Nasal Steroids DO Help Resolve Sinusitis More Quickly Than Antibiotics Alone

Not sure why more doctors don't prescribe nasal steroids (ie, flonase, nasacort, rhinocort, nasonex, etc) in addition to antibiotics to treat sinusitis, especially those in which it is recurrent or chronic. It's been shown that nasal steroids do help more than antibiotics alone. The study I'm most familiar with is the one published in JAMA in 2001.

Reference: Comparison of cefuroxime with or without intranasal fluticasone for the treatment of rhinosinusitis. The CAFFS Trial: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 286(24):3097-105, 2001. Link

Video Optimization on VoiceInfo.org

Due to complaints that webpages in VoiceInfo.org took forever due to multiple videos incorporated into the webpage itself, changes have been made to allow a user to download only those videos they would like to see by clicking on a link. A still photo of a scene from the video will be displayed to give the user an idea of what the video will contain.

www.VoiceInfo.org

New Video Exam of a Lateral Velopharyngeal Insufficiency

A video of a fiberoptic endoscopic examination of a child who has a right lateral velpharyngeal insufficiency has been posted here.

New Article on Muscle Tension Dysphonia

A new webpage describing the various different forms of muscle tension dysphonia has been created. Check it out here.

Decongestants and Antihistamines Found Not to Help with Serous Otitis Media

There has been a recent Cochrane review regarding whether serous fluid in the middle ear improves with decongestants and/or anti-histamines which are commonly prescribed by both pediatricians and ENTs for this condition. This review which analyzed the results from 7 studies revealed that these medications had NO impact on the resolution of serous otitis media. In fact, there were significant side effects detected in 1 out of every 9 children prescribed these medications without any significant impact on the fluid.

Reference: Extracts from the Cochrane Library: Antihistamines and/or decongestants for otitis media with effusion (OME) in children. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 136(1):11-13, 2007. Link.