WACS ORL Membership case studies

WACS ORL Membership · Put your knowledge to work in context.

The WACS ORL Membership is a postgraduate, single-best-answer examination intended for otorhinolaryngologists who want an independent, structured assessment of the breadth of their specialty knowledge. Candidates typically hold a primary ORL qualification or are in advanced training, and use the credential to evidence continuing professional development, to benchmark themselves against an international standard, or to support credentialing and career progression where local rules allow. The WACS ORL Membership case studies are 5 cases and about 4,991 words.

A 4 mm intracanalicular schwannoma in a working musician

A 47-year-old high-school music teacher and choral conductor is referred with a 5-month history of progressive right-sided hearing loss and constant high-pitched tinnitus. She reports occasional unsteadiness but no vertigo, no facial weakness and no headache.

965 words, about 5 min 2

Unilateral friable nasal mass in an anticoagulated smoker

A 64-year-old man is referred by his GP with a 7-week history of right-sided nasal obstruction, blood-streaked mucus and reduced sense of smell. He has had three courses of antibiotics and a 6-week course of intranasal corticosteroid with no improvement.

933 words, about 5 min 3

Stridor on day 6 after total thyroidectomy

A 55-year-old woman is day 6 after total thyroidectomy for a 4 cm multinodular goitre. The operation note records that both recurrent laryngeal nerves were identified and preserved, and that she was extubated at the end of the case.

1,007 words, about 5 min 4

cT2N1 tongue cancer in a self-employed driver who wants radiotherapy only

A 58-year-old man presents with a 3-month history of a painful ulcer on the left lateral border of the tongue and a firm lump in the left neck. He smokes 20 cigarettes daily and drinks about 30 units of alcohol a week.

1,040 words, about 5 min 5

Obstructive sleep apnoea in an obese 5-year-old whose parents refuse surgery

A 5-year-old boy is brought by his parents with loud snoring, witnessed apnoeas and daytime irritability. His BMI is on the 95th centile (22 kg/m2), his modified Mallampati score is 3, his tonsils are 3+ with a 1+ oropharyngeal airway, and a large adenoid pad narrows the choanae to a slit.

1,046 words, about 5 min