Our patient was a 39-year-old Chinese man with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) presenting initially with right upper cervical lymphadenopathy. He was treated primarily with a course of radiotherapy, following which he was examined three monthly and was found to be free of disease in the nasopharynx and the neck. This article...

Ingested foreign bodies are a common condition in the practice of Otolaryngology. In particular, there is no doubt a greater tendency in the local community to consume fish without it being de-boned. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the...

Although otitis externa is a common otological condition, the literature pertaining to it is sparse in contrast to the vast amounts of articles that have been published on otitis media. Indeed, the exact pathogens involved in the local community have not been documented. This article is available only as a...

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now the gold-standard examination for the exclusion of acoustic schwannomas or other posterior fossa tumours. We retrospectively reviewed 314 cases done over a period of 2 years and 9 months, correlating presenting symptoms with scan findings. This article is available only as a PDF....

A 53-year-old man with a history of hypertension and asymptomatic Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome was admitted to the hospital for an elective uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, tonsillectomy and bilateral functional endoscopic sinus surgery for mild obstructive sleep apnoea and chronic sinusitis respectively. He weighed 109 kg, all his four upper incisors were missing and...

A 16-year-old boy, with a background history of beta-thalassaemia intermedia, splenectomy and hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism, was referred to our otolaryngological clinic for right otalgia following an episode of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). He had hearing loss with tinnitus in the right ear, nasal obstruction with greenish nasal discharge and...

Laryngectomised patients have been shown to have significant physical and psychosocial problems. These relate not only to respiratory symptoms but also psychological symptoms such as sleep disturbance, fatigue, social isolation and distress. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the...

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is characterised by a cessation of normal oronasal airflow for 10 seconds or longer, and repetitive closure of the upper airway during sleep, resulting in sleep fragmentation and daytime hypersomnolence. Snoring and OSA in adults are more common with increasing age, in the obese and...

Thyroglossal duct cysts are the most common nonodontogenic cysts that occur in the neck. They can be complicated by infections and fistulae. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

The solitary thyroid nodule is a common clinical finding in the Otolaryngology practice. Although most lesions are ultimately shown to be benign, the management of the patient with a thyroid nodule remains a clinical challenge because of the 5% to 10% risk of malignancy. This article is available only as...

It was the late Dr BM Johns, a general surgeon, a New Zealander and Head of Surgical Unit “B” Singapore General Hospital (SGH), who first practised simple Ear, Nose and Throat in addition to his general surgical practice after World War II (1941-1945). After his internment as a prisoner...

Candidates for cochlear implantation undergo a thorough audiological and medical assessment. The audiological assessment is done to ensure that these candidates who have bilateral profound or severe hearing loss have been given adequate hearing amplification, but show no significant benefit. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click...

Isolated infection of the sphenoid sinus is uncommon. It usually occurs in conjunction with infection of the other paranasal sinuses. Acute isolated sphenoid sinusitis is seen in fewer than 3% of all cases of sinusitis. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top...

The histopathology of salivary gland tumours is extremely varied and complex. Amongst the epithelial neoplasms alone, at least 9 different adenomas and 17 different carcinomas are recognised. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

A 52-year-old female was diagnosed with well-differentiated adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon in 1999. An anterior resection was performed followed by adjuvant chemotherapy for 6 cycles. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), also known as Forestier’s disease, is a non-inflammatory enthesopathy of unknown etiology. Affecting predominantly men, it results in flowing, robust ossification of the anterior longitudinal ligament of the spine. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to...

A 71-year-old female developed several episodes of intermittent bleeding from the mouth with an underlying history of foreign body sensation in the throat for many years. This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

It has been nearly 3 decades since tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) with valve prosthesis placement was first introduced as an alternative means of achieving voice restoration in laryngectomised patients.1 Interestingly, it had initially been advocated as an alternative to those patients in whom oesophageal or electrolaryngeal speech had failed. This article...

What do you see in the image? a) Deviated posterior nasal septum b) Nasopharyngeal tumour c) Rhinolith with mucous plug d) Bilateral choanal atresia e) Nasal pyriform aperture stenosis This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.

Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) lies in close proximity with the thyroid gland. Thus, thyroid diseases, mainly the malignant ones, tend to cause irreversible recurrent laryngeal nerve damage due to the infiltration of the tumour cell. RLN damage due to benign lesion particularly from a solitary thyroid cyst is a...

Submandibular masses are common presenting complaints in the outpatient setting. The differential diagnosis of a submandibular mass lesion can be salivary gland pathology, lymph nodal disease or soft tissue conditions. The more common submandibular gland pathologies include sialadenitis, sialolithiasis, pleomorphic adenoma, lymphoma and carcinomas. This article is available only as...

Dear Editor, The buccal space is an infrequently addressed fascial space of the head and neck region. Intrinsic tumours of the buccal space are rare and hence present a management challenge. In a recent systematic review of 217 patients, 4 main surgical approaches were identified (intraoral, extended parotidectomy/rhytidectomy, transcutaneous...