Otolaryngology is the medical specialty that deals with the pathologies related to the nose, throat, ear and neck. There are many diseases that this specialty covers, both in the adult and in the pediatric age.
The Otorhinolaryngology service of Clínica Premium has a highly qualified team and the most advanced technology to perform the different medical-surgical assistance diseases coming from the ear, nose, throat and neck. It has the main audiological and endoscopic diagnostic tests that have proven useful in ENT exploration. On the other hand, surgical equipment ranges from radiofrequency to minimally invasive surgery with the laser diode, lacrimal surgery, somnoplasty, endoscopic nasal and sinus surgery, otomicroscopy, etc. Overall, it has the latest advances in ENT required in the patients’ treatments.
COMMON DISEASES IN THIS SPECIALTY
- Otitis: pain, itching or suppuration of the ear
- Deafness of the child and adult
- Vertigo, dizziness: Noises in the ears (tinnitus)
- Difficulty breathing through the nose, excessive nasal mucus
- Deviated septum
- Nose bleeding
- Nasal polyp
- Headaches
- A sore throat
- Difficulty swallowing or breathing
- Hoarse voice, aphonias
- Discomfort or pain in the neck
- Night snoring, sleep apnea
- Loss of smell
- Pharyngolaryngeal tumours, etc.
CLÍNICAL EXAMINATION TECHNIQUES
- Microscopic examination, direct microlaryngoscopy (DML)
- Video and Fiber Naso-Pharyngo-Laryngoscope
- Video rigid laryngeal endoscopy
- Liminal pure-tone audiometry
- Supraliminal audiometry, speech audiometry
- Tympanometry
- Study of stapedial reflexes
- Otoacoustic emissions
- Full vestibular examination
SURGICAL TECHNIQUES
- Nasal surgery (functional and aesthetic, septoplasty and rhinoseptoplasty)
- Surgical treatments of voice disorders (vocal cord polyps, oedema, intracordal cysts, vocal cord paralysis, laryngeal microsurgery)
- Pediatric surgery (tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, transtympanic ventilation tubes)
- Ear surgery (otosclerosis, stapedectomy, chronic otitis, tympanoplasties, transtympanic drains)
- Endoscopic nasal sinus surgery (nasal obstruction, nasal polyps, sinusitis)
- Lacrimal duct surgery with the diode laser (outpatient dacryocystorhinostomy)
- Somnoplasty (Palate hypertrophy, turbinate hypertrophy with radiofrequency and/or laser, partial resection of the palate, uvulopalatoplasty, turbinoplasty)
- Surgical oncology (laryngeal cancer, cervical cancer, conventional surgery and with carbon dioxide laser or diode laser)
The Otorhinolaryngologist through an examination in consultation will assess the integrity of the auditory system, in addition to assessing hearing and the functioning of the ear basically by means of Impedanciometry and audiometry. Sometimes the hearing will improve after cleaning the duct, other times it will improve when treating a middle ear problem and in some cases the solution will go through the prescription of hearing aids or even middle or cochlear implants.
The Otorhinolaryngologist is in charge of evaluating the patency of the upper airway. In many cases snoring can decrease or even disappear completely if the patient improves his nasal breathing or the structures that collapse the airway are removed or remodeled. In this sense, radiofrequency (somnoplasty) or laser allow techniques to be carried out with little risk and satisfactory results.
You probably have a blocked tear duct. If this is the case, your ophthalmologist is the one who has to study this obstruction and the otorhinolaryngologist in some cases will be in charge of making the line impermeable. To do this, the diode laser has brought about a revolution in this regard, since it allows minimally invasive surgery to be performed with a postoperative period with little discomfort and optimal results.
The otolaryngologist through a simple endoscopic examination will assess the integrity of the vocal cords and adjacent tissues. In the case of smoking patients, the appointment with the specialist should not be delayed since it could be a symptom of a laryngeal carcinoma, in which case early diagnosis is crucial for the patient’s prognosis.
