Research Asserts Sleep Study Necessary for OSA Diagnosis

Study Links Physician Performance Gap to CME

Managed Care Companies Profit, Physicians Don’t

Malpractice Suits Not Cause of Physician Insurance Costs Sprays

New Guidelines Recommend No Antibiotics for Ear Infections

3-D Imagery Assists Tongue Resection Surgery

New Endoscopic Technology Offers Wider View of Body

New Israeli Device Designed to Replace CPAP

Academy Member Struggles to Enact No-Smoking Ban

Eye Disorder Linked to Dizziness

Academy Kids Campaign Spotlights Ear Tubes

Okinawa Naval Hospital Observes Kid’s E.N.T. Health Outreach

Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Explained

New Study Offers Hope for Tinnitus Sufferers, Yahoo News, February 22, 2005
A new study undertaken at the School of Human Communications Disorders at Dalhousie University used a new software product called Quiescence to prove that a form of tinnitus treatment called residual inhibition is an effective means for offering relief to sufferers of this mostly incurable condition.
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When The Brain, Not the Ears, Goes Hard of Hearing, Eurekalert, February 22, 2005
In addition to earlier findings of a specific type of "timing" problem that limits our hearing as we age, researchers are now finding increasing evidence of a "feedback" problem in the brain that diminishes our ability to hear. This week at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology in New Orleans, they are discussing the results so far of the hunt for genes that play a role in the aging brain's plummeting ability to organize the information our ears record.
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Wednesday February 23, 2005

Snoring May Not Mean Breathing Problems, MSNBC/Reuters, February 22, 2005
In a study published in the February issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, researchers suggest a physical examination of the mouth and throat can’t alone identify when snoring signals a more serious sleep-breathing problem. The study findings include a recommendation that the only sure way to diagnose obstructive sleep apneais with an overnight test that monitors a number of things, including airflow through the nose and mouth, snoring, oxygen saturation, certain electrical activity of the brain and body position.
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由於打鼾可能合併有睡眠呼吸的問題，所以對於打鼾的病人光檢查 嘴巴及喉嚨是不夠的。為了診對阻塞性睡眠呼吸終止，還是建議要做睡眠呼吸檢查。

When It Comes to Kids' Ear Infections, Hold the Antibiotics, abc.go.com, February 22, 2005
Your infant is running a fever and has been clingy and inconsolable most of the night. You immediately think "ear infection," and rush to the doctor's office for a prescription for an antibiotic. At least that used to be the drill. But under new guidelines, pediatricians are more apt to recommend treating the pain but holding off on the amoxicillin. In fact, they may not prescribe an antibiotic at all.  That's a message many pediatricians are sharing during February, Kid's ENT (Ears, Nose, & Throat) Health Month  
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當小朋友半夜發高燒、耳朵痛，懷疑罹患急性中耳炎時，可先給予止痛藥並觀察48-72小時，不一定需要立刻給予抗生素。但是當情況沒有好轉，或是小朋友小於2歲，或是一開始時症狀很嚴重，還是要給予抗生素治療。根據統計，有80％中耳炎的小朋友不需任何治療就可痊癒。若依循此一準則治療，可以減少不必要的藥物及減少抗藥菌種的產生，唯獨家長必須謹慎觀察小朋友的症狀，以避免不必要的併發症產生

3-D Ultrasound Reveals Effects of Tongue Surgery on Speech, Science Daily, February 21, 2005
Canadian researchers from the University of Toronto are the first to use 3-D ultrasound to assess both normal and partially resected tongues during the production of speech sounds. By measuring the 3-D topography of the tongue's surface as each of 10 normal speakers produced a variety of speech sounds, they were able to describe basic mechanisms underlying the normal functioning of a tongue. This ultrasound data became the baseline to which partially resected tongues were compared.
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A New Vision in Medical Tools, timesunion.com, February 22, 2005
An aspiring medical device company present states that the best endoscopic tools doctors have available can give them up to a 110-degree field of view, his company's tool produces a 270-degree view inside the body -- forward, sideways and backward, all at the same time.  C-Vision's prototype is mounted on a standard scope used to probe and peer into a patient's sinus cavities, though a company official said the technology could be used on a range of scopes.
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Israeli Device Eases the Burden of Sleep Apnea Sufferers, ISRAEL21c, February 6, 2005
A new Israeli start-up company SleepUp, promises to provide solutions to treat mild, moderate and severe cases of obstructive sleep apnea through AICOT, Airway Collapse Treatment. This adjustable oral device for mild and moderate sleep apnea is inserted in the patient’s mouth before sleep, similar to a pacifier. The patient inflates a balloon to fit the size of his mouth. This balloon restrains the tongue, and opens up a free airway.   For more severe cases, the company offers the AICOT device connected to a small, battery-operated air compressor, the FPAP, (Free positive Air Pressure generator).
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Paducah Mayor Backs Off Restaurant Smoke Ban, The Democrat.com (Tate County, KY), February 17, 2005
Academy member Shawn Jones MD faces an uphill struggle to persuade Paducah (KY) city government and business leaders that smoke-free restaurants and bars are economically sound.
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Double Vision, WXYZ.com (Detroit, MI), February 18, 2005
A Birmingham optometrist and her brother-in-law, an ear nose and throat doctor have developed a new diagnosis for patients who report that they are dizzy, have constant headaches, have trouble reading, and often feel anxious in large spaces. The diagnosis is vertical heterophoria, or misaligned eyes. The optometrist explains, “"They can’t hold it, their eyes get tired so they come apart; they bring it together again, they come apart and the motion constantly in and out of imagery causes them to start to feel a spin and motion and dizziness and lightheadedness."
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Another Ear Infection? Blame Your Child’s Eustachian Tubes, BristolPress.com, February 20, 2005
The reason why ear infections are so common in the young is due to children’s Eustachian tubes, which drain fluid from the middle ear and empty into the throat behind the nose, are short and narrow, so they don’t drain the fluid as well as they do in adults. A lot of times, the same child can get more than one ear infection. Academy member Christopher Loughlin, MD, provides guidance for a news article associated with the Kid’s E.N.T. Health campaign.
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Ear, Nose and Throat the Focus of February at Naval Hospital Okinawa, Stars and Stripes, February 22, 2005
February is Kids’ Ear, Nose and Throat month, and the Otolaryngology Clinic at the U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa is trying to get the word out to parents about their children’s health.
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Health: Sinus Surgery, KYW-TV (Philadelphia, PA), February 19, 2005
Academy member Neil Bhattacharyya, MD, supports Endoscopic Sinus Surgery or ESS for patients whose sinusitis fails to respond to antibiotics. Endoscopic sinus surgery has a lot of benefits. We can relieve most of the symptoms about 90 percent of the time for these patients,” said Dr. Bhattacharyya. He adds, “It’s important because they can do quite well with less dependence on some of the medicines.”
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