Ghulam Saqulain

• Professor
• Consultant ENT/ Professor and Deputy Dean at Capital Hospital PGMI

Stuttering is a common speech problem affecting all age groups. Speech-language pathologists face barriers in attaining favourable therapeutic results. Identification of these barriers could help attain therapy results. Objectives: To identify the perceived barriers that speech-language pathologists encounter in achieving successful outcomes follow...

Objective: To determine factors associated with primary care givers’ compliance to post stroke dysphagia and provide recommendations in Pakistan. Study Design: Cross sectional survey Place and Duration of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine Rawalpindi, Pakistan from Jun 2019 to Apr 2020. Methodology: The study included 92 careg...

The treatment of profound hearing loss and the adjustment of a child after this is a critical task for parents. Presently, cochlear implantation is the most common and effective treatment for profound hearing loss. However, navigating the decision-making process can be overwhelming for families. Currently, there is no standardized tool available in...

Medical and health care traverse geographical boundaries in the form of “Medical Tourism” with patients travelling from low and middle-income countries to developed nations and vice versa as well. Affordable medical care is also attracting patients from developed nations to countries like India, Thailand, UAE and others with international accredita...

Objective: To analyze the impact of interdigital versus blow-bottle breathing exercises on spirometry, pulse oximetry and respiratory rate in post-laparotomy patients. Study Design: Quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Riphah College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Riphah International University and Capital Hospital, Islamabad, Pakis...

Objective: To compare voice related quality of life of smoker and non-smoker university teachers. Method: This Cross-Sectional descriptive study was conducted at Riphah International University over a period of six months January to June, 2022. A sample of N=352 University teachers of both genders, aged 25 to 65 years, who were faculty members and...

Objective: To compare characteristics of vowe1 production in normal hearing typical Urdu-speaking children with hearing impaired children using Coch1ear Implants, focusing on time duration and first & second formant frequencies. Methodo1ogy: This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at Riphah International University from January to June...

If hearing impairment goes unnoticed, negative effects on the infant’s communication, academic, learning, socio-emotional, and language skills occur. Mothers have an essential and significant role in screening and early intervention. Hence, the level of their knowledge and attitude needs to be addressed. Objective: To determine the maternal awarene...

Objectives: To explore the impact of bilingualism on Articulatory and Phonological Disorders in Pakistani 4-8 years old children. Methodology: This cross sectional study using convenient sampling recruited N=140 children suspected or having speech sound disorders. Sample included 4-8 years old children of both genders speaking Urdu and their native...

Maxillofacial cysts occur frequently and affect dental health. Though majority are asymptomatic, however they can result in disfigurement and affect dental health. Their frequency and clinical characteristics in the local context need to be addressed. Objective: To determine the frequency and clinical characteristics of maxillofacial cysts. Methods...

Foot drop is a common occurrence following stroke. Ankle foot orthotics (AFO) are used to correct drop foot deformity with several AFOs available to choose from. Literature suggests research on the impact of articulated AFO on gait. Objective: To determine the impact of static/ rigid and articulated AFO on gait kinematics in foot drop cases. Method...

Objectives: To determine the characteristics of tinnitus and its association with clinical and demographic variables including psychological health. Methodology: This cross-sectional study recruited 80 tinnitus cases from ENT outpatients of District Head Quarter Hospital Chakwal from over a period of 6 months from 1st Jan 2019 to 31st June, 2019, u...

With a high prevalence of infections involving the ear, nose, and throat, and the occurrence of drug resistance the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of bacterial pathogens is of immense importance. Objective: To determine the antimicrobial sensitivity profile of pathogenic bacteria isolated from representative infected areas of patients with ea...

Objective: The objective was to highlight and review different therapeutic approaches to cater to speech sound disorders in Pakistan. Methodology: To find the different therapeutic approaches, a literature search for related articles/ publications was conducted using the Keywords “speech sound disorders, phonological disorders, articulation disorde...

Objective To conduct pretesting of Urdu Receptive Language Scale (URLS) for scale modification and development of protocol for administration on children. Methods This exploratory research was conducted from December 2021 to June 2022 in Lahore, Pakistan. Objective was achieved by pretesting in three steps including literature review, expert revie...

Objective: To find the adherence of primary caregivers to post-stroke dysphagia recommendations in Pakistan. Study Design: Cross-sectional study Place and Duration of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jun 2019 to April 2020. Methodology: We recruited 92 primary caregivers of either gender aged ≥ 18...

There is a high prevalence of hearing loss in community and need of research to address this gap into the health-related issues of hearing loss like loneliness, anxiety and depression, hence current study was conducted. Objective: To determine the subjective loneliness in adults with hearing loss and association with clinico-demographic variables....

Motor Speech Disorders is an umbrella term for a set of separate dysfunctions of speech outcome associated with neurological disorders. Motor speech disorders (MSD) are classified as Speech Motor delay (SMD), Childhood dysarthria (CD), Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), and Concurrent CD and CAS. The incidence and prevalence of MSD in population is...

Objective: To explore the knowledge about speech and language disorders among special educators of Army schools in Pakistan in association with qualification and experience. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study using convenience sampling was conducted at Isra Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences, Isra University from May to October 2017...

Objective: To determine the frequency & pattern of club foot deformity at rehabilitation centers of Khyber Pakhtun Khwa, Pakistan. Methodology: This cross-sectional descriptive study included 1000 patients who visited the rehabilitation centers of five major hospitals of Khyber Pakhtun Khwa from January to June 2019. Sample included cases with lowe...

Being a common disability in Pakistan, hearing impairment causes the problem in the language development of the child. This cause delay in their speech and language development and need of using hearing assistive devices to fulfill their communicational needs. Parental perceptions regarding their children’s auditory behaviors by using these hearing...

Despite acknowledging the inadequacy of rehabilitation systems to meet the ever-increasing burden of disability, the World Health Organization’s Rehabilitation 2030 initiative has not highlighted nor adequately analysed the deficiencies of the rehabilitation care structures of populous countries in South Asia. The pragmatic and operational realisat...

Objectives To analyze the gender, age and side association of cochlear duct length in Pakistani-Asian cochlear implant recipient population based on computed tomography imaging study. Methods Current study retrospectively studied charts of cases who underwent cochlear implantation at the Department of Otolaryngology & Auditory Implant Centre, Capi...

Objectives: To determine the impact of Kendall versus Gong’s intervention according to pain sensation, range of movement, function, strength, and posture in cases with text neck syndrome. Methods: This randomized clinical trial recruited a sample of 24 patients with text neck syndrome from Fatima Hospital, Sargodha, Pakistan from January to April 2...

A cross sectional study utilising convenience sampling was conducted to determine the co-morbidities and risk factors in post stroke patients with swallowing and communication complications. The study recruited 150 diagnosed cases of stroke with no gender and age limitation from Combined Military Hospital, Fatima Memorial Hospital, and Mayo Hospita...

Background & objectives: VH (Vocal health) is the need of the hour. VH of parents of children with hearing assistive devices (HAD) reveals a literature gap, during the habilitation process of their children. To explore the vocal health of parents of children with hearing assistive devices. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Rip...

Background: Trans-femoral amputation (TFA) is an undesirable transaction of lower limb at the femoral level necessitating the use of a prosthetic device essentially requiring prolonged rehabilitation to ensure ambulation of the patient and integration into daily routine Objectives: The objective of the study was to find the association of quality...

Background: Hearing impairment and its consequences in children are often worsened by late identification in Pakistan. Deep-rooted cultural beliefs make some parents reluctant to seek clinical treatment, making adaptable solutions that traverse levels of socio-ecological model necessary. Aims: To determine the impact of hearing impairment on chi...

A u t h o r`s C o n t r i b u t i o n A B S T R A C T Background: Amputation is the surgical or traumatic removal of extremity or part of body. Limb amputation is the last option to save the patient's life by removing the dead or the dying part of the limb with trans-tibial amputation commonly known as below knee amputation. Objectives: To determin...

In the developed societies, supportive environmental, physical and social conditions enable participation of persons with disabilities in the mainstream through actions, like provision of ramps and reserved parking. In contrast, in the developing countries like Pakistan, with focus on visual disability, years lost to disabilities compromise and res...

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of androgenic anabolic steroids (AAS) use among bodybuilders in different cities of Pakistan. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 380 bodybuilders utilizing convenience sampling from different cities of Pakistan, including Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Quetta, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, and Islama...

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of neuromuscular physical Therapy as compared to strength training following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in terms of pain, function, quality of life, strength and power of participants. Methods: A randomized clinical trial was conducted at Kanaan Physiotherapy & Spine Clinic, Lahore, Pakis...

Vocal fold nodules are benign vocal cord lesions which develop in voice abusers, including children, though chronic cough, sinusitis, and reflux may also be the causative agents. Since low or no-evidence treatment strategies, like the boone technique, are in use in paediatrics, this study was conducted to determine the treatment strategies used by...

Objective: To determine the social and psychological domains of quality of life of children with orofacial clefts in the context of different types of clefts and educational levels. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at Clapp Hospital and Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan from September 1, 2020, to January 31, 2021, and comprised sub...

Objectives: The study aimed to explore the perceived burden and stress among mothers of autistic children. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Riphah International University over 4 months, from October 2020 to January 2021. The samples were recruited using non-probability convenience sampling and comprised 84 mothers (23-60 years...

The novel corona virus pandemic culminated in a global emergency shutting down educational institutions with recommendations of distant learning. Developing countries like Pakistan faced challenges in terms of keeping the education stream running. The current narrative review was planned to discuss the teaching strategies adopted by various institu...

Objective: To determine the prevalence of hearing loss in tuberculosis patients using Ototoxic medicines and association with demographic and clinical variables. Methods: This cross sectional study recruited a sample of n= 65 diagnosed cases of tuberculosis on ototoxic chemotherapy, of both genders, aged 12 to 70 years, using non-probability conven...

Curriculum regulation and its oversight are indispensable and vital components of professional development. Regulatory bodies along with professional organisations have an essential role in curriculum regulation. The Pakistan Speech and Language Pathology Association, a body duly registered under the laws of Pakistan and whose governing body exclus...

Objective: To analyse the prevalence of vocal tract discomfort in patients with voice disorders. Methods: The analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at Riphah International University, Lahore, Pakistan, from September 2020 to January 2021, and comprised voice disorder patients of either gender aged 18-65 years enrolled from Mayo Hospital...

Aphasia, an acquired language disorder, commonly results from a stroke affecting network of cortical and subcortical structures. Aphasia lacks effective standardised treatment. Neuroimaging and behavioural research indicate thatsome interventions promote neuroplasticity changesin aphasia. Research hassuggested that non-invasive brain stimulation ma...

Vulnerable populations have traditionally faced non availability of health services. Enforcement of constitutional protections to vulnerable citizens is essential to secure them their health rights. Hence current narrative review in perspective of rights laws was conducted with the objective to review and highlight provisions of the constitution of...

Objective: To determine the quality of life among users of upper extremity prosthesis. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Day’s Medical Engineering and Artificial Limbs Center Multan and Pakistan Institute of Prosthetic and Orthotic Sciences, Peshawar, Pakistan, from Jul to Dec 2018. Methodology: A sample populatio...

Objective: To determine the frequency and risk factors of occupational noise induced hearing loss. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Dispensary Unit of Jaith Bhuta Sugar Mill near Rahim Yar Khan, Southern Punjab.from Aug 2017 to Jan 2018. Methodology: This study was conducted using nonprobability consecutive sampling...

Objective: To analyze the frequency of middle ear disorders among the cleft lip and palate and association with hearing Loss. Study Design: Cross Sectional analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: Audiology Department of Cleft Hospital, Gujrat and ENT department of National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Islamabad, from Oct 2018 to Mar...

Objective: To compare the temperamental characteristics of children who stutter with those who do not stutter. Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Ayub Medical Complex, Abbottabad, from Jun to Nov 2018. Methodology: We recruited 120 children of both genders aged 3-8 years. Sample recruited included two grou...

Objective: To determine the level of hearing handicap and its age and gender association in older adults. Study Design: Cross sectional analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: Study conducted at Ear, Nose & Throat outpatients of Yusra General Hospital, National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine Islamabad and Cantonment General Hospital Ra...

Objectives: This study aims to determine the association of ambulatory and social performance status of transfemoral prosthetic users with their age, gender, and marital status. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 transfemoral prosthesis users. A sample was recruited from both genders aged 10-60 years using the prosthesis for at l...

Stroke patients suffer impairments including sensory, motor, visual, and cognitive areas, as well as gait and balance manifestations making activities of daily living difficult. In such conditions, virtual reality training can be a potential rehabilitation tool in comparison to conventional physical therapy to cater to the burden of this disability...

Background: Presbycusis is related to degenerative changes of aging resulting from deficient cochlear microcirculation. It is characterized by bilateral, symmetrical, sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in which recruitment and speech discrimination is affected in the absence of noise exposure. The objective of this study was to analyze the pure tone...

Objectives: To develop "Urdu Receptive Language Scale (URLS)" for Urdu speaking Pakistani children of age 0-6 years. Methods: This exploratory study was done at mainstream schools and day care centers on children with normal language development between the ages of 0-6 years from 1st March 2016 to 31st August 2016, by using convenient sampling t...

Objectives: This study aimed to explore satisfaction and competency with telepractice services among Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) in Pakistan. Methods: This cross-sectional study with a sample of 204 SLPs was conducted at Riphah International University, Lahore Campus, Lahore, Pakistan, from August 2020 to December 2020. Our study recruited...

Background: Laryngeal examination of patients with hoarseness is essential to diagnose a wide range of pathologies. Laryngeal visualization has progressed from simple indirect mirror examination to virtual laryngoscopy with flexible fiber optic laryngoscope as an acceptable option. This study was done to determine the diagnostic accuracy of fiber o...

Objectives: To explore current aphasia assessment practices and barriers among Pakistani speech language pathologists. Methods: Descriptive study design with qualitative parameters was used. Participants were identified using purposive sampling over a period of eight months from 1st December 2018 to 31st July 2019. Sample comprised of ten speech...

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of complications of cochlear implant surgery in children with congenital profound sensorineural hearing loss. Methods: This study retrospectively & consecutively reviewed charts of children who underwent cochlear implantation from July 2015 to July 2019 at Cochlear Implant Centre of Otolaryngology Departme...

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and perception of the role of speech therapists by other medical professionals in public hospitals. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 200 healthcare professionals with >1year of job experience at the workplace of both genders and any age. Besides, the study subjects were selected usin...

ABSTRACT Objective: To highlight attitudes and knowledge of Pakistani parents of children who stutter (PCWS) regarding childhood stuttering. Study Design: Cross-sectional study Place and Duration of Study: Study was conducted at Department of Developmental Paediatrics; Children Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Lahore and Speech therapy...

Objectives: To analyze the prevalence & characteristics of sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Methods: This cross sectional study including n=377 cases of sensorineural hearing impairment, using non-probability convenience sampling, who fulfilled the selection criteria was conducted from 1st July 2019 to 31st October 2019. Study was conducted at...

Objective: To find the levels of self-esteem, depression, anxiety and stress among prosthesis users. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted from June to November 2018 at Chal Foundation centres in Bagh and Swabi, Pakistan, and comprised prosthesis users of both genders aged 15-60 years. Rosenberg self-esteem scale and Depression anxiet...

Objective: To find out the level of anxiety, depression and stress and its association with quality of life of Prosthetists and Orthotists. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Rehabilitation departments and institutes including Pakistan Institute of Prosthetic and Orthotic Sciences, Peshawar; King Edward Medical Univ...

COVID-19 is a menace for Pakistan’s fragile and overburdened health care system and infrastructure, insidiously permeating the socio-economic fabric. Globally complete to partial shutdown of educational institutions has been enforced, transitioning from face to face to online academics. Academic institutes are floundering to withstand the brunt. Th...

ABSTRACT Being diagnosed as positive for SARS-2 CoV RNA on PCR generates anxiety and stress as well as depression due to the prospects of being isolated. With genetically varied forms of virus on the rise the widely adopted manner to protect oneself is social distancing. This is frightening for rehabilitation professionals who at times are exposed...

Speech language disorders are common and result in communication problems. Impaired hearing, speech, language, fluency, cognition, and neuro-motor mechanisms of speech may be involved in causation. Prevalence varies from place to place, setups and socio demographic factors. Islamabad's periphery harboring low- and middle-income population was focus...

This editorial is an introspection into healthcare systems in the perspective of the ongoing short and long term impact of COVID-19 on practice of otolaryngology & its allied specialties and possible solutions. With COVID-19 testing the mettle, resilience and strength of every facet of healthcare system, including developing countries with otolaryn...

Tinnitus or noises in the ear may be frustrating and can lead to anxiety and depression. A number of factors including hypertension are implicated. Hypertension has a high prevalence of 26.34% in local population and with dearth of literature on tinnitus in hypertension; it remains a scientific and clinical enigma. This cross sectional observationa...

Objectives: To evaluate the attitude and of athletes towards performance enhancement through doping and leading reason of their decision for the use of doping in a country. Methods: This Cross-Sectional descriptive study was conducted with non-probability convenience sampling over a period of six months from November 2018 to May 2019. This study in...

Background: Communication Disorders are common and affect individual’s abilities to comprehend, detect and use language and speech, with speech sound disorders (SSD) being the most common communication issue of the youth. SSD is a disorder of development with difficulty in articulation and phonology affecting understanding and intelligibility of sp...

Objective: To determine the impact of tinnitus-related handicap on daily living of tinnitus sufferers and factors associated with tinnitus severity. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2016 to April 2017at Al-Nafees Medical College Hospital, Islamabad, Capital Development Authority Hospital, Islamabad, Lahore General H...

Objectives: To evaluate the attitude and of athletes towards performance enhancement through doping and leading reason of their decision for the use of doping in a country. Methods: This Cross-Sectional descriptive study was conducted with non-probability convenience sampling over a period of six months from November 2018 to May 2019. This study...

Objective: To determine the prevalence and features of inner ear anomalies in children with congenital profound hearing loss who presented at our cochlear implant center based on imaging studies. Methods: This retrospective study reviewed charts of children with congenital SNHL, who presented to Department of Otolaryngology & Auditory Implant Ce...

Background: Stammering is a dysfluency disorder that is common in children exposed to stressful conditions. Displacement from home is one such situation. There is a large internally displaced population in Pakistan. Aims: To determine the prevalence of stammering among children of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in North Waziristan Agency, P...

Objectives: To investigate the Barriers and Priorities accorded by hospital and health administrators to neo-natal hearing screening. Methods: This qualitative exploratory descriptive study employing purposive sampling technique was conducted in Islamabad, over a period of 18 months from 1st August 2015 to 31st January 2017. Sample included the sta...

Objectives: To investigate the Barriers and Priorities accorded by hospital and health administrators to neo-natal hearing screening. Methods: This qualitative exploratory descriptive study employing purposive sampling technique was conducted in Islamabad, over a period of 18 months from 1st August 2015 to 31st January 2017. Sample included the...

Objective: To determine the accuracy of Transcutaneous Laryngeal Ultrasound (TLUS) and Video Laryngoscopy (VL) taking Direct Laryngoscopy (DL) as Gold Standard for assessment of laryngeal pathologies. Methodology: This cross sectional Comparative clinical study recruited a sample of 24 cases of either gender, requiring laryngeal examination prospec...

Objectives: To determine the awareness about autism among Medical and Allied-Medical Practitioners. Methods: This cross-sectional survey recruited a sample of n=300 participants including n=150 Medical and n=150 Allied-Medical practitioners using convenience sampling from Benazir Bhutto Hospital and Autism Resource Centre, Rawalpindi, Pakistan b...

Swallowing and breathing are complex and highly coordinated functions. These functions depend on well-coordinated work of many organs with larynx and nervous system playing a critical role. Disturbance in one of these functions negatively affects the other. Surgical airways like tracheostomies are required in a number of situations, including but n...

This Quasi experimental study was conducted with the objective to determine the effectiveness of preventive measures including awareness programme and use of hearing protective devices (HPDs) for the prevention and control of Noise Induced Hearing Loss among Oil and Gas field workers from January 2015 to March 2016. A total of 120 workers were sele...

Objectives: To determine the level of stress experienced and coping strategies used by parents of hearing impaired and autistic children. Methods: Using non-probability convenience sampling this cross sectional study recruited n =200 parents of hearing impaired (HI) and 100 parents of autistic children, of either gender, aged 20 to 60 years. Sam...

Background: Parents of special children face physical, psychological and social impact of their child’s disability, including hopelessness and depression. This study is important as it will help professionals plan and provide effective coping strategies so parents could have a positive perception and behavior for disabilities (like hearing impaired...

Objectives: To explore the Barriers and Priorities accorded to neo-natal hearing screening at government health policy level. Methods: This exploratory descriptive study design employed qualitative parameters with purposive sampling and was conducted at Capital Administration & Development Division (CADD) and Ministry of National Health Services...

Objective: To measure the quality of life in post stroke patients with aphasia. Methodology: Post stroke aphasic patients of both genders were assessed through 49 item Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale (SS-QOL). The data was collected by using both verbal and non-verbal method and patient's response on a five-point rating scale. Variables speci...

Objective: Hearing loss (HL) with a local prevalence of 5.7%, is the commonest childhood disability, requiring Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs to reduce the disability burden. Knowing the degree, type and configuration of HL is prerequisite for appropriate amplification, with Automated Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABR) bei...

Intellectually disabled (ID) children lack adaptive skills and have difficulty initiating conversation as they have deficiency in language areas. Also they have difficulty in verbal expression which is more prominent compared to receptive language requiring extra support. To improve language and memory retrieval, techniques providing optimum learni...

Quality of Life Associated Factors in Children Having Polio Related Disabilities, A Cross Sectional Study

Background: Acute Otitis Media (AOM) is a common upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) in children and usually presents with fever and otalgia. AOM is characterized by congested tympanic membrane and possible increase in temperature, which might be picked up by infrared tympanic thermometry. The objective of this study was to compare the tempera...

Objective: To compare ciprofloxacin with amoxicillin/ clavulanic acid in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) in terms of frequency of improvement in symptom score.Patients and Methods: This randomized control trial was conducted at Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Capital Hospital Islamabad, from March 2015 to March 2016. Study populati...

Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a common metabolic disorder with a prevalence of 11.77%. Studies report that DM can result in Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). A high prevalence of Hearing loss (HL) (43.6%) in diabetics was noted in an Indian study. In absence of local studies and a high expected prevalence, with no screening recommendations...

Objective: To analyze treated head and neck malignancies with reference to frequency of cervical metastases and frequency of nodal recurrence following neck dissection and/ or radiotherapy for cervical metastases.Patients and Methods: This observational prospective study was conducted at ENT Department, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islam...