Get to Know Us Better!
View Our Video Library
Patient Testimonials
General ENT
Medical problems of the ear nose and throat represent a vast array of conditions across multiple organ systems. From hearing loss to voice loss, these problems can cause recurrent or chronic disease that impacts quality of life. At GNO Snoring and Sinus, we offer treatment for a range of ear nose and throat disease for adults.
It is not uncommon for adult and pediatric patients to experience occasional ear infections that require antibiotic therapy. However, for those patients that suffer from recurrent or chronic infections that require multiple courses of antibiotics, impair hearing, or lead to significant pain and discomfort, a proper ENT examination is recommended.
Often times placing tubes in the ears is an effective remedy for such recurrent ear infections and can provide increased quality of life and hearing.
Most every adult has experienced temporary aural congestion during changes in altitude. Whether it is a result of a recent airflight or trip to the mountains, the feeling of pressure in the ears usually resolves in a short period of time. This pressure sensation is a result of pressure differentials between the outside environment and the middle ear space. For certain individuals, this feeling is quite persistent and can cause hearing difficulty and discomfort. In this case, further ENT examination is recommended.
Simple in office maneuvers can be performed to help “pop” the ears. If these are unsuccessful, an office myringotomy is performed to provide further relief.
Adult and pediatric patients often suffer with recurrent sore throats. In most cases these are treated with over the counter medications, however, in certain cases they require multiple courses of antibiotics. In these instances, patients should be assessed for recurrent or chronic tonsillitis. This is treated with a tonsillectomy and can markedly improve a patient’s quality of life and time missed from work or school.
A change in voice quality is not uncommon during periods of excessive voice usage, or upper respiratory infections. However, for patients that frequently experience bouts of hoarseness or chronic hoarseness that does not improve, ENT examination is recommended to directly visualize the larynx.
Patients that are motivational speakers, educators, preachers, or others who use their voice quite frequently, often suffer from vocal cord nodules. This creates a level of hoarseness that is most often treated with conservative therapy. In patients with a history of tobacco abuse and worsening hoarseness, the suspicion for vocal cord cancer is high and proper ENT examination is required to rule out any worrisome pathology.
Other reasons for hoarseness can exist as well, all of which can be properly diagnosed and treated with a thorough ENT examination.
Lymph nodes of the head and neck are part of the body’s overall lymphatic system. This represents a network of drainage pathways for lymphatic fluid. For most patients, lymph nodes are swollen during bouts of infection and inflammation. This is most common in a sore throat or tonsil infection, when lymph nodes underneath the jaw become enlarged and tender. These lymph nodes will often improve as the infection resolves.
In certain cases, patients may appreciate lymph node swelling that continues to enlarge or is persistent. Common explanations include chronic infection, benign tumors, or cancer. In these cases, further ENT evaluation is recommended to determine the exact cause of such enlargement or persistence, and initiate a proper treatment plan.
Skin lesions comprise a spectrum of disease that include both benign and malignant disorders. This range of disorders is well treated by many specialists, including dermatologists, ENT surgeons, and surgical oncologists.
In the head and neck region, these lesions can causes a significant aesthetic concern given the visible location of this region. Furthermore, given the high rate of sun exposure in the head and neck, there is always a concern for underlying skin cancer in lesions that are irregular and bleed with manipulation.
In the case of skin lesions that are long standing and provide an aesthetic or functional impairment, or in those cases where cancer is suspected, proper evaluation is recommended to guide further treatment. Most all treatment for local skin lesions is performed in our office surgical suite under local anesthesia