Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)

The unique domain of an ENT specialist is the treatment of Ear disorders. Our surgeons are trained to handle complex and simple procedures including medical and surgical treatment for hearing disorders, ear infections, balance disorders, as well as management of congenital (birth) and lesions of the outer and inner ear.

For an individual, hearing plays an important role in many aspects of everyday life, exposure to high noise levels or water damage can cause a lasting affect to the ears if not treated properly.

We offer the following ear services to our patients:

• Wax impaction – this procedure involves the removal of earwax build up from a patients ears which can lead to a blockage
• Otalgia – this procedure involves the treatment of patients suffering form earache
• Otorrhoea – treatment for discharge within a patients ear
• Audiology – this involves diagnosing and treating patients with hearing issues
• Tinnitus – treating patients that complain of a ringing or buzzing sound in the ears
• Dizziness – this involves treating patients who have a spinning sensation in their head as a result of an imbalance in a patients ear

Nose procedures along with care of the nasal cavity and sinuses is one of the primary skills of the ENT specialist. The area of their expertise includes management of disorders of the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, allergies, sense of smell, and nasal respiration (breathing), snoring, as well as the external appearance of the nose.

There are many reasons you may be referred to a nose specialist particularly for issues such as:
Epistaxis, Nasal obstruction, Nasal polyps, Rhinitis and Rhinosinusitis, Sinusitis, Snoring, Allergy Testing

To examine your issue a specialist will start by looking at the front of a patients nose with a Speculum and a headlight for a clear view of the nasal passage. If a further more complex examination of the nose is required then your consultant will use a nasendoscope which is a flexible scope with a camera, a local anaesthetic may be used to make the procedure more comfortable.

We offer the following nose services to our patients:

• Nasal Polypectomy – this is a procedure to remove nasal polyps from the nose or sinuses. If unsuccessful in removal surgery may be required for the patient.
• Nasal Surgery – this involves any surgery done on the nose either in or outside, normally nasal surgery is required to improve a patients breathing, to correct congenital or acquired deformities, or repair any nasal injuries that may have occurred.
• Balloon Sinuplasty – this is a new use of technology for patients suffering from Sinusitis. The procedure is minimally invasive and involves your consultant using a small flexible balloon catheter to unblock a patients sinuses.
• Cauterisation – Nasal Cauterisation and is mainly used for treating sores and nose bleeds. This may involve a chemical agent to treat the issue (Chemical Cauterisation).
• Septorhinoplasty / Septoplasty – this procedure is for individuals who wish to make their nose look better in appearance or have breathing issues with their septum. The septum is the thin cartilage which acts as a wall between both sides of your nose and correction allows improved nasal breathing.

The Throat is an important area of the human body, it is a muscular tube with a structure that acts as a passageway, allowing food liquid and air to pass through as well as assisting us in communication through speech.

Also specific to the ENT specialty is expertise in managing diseases of the throat which include tonsils, larynx (voice box) and the upper aero-digestive tract or oesophagus including disorders of the voice respiration (breathing), and swallowing.

We offer the following throat services to our patients:

• Microlaryngoscopy – this procedure involves the examination of a patients larynx in detail with the use of a microscope. it is often used alongside a removal or swelling reduction of a tumour.
• Correction of the Pharyngeal Pouch – this occurs when a patient has a bulging pockect that is present at the top of the oesophagus, which as a result can cause a lump in the throat and lead to the regurgatation of food even hours after swallowing.
• Nasendoscopy – for a further examination of the throat your consultant will use a flexible telescope and pass it through the nose which is done in order to get a view of the throat from above. This way your consultant can examine how the larynx looks and look for any inflamation swelling or lumps.
• Globus Pharyngeus – this term is used to describe when a patient has the feeling of a lump in their throat when in actuality there is no lump at all. Swallowing can be normal but this issue can become irritating. There is various ways this can be treatyed from lifestyle changes to medicine and physiotherapy.
• Dysphagia – this term is used when a patient has swallowing difficulties, when a patient has dysphagia they have problems swallowing some food and liquids and others being unable to swallow at all. Symptoms include coughing or choking, regurgitation and drooling of saliva. There are different approaches to treating this issue such as widening the oesophagus or changing the consistency of foods to make them easy to swallow.
• Snoring and Sleep Apnoea – this is a common condition where the walls of the throat are relaxed when a patient sleeps which interferes with their regular breathing and makes for loud snoring along with periods where breathing is interrupted by snorting.
• Neck lump – when diagnosing a neck lump it is usually caused by swollen glands, a cyst, a skin tag or a goitre