About 40 million people develop chronic sinusitis and rhinosinusitis each year, making them some of the most common health complaints in America. Care of the nasal cavity, nosebleeds and sinuses is one of the primary skills of otolaryngologists. Management of the nasal area includes allergies and sense of smell. Breathing through and the appearance of the nose are also part of otolaryngologists expertise. Post Nasal Drip can be treated under the care of an ENT doctor. Some headaches are related to sinus issues.
Medical Weight Loss
The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the low anterior neck. It produces thyroid hormone, which helps to regulate the body’s metabolism. The functional capacity of the thyroid is measured by blood tests. Excessive production of thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) can cause palpitations, tremors, weight loss, and heat intolerance. Conversely, an under-active thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) can result in fatigue, weight gain, and cold intolerance.
Pediatric Care
At ENT and Allergy Associates, our physicians are trained in everything nose health, including pediatric care. Contact the team for more information on our patient services and how to find an ear, nose, and throat doctor near you.
Primary Care
Otolaryngologists are physicians trained in the medical and surgical management and treatment of patients with diseases and disorders of the ear, nose, throat (ENT), and related structures of the head and neck. Our ear nose and throat doctors can diagnose and manage diseases of the sinuses, larynx (voice box) oral cavity, and upper pharynx (mouth and throat), as well as structures of the neck and face. Otolaryngologists also diagnose, treat, and manage specialty-specific disorders and many advanced primary care problems in both children and adults.
Ear Infections
Hearing loss affects one in ten North Americans. From hereditary hearing loss to common ear infections and everything in between, there are many causes of ear disorders, but there are also many solutions. The otolaryngologists at ENT and Allergy Associates are trained in both the medical and surgical treatment of outer and inner ear disorders and understand firsthand the importance of auditory health.
Sleep Disorders
A good night’s sleep is critical to your mental and physical health. Our sleep specialists and sleep center team will work with you to comprehensively diagnosis and treat your sleep disorder so you can get the quality sleep that you need.
Family Practice
Infectious Diseases
This center of the body includes the important nerves that control sight, smell, hearing and the face. In the head and neck area, otolaryngologists are trained to treat infectious diseases, both benign and malignant (cancerous) tumors, facial trauma, thyroids/parathyroids and deformities of the face. They perform both cosmetic plastic and reconstructive surgery.
Immunizations
Currently, there is no routine screening tool available to identify patients at risk for HPV cancer. Although vaccination against HPV infection is available and may confer protective immunity when administered to preteen boys and girls at age 11 or 12 so they are protected before ever being exposed to the virus. Those with significant risk factors should have a thorough head and neck examination, including flexible fiber optic laryngoscopy, by one of the physicians at ENT and Allergy Associates.
The parathyroid glands are tiny glands in the neck that help to regulate the level of serum calcium. When the blood calcium level drops, the parathyroid glands release parathyroid hormone (PTH), which helps to raise the level of serum calcium. Once the serum calcium level returns to normal, PTH production usually stops. In hyperparathyroidism one or more parathyroid glands become independent and continue to produce PTH. As a result, the serum calcium climbs. The resulting hypercalcemia can result in metabolic complications such as kidney stones, osteoporosis, brittle bones that can easily fracture, and abdominal pain. Click here to read more...The most common symptom of hyperparathyroidism is probably fatigue, however, since there are so many other potential causes for fatigue, you can never be certain if it is parathyroid-related until after surgery. Some patients with hyperparathyroidism are completely asymptomatic.
Cervical Cancer
HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer in women. In recent years there has been an epidemic of HPV induced cancers of the oropharynx, particularly cancers in the tonsils and base of tongue.
Office-based ultrasound is fast becoming an essential tool in the management of neck disease. It enables the clinician to more fully answer questions pertaining to head and neck anatomy, progression of disease, pathology and preoperative mapping. It provides the patient one-stop service with more accurate, higher yielding guided biopsies, all without the need to expose the patient to radiation.
Computed Tomography
If medical therapy fails-meaning symptoms continue despite antibiotic treatments-and maintenance medications above are without benefit, a CT scan of the sinuses without contrast is obtained. Based on a patient’s history of chronic sinusitis, as well as an examination and CT scan evaluation, a recommendation for FESS is made. However, based on very recent advances in medical therapy, another option besides FESS is may now be available to some patients. Specifically, a sinus specialist may recommend opening your sinuses with an inflated balloon. This minimally invasive procedure can be performed right in the doctor’s office, under a local anesthesia. As a result, this option is both far less intrusive and provides the patient with a far quicker recovery. It should be noted that patients with massive nasal polyps are not candidates for this in-office procedure since polyps need to be removed. A severely deviated nasal septum may also be a relative contraindication to the transnasal balloon but these patients may benefit from the oral approach under the lip. It is best to discuss these options with your doctor.
Chemotherapy
Medications used to manage some diseases are damaging to the auditory system (ototoxic) and cause hearing loss. Some of the specific drugs known to be ototoxic are aminoglycoside antibiotics (such as streptomycin, neomycin, kanamycin), salicylates in large quantities (aspirin), loop diuretics (lasix, ethacrynic acid), and drugs used in chemotherapy regimens (cisplatin, carboplatin, nitrogen mustard).
Radiation Therapy
There are numerous options to treat H&N cancer. The most common treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. The optimal treatment must be individualized for each cancer and each patient, depending upon the type of cancer, the site of the cancer, the stage (extent) of the cancer, and the underlying health status of the patient. Click here to read more...
Most nasal and sinus tumors can be safely and completely removed endoscopically through the nose avoiding external incisions. Skull base tumors, especially pituitary tumors, which comprise 10% of all brain tumors, can be removed in this manner. Some skull base tumors require the collaboration of co-surgeons from two different surgical services. The rhinologic endoscopic surgeon partners with a neurological surgeon colleague to remove brain tumors through the nose. The most common procedure performed is removal of pituitary tumors from behind the sphenoid sinus. Other types of surgical cases involve repairing CSF leaks, removal of encephaloceles (brain tissue herniating through a crack in the skull base), craniopharyngiomas, chordomas, meningiomas and cervical spinal cord decompression. All of these procedures combine trans-nasal endoscopic skull base surgery with image-guided, computer-assisted surgery. This type of surgery has enabled quicker recovery, more complete tumor removal due to the optics of the scope being able to look around the corners.
Ear Surgery
Otolaryngology
The information on this site is provided by ENT &, Allergy Associates and the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Inc., (AAO-HNS) and is for educational purposes only.
Rhinoplasty is the correction of outside nasal deformities. This repair is usually performed for either cosmetic reasons or as the result of trauma. Recent trauma, which has significantly changed the shape of the nose, may require a closed reduction (manipulation of the nasal bones) or a more formal operation six weeks later (open reduction). Frequently, a deviated nasal septum is repaired due to breathing problems at the same time. Cosmetic rhinoplasty is commonly performed in girls starting at age 14. In boys, it is commonly performed after the ages of 15 to 16 years old, so most of their growing will have been completed. Participation in contact sports also plays a role in timing of the operation. Recuperation is usually about five to seven days but physical activities are off limits for at least two weeks. Contact sports are to be withheld for at least six weeks so the bones heal properly.
Plastic Surgery
At Advanced Facial Plastics (AFP), our fellowship trained surgeons understand that truly successful procedures must serve both the functional as well as the cosmetic aspects of facial plastics. That’s why each physician specializes in surgery that reconstructs as well as beautifies. It is that combination of care that sets us apart from others
Over 90% of the time, endoscopic sinus surgery is performed for benign chronic inflammatory disease like chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps. However, tumors or growths-benign and malignant-can be found inside the nasal and sinus cavities. These, in turn, require removal and/or biopsy. The most common benign tumor is inverted papilloma. Inverted papilloma usually grows on one side, tend to recur despite removal in at least 20% of cases and can undergo a malignant change 7-19 %. Complete removal and follow-up surveillance is required. Malignant tumors are less common but could occur. Biopsy is deployed to confirm the diagnosis. Malignant tumors are squamous cell carcinoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, mucoepidermoid, adenoid cystic, melanoma, esthesioneuroblastoma, lymphoma, sarcoma and midline granuloma. When these tumors grow beyond the sinuses they could invade the orbit (eye) and/or the skull base just in front of the brain.
At ENT & Allergy Associates, ear, nose and throat surgical specialists who dedicate a portion of their practice to diagnosing and endoscopically treating nasal and sinus disorders are members of the Advanced Sinus/Skull Base Center. Within that team, we further recognize a small subset of physicians who have additional expertise either through fellowship training or because a majority of their practice is spent performing advanced nasal, sinus and skull base surgery. Or, on an oncologic basis, treating sinus and skull base cancers. We work closely with experienced specialists in allergy and immunology to resolve the most complex nasal and sinus conditions.