An ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor is also known as a otolaryngologist. An ENT doctor is a physician who has specialized in conditions and diseases related to the head and neck area.
An ENT doctor may be consulted for problems relating to a child's hearing difficulties. These could include congenital problems (conditions that have been present since birth) and common childhood illnesses. An ENT doctor will work with fitting a child with hearing aids and performing cochlear implants. They also work with chronic ear infections and perforated ear drums. A child may be referred to an ENT specialist for a surgery to place tubes in their ears to drain fluid accumulations in order to prevent future ear infections.
An ENT doctor may be consulted for a child to treat nasal disorders. These include nasal cysts, nasal masses, chronic sinus infections and enlarge adenoids. A child will also be referred to an ENT doctor for choanal atresia and stenosis or for epistaxis (chronic nose bleeds).
A child may be referred to an ENT doctor for conditions relating to the throat, especially if it is impairing the child's ability to breath. These include problems with enlarge and infected tonsils, which can lead to impairments with eating or problems with sleep apnea. They will also see an ENT doctor for swallowing problems and vocal cord disorders, including paralyzed vocal cords, subglotic stenosis and vocal cord cysts and nodules.
Head and Neck Conditions
An ENT specialist can be consulted for masses found in the head and neck area. These can include enlarged lymph nodes, salivary gland masses and thyroid gland masses. They also may be consulted for plastic surgery needing to be performed the head and neck area.
In addition to being available for all of the above listed conditions, an ENT doctor will often work in conjunction with the primary care physician, a speech and language pathologist, an audiologist and a pulmonologist to provide a comprehensive plan for care for the patient.