Swallowing exercises started with radiotherapy preserved function in a small head and neck trial; CT osteitis flags eosinophilic nasal polyps

The edition in brief

In a randomised trial of 24 patients receiving radiotherapy for head and neck cancer, a home programme of swallowing, posture, range-of-motion and strengthening exercises maintained swallowing quality of life while controls declined, preserved neck movement, and did not worsen facial oedema. In 154 Vietnamese patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, the CT Kennedy Osteitis Score correlated with tissue eosinophilia and identified eosinophilic disease better than the Lund-Mackay score (AUC 0.777 vs 0.661); a score of 1 or more gave 69.6% sensitivity and 83.3% specificity. A European Delphi of 25 laryngologists agreed 60 statements on office-based laryngology, naming polyps, Reinke's oedema, varices, leukoplakia, biopsies, granulomas, papillomatosis and selected augmentation as core indications. In 945 tonsillectomies in Lebanon, bleeding occurred in 2.65%, mostly around day 7, with adults bleeding more than children (7.4% vs 1.9%; adjusted OR 2.93). In a Taiwanese case-control study, people with a new peripheral vestibulopathy diagnosis were more likely to have prior atrial fibrillation (adjusted OR 1.21), mainly in BPPV and unspecified vertigo. The practical message: start swallowing exercises when radiotherapy starts, and warn adults specifically about secondary haemorrhage after tonsillectomy.