All about ear, nose and throat clinics

Ear, nose and throat clinics are well you will find otolaryngologists – ENT surgeons – who are key to helping people who may have issues in the head and neck. These clinics are specifically designed to help diagnose and treat problems that stem from these areas of the body, whether they are in newborn babies or the elderly. This is everything that you need to know about ear, nose and throat clinics in case you need to access the services that they offer.

What happens in an ear, nose and throat clinic?

People attend ear, nose and throat clinics for a variety of different issues, whether these relate to hearing and balance disorders or smell and taste problems or issues with the voice or difficulties breathing. Some people may come with problems swallowing or an appointment may be required to deal with a tumour of the head and neck. These are just a few of the most common conditions that bring people to ear, nose and throat clinics:

• Ear conditions including otosclerosis (a problem with the middle ear), conditions relating to hearing and deafness, ear infections, dizziness and vertigo, protruding ears, a perforated ear drum.
• Nose conditions, such as nasal injuries or tumours of the nose, problems with the sense of smell, sinus infections and nasal polyps.
• Throat conditions, from issues with swallowing to those that involve the upper airway, as well as snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea, laryngitis, tonsillitis and problems with adenoids.
• Issues located in the head and neck, such as thyroid problems or skin cancer on the face, as well as other cancers that affect this part of the body, such as cancer of the nose, voice box or throat.
• Facial cosmetic surgery requirements, from nose surgery to facial reconstruction following cancer.

Many ENT surgeons will come to specialise in a particular area of otolaryngology over time so you are likely to deal with someone who has specific expertise in your area of need. These specialisms can include rhinology  - which includes everything related to the nose and sinuses – otology, covering the diagnosis and treatment of infection, disease and damage to the ear and paediatrics, where a surgeon specialists in the treatment of ENT conditions that arise in patients at a very young age.

What kind of procedures take place?

A whole host of different procedures happen in an ear, nose and throat clinic. These are just a few of them:

• Tonsillectomy – this is an operation to remove the tonsils
• Septoplasty – this procedure focuses on the nasal septum where this may be causing issues with obstruction and breathing
• Endoscopic sinus surgery – a small camera is inserted into the sinuses to help diagnose and treat sinus conditions
• Lump removal – this could be from the throat or the salivary gland, for example

Ear, nose and throat clinics are places of medical expertise where specialists can help to treat conditions that may be causing serious problems for those who suffer from them.