Mastoidectomy may be the most definitive treatment available; however, reviewed data suggest that conservative treatment alone has high efficacy as first-line treatment in uncomplicated cases of acute mastoiditis, and conservative therapy may be an appropriate first-line management when treating acute mastoiditis.

This report describes the experience gained by the diagnosis and management of this patient. It emphasises the importance of clinical vigilance so that proper treatment may be instituted in a timely manner.

Initial temporomandibular disorder treatment steps can be undertaken by the otolaryngologist, with consideration of referral to dentists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, or physiotherapists if simple pharmacological treatment or temporomandibular disorder exercise fails.

Postauricular cutaneous mastoid fistula is a rare condition. The cutaneous mastoid fistula is a very rare complication of chronic suppurative otitis media. The fistula tracts are typically difficult to manage because of the surrounding necrotic skin edges. We describe an unusual case of a postauricular cutaneous mastoid fistula and outline the surgical technique used for closure.

The response to 8 mg of intratympanic dexamethasone used as a salvage therapy for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss was inadequate. A higher dosage of intratympanic dexamethasone might be required to achieve better outcomes.

BackgroundTonsillectomy is one of the most common otolaryngological procedures. Nonetheless, there is still no universally approved ‘gold standard’ technique.ObjectiveTo compare the safety and efficacy of argon plasma coagulation and coblation techniques in tonsillectomy.MethodsA multi-institutional, retrospective cohort study was conducted, comprising 283 patients who underwent bilateral tonsillectomies performed by a single surgeon between 2014 and 2017. The outcome measures included: operative time, intra-operative blood loss, post-operative pain and post-operative haemorrhage.ResultsIn the argon plasma coagulation group, mean operative time and post-operative haemorrhage rate were significantly reduced, p = 0.0006 and p = 0.003 respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of post-operative pain and intra-operative blood loss.ConclusionThe argon plasma coagulation technique is easy, safe and efficacious. Argon plasma coagulation tonsillectomy seems cost-effective compared to coblation tonsillectomy: the single-use disposable electrode tip and wand used in this study cost AUD$76.50 and AUD$380 respectively. Argon plasma coagulation appears to be a favourable alternative to current modalities such as coblation.