Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from September, 2021

Featured post

After your Epley manoeuvre — patient information leaflet

  What this leaflet tells you This leaflet explains what to expect after the Epley (canalith repositioning) manoeuvre for posterior-canal BPPV, what you should and shouldn’t do, and when to seek help.   1. Quick summary — what the Epley did The manoeuvre moves tiny particles (otoconia) out of the balance canal of your inner ear and back into a place where they don’t cause spinning (vertigo). Most people feel much better after one or a few treatments. However BPPV can come back (recurrence is common).   2. How you may feel immediately afterwards You may feel dizzy or off-balance for a few minutes to a few hours; nausea is possible.   Some people feel better straightaway; others get gradual improvement over days.   Rarely ,you may have brief recurrences of vertigo — this does not always mean the manoeuvre failed.   3. Activity and posture — what the evidence says Good news: High-quality studies and recent guidelines show that strict he...

Pharyngeal Pouch

  What is a pharyngeal pouch? When we eat food, it passes through the mouth, into the pharynx (the space behind our oral cavity) and then into the oesophagus (food pipe). In some patients, the lower part of the pharynx can bulge or form a pocket that can collect food and become large enough to compress on the food pipe. This 'hernia' is commonly known as the   pharyngeal pouch   or   Zenker's diverticulum. Is a pharyngeal pouch serious? A pharyngeal pouch is an uncommon condition presenting predominantly in males than females, usually showing after the age of seventy or later. If the pharyngeal pouch is left untreated, it can become more prominent, and the regurgitation of food into the windpipe can lead to chest infections. In sporadic cases, cancer can form in the pouch.  What are the symptoms of a pharyngeal pouch? Symptoms of pharyngeal pouch depend on the size. A small pharyngeal pouch mainly presents as a feeling of something stuck in the throat or choking...

Intratympanic Injections

  Who will need intratympanic injections? ENT specialists offer intratympanic injections as a part of treatment for Menier's disease, sudden hearing loss, autoimmune hearing loss or before a skull base inner ear surgery. What does intratympanic injection mean? In simple terms, it means that an ENT specialist is placing a medication in the middle ear with the help of a fine needle. What happens on the day of the intratympanic injection procedure? Before you leave for your appointment, have a painkiller medication. It would be best if you asked your family or a friend to drive you to the appointment. The doctor will go through the consent process and numb the ear canal with spray or cream when you arrive. Numbing medication is left in the ear canal for 30 to 45 minutes. Once the ear is numb, the cream and spray are cleaned, and a small needle is passed through the eardrum to inject medication in the middle ear space. The doctor will ask you to lie flat for 45min to one hour, allowing...