Incision-less Pinnaplasty

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Incision-less pinnaplasty. In recent years, a novel technique has been developed for pinning back prominent ears without the use of any external cuts or incisions to the skin. This is achieved with the use of carefully placed sutures passed into the ear cartilage. The operation can be performed under local anaesthesia more easily than a conventional pinnaplasty, usually as a day case. The advantages of an incision-less versus conventional pinnaplasty are a shorter operation, no need for external incisions or cuts in the skin, fewer postoperative complications, equivalent cosmetic result with minimally invasive surgery, easier to perform under local anaesthetic, no need to wear a postoperative head bandage and same-day discharge home.

Please refer to the separate information sheet on pinnaplasty for further information and images.

Cyclops endoscope (Acclarent)

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The company responsible for the highly successful balloon sinuplasty technology, (Acclarent), has recently been taken over by Johnson & Johnson. The company identity is to be retained, an alliance which should hopefully yield further improvements to the already successful design. Please see www.acclarent.com for further information.

A further development has seen the introduction of the Cyclops rotating rigid endoscope which allows for a wide field of view which can be rotated through 10 to 90 degrees using the same endoscope. This formally was only possible by changing the endoscope each time a different angle is required.

Gaviscon AdvanceTM

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Now licensed for use in laryngopharyngeal acid reflux. Gaviscon Advance TM, by Reckitt-Benckiser, is widely known as an effective treatment of indigestion and symptoms of gastric acid reflux, including burning behind the chest and pains in the upper part of the abdomen. It works by acting as a protective barrier within the stomach, preventing naturally occurring episodes of acid reflux from entering the oesophagus. The acid stays in the stomach where it causes fewer symptoms.

In some patients, acid or other substances including the enzyme pepsin reflux into the upper oesophagus and larynx, causing symptoms of burning in the throat, sore throat, hoarseness and a feeling of something stuck in the throat (also known as globus pharyngeus). These symptoms can occur even in the absence of the usual symptoms of gastric acid reflux. This condition is known as laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). Up to now, Gaviscon AdvanceTM has been used in patients with LPR to good effect although its use has not been formally licensed until recently. This is good news for the many sufferers of this condition as Gaviscon AdvanceTM has minimal side effects and is effective in the majority of patients, either alone or in combination with other treatments.