Fluorescent microscopy demonstrated Cy3-labeled nanoparticles signals in the sensory hair cells and the spiral ganglion neurons of both the treated and contralateral inner ears. Additionally, the distal part of the central auditory pathway (dorsal cochlear nucleus, superior olivary complex) was found to be labeled with the Cy3-linked silica nanoparticles, indicating a retrograde axonal transport. No hearing loss or inflammation was noted in the treated cochlea.

The TOI-14 constitutes the first worldwide-validated, disease-specific instrument to measure HR-QOL in adults with CTO. Due to its ease of use, it can be utilized both in the outcome research and in clinical routine.

The authors thought that mechanism of causation in these cases may have been intravascular bubble emboli and that inner ear decompression illness may be more common among recreational divers than currently recognized. Failure to treat inner ear decompression illness with recompression therapy can result in permanent disability. Because the differential diagnosis between inner ear barotrauma and inner ear decompression illness can be impossible, the authors suggested that divers who present with inner ear symptoms following a dive should have recompression immediately after having undergone bilateral paracentesis.

Over the last couple of decades, learning through simulation has become popularised for various reasons and is continuing to expand exponentially despite a lack of robust evidence that it actually improves outcomes for patients and learners. There has been a particular growth in the use of high-fidelity virtual reality simulators for surgical training as the technology has become more affordable. In the field of Otolaryngology, simulation appears to help teach simple procedural skills through to complex surgery of the temporal bone and paranasal sinuses. This is happening in an era when quality of care and patient safety are top of the agenda and cadaveric material is in short supply. In this article, we explore the history behind simulation, review the available evidence and discuss its applications within Otolaryngology.

We describe for the first time a patient with bilateral manifestation of inner ear decompression illness. Inner ear decompression illness is frequently associated with a R/L shunt; therefore, after a diving accident, the patient's fitness to dive should be assessed via a specialist in diving medicine. Both decompression illness and barotrauma of the inner ear result in residual cochleovestibular damage in more than three of four patients.