Many patients have problems with their ear, nose, and throat because they are all interconnected, and generally when the problem is chronic, they will often be sent to an ENT specialist. There are a number of common procedures performed by an ear, nose, throat specialist and this article will explore what they are.
Common Procedures
- Adenoidectomy – There are small tissues at the back of the throat that help fight infections that can occur between the ear, nose, and throat, which can swell and become infected making breathing difficult. The ENT specialist can remove the adenoids, called an adenoidectomy, to help prevent additional infections, snoring, ear infections, and even sleep apnoea.
- Laryngoscopy – This procedure treats the area in which the vocal cords are located, and it’s frequently performed because the patient has consistent hoarseness, voice problems, constant cough, and even to detect tumours or growths in the vocal cords. It’s performed by the ENT doctor by putting a light at the back of the throat with a mirror, and inserting a tiny plastic tube, or laryngoscope, in the throat to take images of the vocal cords and the surrounding area. Generally, due to minor discomfort and choking sensation, the specialist will give the patient a local anaesthesia.
- Stapedectomy – Some patients with hearing problems require an ENT specialist to perform this surgical procedure on the bones of the middle ear to treat hearing loss.
- Tonsillectomy – The oval shaped mounds in the back of the throat are the tonsils and they are the glands that help protect the body against inhaled bacteria, spores, fungus, virus or other pathogens. They are part of the body’s immune system, but when they become chronically inflamed, they impede normal breathing and the ENT expert will perform a procedure to remove the tonsils, called a tonsillectomy, is performed by the ear, nose, throat specialist.
- Tympanoplasty – Occasionally a patient experiences a torn eardrum, which is the tympanic membranes, or a part of the middle ear. The ENT doctor will perform reconstructive surgery to repair the torn eardrum or middle ear.
- Uvulopalathpharyngoplasty (UPPP) – Some people are either born with or develop extra tissue in the back of the throat that makes it difficult to breathe, and often causes sleep apnoea and snoring. The ear, nose, throat specialist will remove the uvula, which are the tissues that hand down at the back of the throat, a piece of the roof of the mouth, adenoids, tonsils, and sometimes additional throat tissue providing the obstruction.
Surgical Relief
This is only a handful of procedures that an ENT specialist can perform. If you ever experience any problems with the nose, ears or throat then don’t simply ignore and hope that the pain or discomfort will go away. The problem will just persist and if not treated by an ear nose throat specialist then you may be putting yourself in great danger.
By Sarah McDowell; a Search Consultant at http://www.fdcstudio.co.uk/ providing Digital Marketing Services throughout the UK