Otolaryngology News and Research

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The medical discipline and practice of otolaryngology is a specialty that addresses conditions of the ears, nose, and throat. Another name for this practice is otolaryngology head and neck surgery.

Mass. Eye and Ear Cataract Master bridges gap between wet lab training and patient surgery

Phacoemulsification cataract surgery is one of the most frequently performed eye surgeries in the United States, with 1.5 million procedures performed each year. It is also one of the most complex procedures to learn. A new, highly innovative, computer-based simulation tool, the Mass. Eye and Ear Cataract Master, bridges the learning gap that residents and ophthalmologists new to phaco must navigate prior to performing actual surgery.

30 May 2012

Optogenetic Therapies for Vision workshop to be held on June 1

The Foundation Fighting Blindness and Massachusetts Eye and Ear will host the Optogenetic Therapies for Vision workshop on Friday, June 1, from 8 a.m.-6 p.m., in Boston.

24 May 2012

Children with craniofacial disorders face numerous medical challenges beyond appearance

Children born with cleft lip, cleft palate and other craniofacial disorders face numerous medical challenges beyond appearance.

23 May 2012

Mass. Eye and Ear announces recipients of 2012 Curing Kids Fund grants

The Mass. Eye and Ear Curing Kids fund has awarded grants for research projects that aim to help the brain locate sound, identify genes that cause congenital blindness, cure deafness through hair cell regeneration, and improve treatment for childhood eye cancer.

16 May 2012

Tips to help allergy sufferers survive the winds of spring and summer

Every spring and summer, millions of Americans dread the trip to the park or the playground and will do anything to avoid activities that trigger outdoor allergies.

14 May 2012

Threshold for when to choose surgery over medical therapy for recurrent acute rhinosinusitis

A study in the May 2012 issue of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery suggests a threshold for when to choose surgery over medical therapy for recurrent acute rhinosinusitis (RARS) based on the patients' lost productivity in response to RARS and each treatment strategy.

11 May 2012

IRIDEX launches non-invasive MicroPulse Laser Trabeculoplasty for glaucoma

IRIDEX Corporation today announced the launch of a new non-invasive, in-office glaucoma procedure based on its proprietary MicroPulse technology. The new glaucoma therapy, a tissue-sparing, repeatable therapy called MicroPulse Laser Trabeculoplasty (MLT), was introduced by IRIDEX at the recent American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS).

27 Apr 2012

NCH opens first suburban ambulatory surgery center

Nationwide Children's Hospital has opened its first suburban ambulatory surgery center. Located in Westerville, Ohio, the center is an extension of the current surgical services on the main campus, one that gives families an option for convenient access to a full spectrum of pediatric outpatient surgical services.

25 Apr 2012

CU School of Medicine researcher devises new exercise for BPPV

A CU School of Medicine researcher who suffers from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and had to "fix it" before she could go to work one day was using a maneuver to treat herself that only made her sicker. "So I sat down and thought about it and figured out an alternate way to do it. Then I fixed myself and went in to work" and discovered a new treatment for this type of vertigo.

24 Apr 2012

Mood disorders not linked to nasal obstruction

While mood disorders like depression or anxiety tend to negatively affect treatment for allergies and chronic rhinosinusitis, the same cannot be said for patients with nasal obstructions such as deviated septum, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital.

20 Apr 2012

Patients with head and neck cancer can benefit from swallowing exercises

Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers have found that targeted swallowing exercises can help alleviate swallowing dysfunction - a debilitating side effect in people undergoing chemoradiation therapy (CRT) for head and neck cancer.

20 Apr 2012

Link between insomnia and severity of perceived tinnitus symptoms

For the more than 36 million people plagued by tinnitus, insomnia can have a negative effect on the condition, worsening the functional and emotional toll of chronic ringing, buzzing, hissing or clicking in the head and ears, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

19 Apr 2012

Neurosurgeons from NYU Langone to present at AANS annual meeting

Neurosurgeons from NYU Langone Medical Center will present research and discuss surgical approaches and use of new technologies to treat neurosurgical conditions at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), held April 14-18, 2012 in Miami Beach, FL.

16 Apr 2012

PPIs improve sleep and daytime quality of life for sufferers of GERD

The use of proton pump inhibitors improves the sleep and daytime quality of life for sufferers of gastroesophageal reflux disease, according to a systematic literature review in the April 2012 issue of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

12 Apr 2012

ASPO to hold pediatric otolaryngology meeting from April 18 - April 22

The American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ASPO) will hold its annual meeting, April 18 - April 22, during the 2012 Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings (COSM) - a joint meeting of eight otolaryngological societies in San Diego, CA. The meeting will feature dozens of scientific presentations highlighting research in progress in the field of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery.

10 Apr 2012

MEDNAX acquires Burlington Anesthesia

MEDNAX, Inc., today announced the acquisition of Burlington Anesthesia PLLC, a physician group practice that provides anesthesia services in Burlington, N.C. and Farhouch Berdjis MD Medical Corp (FBMC), a pediatric cardiology practice in Orange, Calif.

6 Apr 2012

Nine physician organizations identify specific tests or procedures that may be unnecessary

Nine leading physician specialty societies have identified specific tests or procedures that they say are commonly used but not always necessary in their respective fields. Patient advocates are calling the move a significant step toward improving the quality and safety of health care.

4 Apr 2012

Aternative pain medication without narcotics safe after sinus surgery

Patients who have undergone sinus surgery can safely take an alternative pain medication that does not cause the side effects of narcotics such as fentanyl and Vicodin, a Loyola University Health System study has found.

23 Mar 2012

Johns Hopkins surgeons seek IRB approval to perform facial transplantation

Johns Hopkins surgeons have established a facial transplantation team and are in the process of obtaining approval from the University's Institutional Review Board (IRB) of their protocol to perform the complicated procedure.

23 Mar 2012

Fat-enclosed nanoparticles can directly irradiate brain tumor

For the past 40 years, radiation has been the most effective method for treating deadly brain tumors called glioblastomas. But, although the targeting technology has been refined, beams of radiation still must pass through healthy brain tissue to reach the tumor, and patients can only tolerate small amounts before developing serious side effects.

21 Mar 2012