Pubdate: Sun, 10 Mar 2002 Source: Australian, The (Australia) Copyright: 2002 News Limited Contact: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/35 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) COCAINE USED IN NASAL OPS A STUDY has revealed a high number of ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeons commonly use cocaine for their work when performing nasal surgery. A survey of 150 ENT surgeons has indicated cocaine is routinely used for all types of nasal surgery, including rhinoplasty. ENT surgeon Dr Martyn Mendelsohn said that although highly effective, some surgeons avoided it altogether because of medico-legal complications. "Many people are probably not aware that cocaine is actually a very common and effective agent in the use of nasal surgery," he said. "And there are remarkably few reported adverse effects." Meanwhile, a new surgical technique is being engineered to combat nasal valve collapse, a common condition which interferes with sleep quality. Dr Mendelsohn will be discussing both issues at the Australian Society of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Scientific Meeting that starts in Perth today. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager