Otolaryngology is the branch of medicine that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head & neck disorders. The full name of the specialty is otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. Practitioners are called otolaryngologists-head and neck surgeons, or sometimes otorhinolaryngologists (ORL). A somewhat outdated, but nevertheless commonly used, term for this speciality is ENT (ear, nose and throat).

Explanation

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Otolaryngologists are medical doctors who complete at least five years of surgical residency training (one year in general surgery, four years in otolaryngology - head and neck surgery). Following residency training, some otolaryngologists elect to complete advanced subspeciality fellowships which are usually one or two years in duration. As with all medical fellowships, acceptance is highly competitive.

More on [ Otolaryngology ]

pubmed: 0165-5876

Perioperative management of plastic bronchitis in children.
Dabo L, Qiyi Z, Jianwen Z, Zhenyun H, Lifeng Z Related Articles Perioperative management of plastic bronchitis in children. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2009 Oct 30; Authors: Dabo L, Qiyi Z, Jianwen Z, Zhenyun H, Lifeng Z PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to summarize clinical features and perioperative management of plastic bronchitis in 21 children. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical data of 21 children diagnosed with plastic bronchitis in our hospital from April 2001 to February 2009 in this retrospective study. RESULTS: Bronchoscopy was performed in 19 of the 21 cases. Of these, 13 patients were cured with the first procedure, during which branching bronchial casts were taken out. Six cases required a second procedure; of these, five patients were cured by removing branching bronchial casts; one patient died from massive pulmonary hemorrhage during anesthesia induction. Two patients were critically ill at initial diagnosis and worsened despite airway intubation, these patients died of multiple organ failure. The branching bronchial casts which were composed primarily of gelatinous fibers were sent for pathologic examination. Pathologically, 12 foreign bodies were classified as type I casts (containing inflammatory cells), 9 cases were type II (no inflammatory cells detected). CONCLUSIONS: Plastic bronchitis in children is a life-threatening disease, the only effective therapeutic modality is bronchoscopic extraction. The early diagnosis of plastic bronchitis is difficult, anesthesia and extraction procedures are demanding, and the postoperative monitoring is challenging. The clinician should try to make an early diagnosis, use enhanced perioperative monitoring, and improve operational technique to provide timely treatment for the children with plastic bronchitis, thereby reducing the associated mortality rate. PMID: 19880198 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Patency of nasopharynx and a cephalometric image in the children with orthodontic problems.
Wysocki J, Krasny M, Skarżyński PH Related Articles Patency of nasopharynx and a cephalometric image in the children with orthodontic problems. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2009 Oct 29; Authors: Wysocki J, Krasny M, Skarżyński PH OBJECTIVES: To study a possible impact of adenoidectomy on malocclusion on the base of cephalometry. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 148 patients qualified into the orthodontic treatment (77 girls and 71 boys) at the age of 9-11 years (an average age: 10 years and 3 months). Material was divided into three groups, equalized regarding sex and age. The first one consisted of the patients after adenoidectomy, at the moment of orthodontic assessment without any organic pathology within a nasal cavity or nasopharynx. To the second group were included children who for different reasons were not a subject of adenoidectomy despite clinical diagnosis of adenoid hypertrophy. In the third group were patients whose only problem was malocclusion. X-ray pictures taken on a cephalostate were scanned and given to cephalometric assessment. In statistics Bartlett's test, Tukey's test and Pearson's correlation coefficients were used. RESULTS: The significant differences with respect to many skull parameters appeared among the groups. The inappropriate respiratory habits find their reflection mainly within anterior and lower anterior facial height, angle of mandibular plane, nasopharyngeal flow and dental parameters. An evident beneficial influence of adenoidectomy is observed within a period of 36-41 months after an operation. Nasopharyngeal flow is the most sensitive parameter indicating the respiratory conditions, and is strongly connected with the key cephalometric parameters. CONCLUSIONS: In cases of malocclusion of skeletal character, coexisting with adenoid hypertrophy, adenoidectomy should be carried out as early as possible. PMID: 19879660 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Migratory foreign body of neck in a battered baby: A case report.
Bakshi J, Verma RK, Karuppiah S Related Articles Migratory foreign body of neck in a battered baby: A case report. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2009 Oct 29; Authors: Bakshi J, Verma RK, Karuppiah S Only a small number of ingested foreign bodies perforate the esophagus and even smaller fraction migrate extramucosally with no symptoms. Both of these events are even rarer after marble ingestion. We report here a case of battered baby with homicidal marble ingestion which perforated the esophagus and migrated into the soft tissue of neck. It was diagnosed after 21 days asymptomatic period. The foreign body migrated into the tracheo-esophageal groove, lying deep to strap muscles, which was removed by neck exploration. PMID: 19879659 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
The assessment of hearing organ of school children in Upper Silesia region.
Gierek T, Gwóźdź-Jezierska M, Markowski J, Witkowska M Related Articles The assessment of hearing organ of school children in Upper Silesia region. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2009 Oct 29; Authors: Gierek T, Gwóźdź-Jezierska M, Markowski J, Witkowska M Because at present no estimated data is available concerning the frequency of hearing loss in the population of primary school children in Silesia, it has been assumed useful to carry out a research programme. An important advantage of this study is the assessment of hearing in children from Upper Silesian region, a top ranking region in Europe in industrialisation and environmental pollution. In the selected population of primary school children in the province of Silesia, hearing loss occurred in 6% of the examined pupils; in schools located in urban areas it was higher than in schools from rural areas. In the group of children aged 6-10 years conductive hearing loss occurred significantly more frequently, than main cause of that hearing loss was Eustachian tube dysfunction. The obtained results testify about the society being hardly aware of the problems related to hearing loss, which stresses the necessity of conducting screening examinations of hearing organ in children at school age, as well as improving the health care and prevention in that respect. PMID: 19879658 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Regression of both oral mucocele and parotid swellings, following antiretroviral therapy.
Syebele K Related Articles Regression of both oral mucocele and parotid swellings, following antiretroviral therapy. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2009 Oct 28; Authors: Syebele K HIV-salivary gland associated disease is a well accepted concept in the HIV-related literature. Parotid swellings, especially in its cystic benign lymphoepithelial form, have been largely reported. Oral mucoceles (ranulas) were also associated with HIV in some publications. The exact nature of this link between mucoceles and HIV is still to be clarified. The mainstream treatment of most of parotid pathologies and oral mucoceles remains surgical approach. Strong evidences do, however, exist about lymphopithelial lesions of parotid glands that have been successfully treated with antiretroviral drugs. We present a case of intraoral mucocele, coexisting with bilateral parotid gland lymphoepithelial lesions, on a 2-year-old HIV-positive patient. Both parotid gland swellings and the sublingual mucocele have completely regressed following antiretroviral therapy. No surgical intervention was required. Conversely to benign lymphoepithelial lesions of parotid glands, the regression of oral mucocele on HIV-positive patient, following antiretroviral drugs therapy appears to be a rare phenomenon. PMID: 19879006 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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