Outcomes from 7 years of a direct to audiology referral pathway.

Background: The direct to audiology via ENT referral pathway was designed to enhance patient access to audiology services. The pathway is recommended in the Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery: a model of care for Ireland report, published in 2019.

Aims: This study aimed to review the outcomes of all patients that attended our institution over the last seven years.

The healing of bony defects by cell-free collagen-based scaffolds compared to stem cell-seeded tissue engineered constructs.

One of the key challenges in tissue engineering is to understand the host response to scaffolds and engineered constructs. We present a study in which two collagen-based scaffolds developed for bone repair: a collagen-glycosaminoglycan (CG) and biomimetic collagen-calcium phosphate (CCP) scaffold, are evaluated in rat cranial defects, both cell-free and when cultured with MSCs prior to implantation. The results demonstrate that both cell-free scaffolds showed excellent healing relative to the empty defect controls and somewhat surprisingly, to the tissue engineered (MSC-seeded) constructs.

Foregut duplication cysts in the head and neck: presentation, diagnosis, and management.

Objective: To review the presentation, diagnosis, and management of foregut duplication cysts of the head and neck in our institution.

Design: An institutional review board-approved retrospective review of all patients treated for foregut duplication cysts of the head and neck over an 18-year period.

Setting: Pediatric otolaryngology tertiary referral center.

The lipid laden macrophage index as a marker of aspiration in patients with type I and II laryngeal clefts.

Objectives: Laryngeal clefts are uncommon congenital anomalies that may cause pulmonary aspiration, leading to considerable morbidity including recurrent pneumonias. The lipid laden macrophage index (LLMI) is a potential marker of pulmonary aspiration. The objective of this study was to assess the utility of the lipid laden macrophage index as a marker of severity of pulmonary aspiration in children with laryngeal clefts and its role in the management of these patients.

A critical evaluation of Web sites offering patient information on tinnitus.

The Internet is a vast information resource for both patients and healthcare professionals. However, the quality and content often lack formal scrutiny, so we examined the quality of patient information regarding tinnitus on the Internet. Using the three most popular search engines (google.