elderly.

Age-related hearing loss is a common disorder with important consequences for quality of life. We performed a systematic review of the evidence investigating the effect of age-related hearing loss on cognition and quality of life in the elderly, and evaluated the effect of interventions for hearing loss. There is a large body of evidence associating hearing loss with detriment to physical and mental health, cognition, independence, social interaction and quality of life in the elderly.

Diffusion-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging as a Novel Imaging Modality in Assessing Treatment Response in Necrotizing Otitis Externa.

Objective: To report our initial experience of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) as a novel imaging tool for assessing and monitoring treatment response in necrotizing otitis externa (NOE).

Patients: Seven adults with a diagnosis of NOE on both clinical and computed tomography (CT) criteria who were subsequently monitored with at least two echoplanar DW-MRI investigations were included in this retrospective longitudinal observational study.

Intervention: Patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including echoplanar diffusion-weighted sequences, within 2 weeks of diagnosis of NOE to determine the extent of infection and to provide a baseline scan for monitoring response to treatment.