New Medical Device to Cure Excessive Sweating

Everybody sweats, but some sweat more than others to the point where even constant anti-perspirant usage is insufficient. Beyond botox which is painful and lasts only a few months, options have been few until now... A new medical device called Miradry destroys sweat glands by heating up the junction between the second and third layer of the skin using microwave after sucking up secretions. Before the procedure, numbing injections are required. A company study shows patients who used …

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American Girl Doll Gets Hearing Aids

The American Girl doll company now offers hearing aids for their 18 inch doll models only through their Doll Hospital . Thanks to Tampa Bay ENT who shared this information. Unlike humans who are able to obtain many different styles of hearing aids , only BTE (behind-the-ear) style is available for American Girl dolls. Interesting, the medical services offered through the Doll Hospital is MUCH more impressive than what can be offered for humans. Services beyond hearing aids include new h…

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New Oral Appliance for OSA (Only Needs Heat to Fit)

A new sleep apnea oral appliance can be fitted and used at home without going to a dentist called  ApneaRx ! Oral appliances to treat obstructive sleep apnea ( OSA ) have an upper and lower component that fit into the upper and lower jaws. A mechanism within the device than allows for the lower jaw to be thrust forward to some degree which pulls the tongue and anterior airway forward thereby enlarging the airway and preventing obstructive apneas during sleep. It can also help with snoring…

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R&B Singer Maxwell with Vocal Cord Hemorrhage

At least that's what the  Washington Post  reported on June 22, 2012. This has resulted in cancellation of his summer tour. Per media reports, his vocal cords are swollen with hemorrhage. Some fans may recall that something similar happened to Adele in winter of 2011 which resulted in her also canceling a number of engagements. She ultimately had surgery to correct her problem. Normally, the vocal cords are pearly white without any vasculature. Watch a  video  of how this e…

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Oral Mass Excised From Fetus Still in the Womb!

In a world's first, surgeons removed a 4 cm oral mass (teratoma) in a 4 month old fetus while still in the womb. This was performed at the University of Miami Hospital. A cannula was inserted through the mother's belly and into the womb where it was directed to the mass under ultrasound and endoscopic guidance. Via this cannula, a laser was used to lop the mass off free. A healthy baby was born 5 months later and is now a healthy, normal 20 month old child. A more common varia…

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Scientists Publish Research on Breakthrough Treatment for Tonsil Stones

Title sounds very exciting... even more so when I realized it was talking about the research paper that I co-authored with fellow ENT colleague Dr. Richard Thrasher on a new way of addressing tonsil stones. I never really considered myself a "scientist,"but glad to hear that at least somebody considers me one! This article apparently came out on MedicalXpress , a medical news website. It has also been picked up in a few other channels as listed under sources. Source: Scienti…

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New Minimally Invasive Technique to Treat Tonsil Stones Developed by Dr. Chang

Dr. Chang developed an innovative minimally invasive technique to treat tonsil stones using coblation technology. His findings have been published in this month's ENT Journal . In fact, his research made the front cover of the journal! Dr. Richard Thrasher of ENT Centers of Texas was a co-author in the study. This technique called coblation tonsil cryptolysis is unique in that it can be performed in adult patients without sedation using only local anesthesia, much like laser tonsi…

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Smartphone Otoscope for the Masses

The geniuses at UC Berkley ( Cellscope ) have developed an otoscope that can attach to a smartphone allowing visualization of the eardrum on the phone's screen. Possible applications include allowing parents to take pictures of their child's ear on the smartphone and emailing to their physician rather than a clinic visit for diagnosis of an ear infection , fluid behind the eardrum, or eardrum perforation . Not for sale yet... as far as I know... Here is their original research p…

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Saliva Test for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR)

Various groups have been developing a fast, cheap, non-invasive saliva swab test to determine whether laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is present or not. LPR may cause symptoms of: Hoarseness Chronic (ongoing) cough Frequent throat clearing Constant mucus or phelgm in the throat Dry or sandpaper like sensation in the throat Pain or burning sensation in the throat Feeling of a lump in the throat (globus pharyngeus) Problems swallowing Bad/bitter taste in the mouth (especially in m…

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12 Years Old Girl Dies After Tonsillectomy

Tampa Bay Times reported on June 10, 2012 a 12 years old girl died after a tonsillectomy performed on Aug 13, 2010 for chronic tonsillitis. From the details provided from the news report , it seems that several independent issues all contributed together that lead to this child's unfortunate and tragic death. This case was also complicated by subsequent non-medically related actions taken by medical personnel which will not be discussed here. Strictly medically speaking... Loca…

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The Rationing of High Cost Healthcare

I would like to start this blog article with an extreme hypothetical situation... Imagine a pharmaceutical company comes out with a pill... a WONDERFUL pill "Xyz" that is GUARANTEED to extend life by 1 month with no side-effects that works on kids as well as adults. For every 1 of the these pills that are taken, 1 month is added to your life expectancy guaranteed. Doesn't matter if you have cancer, in a coma, suffering from a horrible infection, stroke, or you are completely …

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100% Patient Satisfaction Scores

What if I told you this 100% patient satisfaction score was due to a survey of only two people... that I personally picked? Welcome to the big bad world of patient satisfaction scores. Often (well... pretty much all the time), I come across an article, bulletin posting, or meeting where patient satisfaction scores are announced... but no background information to back it up. HOW many people completed the survey? HOW were the people selected? WHO administered the survey? HOW many people …

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ENT as Comic Book Hero (or Villain)

I had no idea that ENTs with our head mirrors are relatively common in the comic book world alternately portrayed as heroes or villains. (Most of us have upgraded to a headlight powered by battery, but some of us ENTs still use a head mirror.) There is a Family Practice physician who has compiled all the situations where ENTs were portrayed in comic book settings in his blog Polite Dissent . The full list can be found here . I have reproduced a few of my favorites below:

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Head CT Scans Increase Risk of Cancer in Kids

By how much? Brain tumor/cancer risk was 3X greater than the general population in children who received two to three CT scans of the head. And the chance of developing leukemia was three times as great for children who received five to 10 CT scans of the head. In the study published in Lancet, the researchers examined 176,587 children who had received a CT scan before age 22 and looked at their medical history for an average of 10 years afterward. Though the risk sounds "high,&…

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daVinci Surgical Robot Makes Paper Airplane... Yawn!

A blog reader of mine informed me about this YouTube video of a surgeon, Dr. James Porter, making a paper airplane using a daVinci surgical robot . For those unawares, the daVinci robot is used to assist the surgeon in "difficult-to-reach" procedures. It is used in the fields of urology, ENT, gynecology, and general surgery. There is much debate whether the daVinci robot really is worth it. This paper airplane video is a perfect example of why it is NOT worth the $1.3 mil…

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Sheryl Crow With Benign Brain Tumor

It was announced yesterday that Sheryl Crow has a benign brain tumor known as a meningioma . The Grammy award winning singer did not disclose what her symptoms were that led to the discovery of this tumor which often is made by an MRI scan of the head. From an ENT perspective, such a tumor can be confused with an acoustic neuroma  if found in an area of the brain called the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) and patients will often initially present to an ENT with symptoms of: • Ringing of the…

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Costs of Surgery... How Is This Calculated?

So I have blogged about this topic a few times in the past, but there still seems to be confusion regarding the costs of surgery. As mentioned in the past, the cost of surgery is broken down into basically 3 separate charges: • Surgeon's charge • Anesthesia's charge • Hospital's charge So... after surgery, a patient typically will get 3 bills; one each from surgeon, anesthesia, and hospital. At least in the United States, the three charges are completely separate from ea…

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Vice-President Biden's Daughter Marries an ENT Doctor

On June 2, 2012, Vice-President's daughter Ashley married Dr. Howard Krein in Delaware. Though this news is not really all that interesting in itself, the neat thing is that Dr. Howard Krein is an ENT! He received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in 2000 (same year as me!)... He obtained his otolaryngology training at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and completed a facial plastics fellowship at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, VA. After fellowshi…

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Surgery Center Posts Prices of Procedures

Given the uproar over the lack of transparency of surgery prices , it was only a matter of time before an operating facility  in the United States ( oversea facilities have already done so) takes the step of posting the cost of surgery ... a set cost that is exactly what a patient pays. Complete cost transparency. The Surgery Center of Oklahoma is an AAAHC accredited facility since 1998 and has over 40 participating surgeons. And they are the first that I'm aware of that has taken t…

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