Paediatric velopharyngeal insufficiency following adenotonsillar surgery.

Objective: Paediatric velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) is a known but rare complication following adenotonsillar surgery that can have significant adverse effects on the communication as well as psychological well-being of the patient and their family. We sought to assess risk factors, aetiology, assessment and management of these patients through a dedicated multidisciplinary clinic.

Methods: Retrospective data collection was performed for patients seen in the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children multidisciplinary VPI clinic from the 1 of January 2015 until 30 of April 2020.

Subglottic ectopic thymus mimicking airway haemangioma.

Subglottic haemangioma presents as progressive obstruction in the neonatal and infantile airway, with a soft lesion seen during endoscopy. Diagnosis is based on macroscopic findings, biopsy is not usually performed and propranolol is first-line treatment. In contrast, ectopic thymus is a rare differential diagnosis for subglottic mass made by histopathological examination after excision or autopsy.

Bilobed tongue base associated with multiple branchial anomalies.

A bilobed tongue base was identified in an infant with multiple other head, neck and cardiac congenital anomalies. This anatomical variation of the posterior tongue is rare, with only two other cases identified in the literature. We report a case of a 5-month-old boy with a bilobed posterior tongue incidentally identified during workup for cardiac surgery.

David Alexander Draffin: An Irish ENT Surgeon and Inventor.

David Alexander Draffin was an Irish ENT surgeon and inventor of the internationally famous ENT instrument used in tonsillectomy, which carries his name and is called Draffin's rods. His story is not as well-known as his eponymous ENT instrument and this article attempts to shed a light into his life. He studied in Queen's University in Belfast and was a medical officer in World War II.

The thyroid gland in ancient Greece: a historical perspective.

Thyroidology is a discipline of Endocrinology which has evolved markedly over the past few decades. However, its historical roots can be seen in the literature of, among others, ancient Greek medicine. In the present article, we present the descriptions of the thyroid gland by ancient Greek physicians and its depiction in ancient Greek art.