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  • Ear, Nose and Throat - Disease Topic Overview

    Otorhinolaryngology (literally "study of the ear, nose and larynx") is the branch of medicine that specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the region of the head and neck.

    The head and neck combines a set of organs with distinct but related functions.1 Ears, nose and mouth are sensory organs that allow us to hear, smell, and taste.1 Oral and nasal cavities also allow the passage of air and nutrients essential to the body.1

    Mucous membranes lining the nasal cavity and mouth may be infected by many microorganisms.1 Otitis, rhinitis, sinusitis and laryngitis are common diseases, particularly in childhood.1

    The diseases affecting the nose and throat are often associated with environment and lifestyle.2 Smoking and alcohol consumption are strongly implicated.2 Studies have shown that passive smoking increases the prevalence of otitis media among children3 and acute and chronic rhinitis among general population.4

    Smoking is also the main risk factor for developing head and neck (H&N) cancers.2 H&N cancers include different cancers developing from; the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, salivary glands and other sites of the head and neck.2 In Europe H&N cancers accounted for approximately 143,000 new cases in 2007, and were responsible of more than 68,000 deaths.2 However, over the past two decades, thanks to public health efforts at tobacco control, the incidence of H&N cancers has decreased.2

    1. Beers M.H. et al. The Merck manual of medical information. Merck research laboratories. Second home edition. 2003 : 1243-1274.
    2. Lacau St Guily J. et al. Head and neck cancers in France: an analysis of the hospital medical information system (PMSI) database. Head & Neck Oncology. September 2010 ; 2 : 22.
    3. Ilicali Ö.C. et al. Relationship of Passive Cigarette Smoking to Otitis Media. Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. July 1999 ; 125 (7) : 758-762.
    4. Tammemagi M.C. et al. Secondhand Smoke as a Potential Cause of Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Case-Control Study. Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. April 2010 ; 136 (4) : 327-334.

Latest Multi Media

An Overview of Recent Advances in Head and Neck Surgery

Ear, Nose and Throat Drug Data - A-Z English

Drug Updates

Difflam Oral Rinse
Difflam Oral Rinse is a locally acting analgesic and anti-inflammatory treatment for the relief of painful inflammatory conditions of the mouth and throat including: Traumatic conditions: Pharyngitis following tonsillectomy or the use of a naso-gastric tube.
Benadryl Plus Capsules
This product is indicated for the symptomatic relief of allergic rhinitis.
Nasacort Allergy Nasal Spray
Nasacort Allergy Nasal Spray is indicated for the treatment of the symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis.

Latest Social Media

What are antibitoics any use for?
on doc2doc

... is far and away the most effective antibiotic for treating acute sinusitis.  Amoxycillin is worse than useless for that, and for strep ...

What are antibitoics any use for?
on doc2doc

... sinusitis. Even a purulent nasal discharge and pain in your sinuses is not relived any faster with amoxycillin, Since I recently had sinusitis and ...

What are antibitoics any use for?
on doc2doc

... one aspect,  It all depends on the patient.  Left untreated Sinusitis can cause Severe problems with Teeth, and Eye problems,  I ...

Latest Clinical Trials

Cisplatin, CPT-11 and Celecoxib With Radiation Therapy and Surgery for Operable Esophageal Cancer
This is a study for patients with resectable, locally advanced esophageal cancer. There is evidence to suggest that celecoxib in combination with cisplatin and irinotecan (CPT-11) may work well with radiation therapy to kill cancer cells. The primary goal is to develop a well-tolerated cancer treatment that has an acceptable response rate.
Sutent Following Chemotherapy, Radiation and Surgery For Resectable Esophageal Cancer
The purpose of this study is to see whether or not the combination of cisplatin, irinotecan and radiation, followed by surgery, followed by oral Sutent, is effective and safe for patients with resectable esophageal cancer.

Latest Journal Publications

Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics
Allergic rhinitis (AR) can be defined as an inflammatory disease of the nose and the paranasal sinuses, characterized by a specific IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the symptoms of AR and the prick test results in geriatric patients presenting with symptoms of AR by comparing these with those of a young control group. Thirty-two geriatric patients (Group 1) were analyzed retrospectively, and 37 patients (Group 2) were selected as the control group. Diagnosis of AR was made based upon the physical examination findings, nasal endoscopic examination findings and the skin prick test results. While the skin prick test positivity was 50% in Group 1, this rate was found as 75.7% in Group 2. The difference was found to be statistically significant (p=0.044). A statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of susceptibility to mugwort pollen and fish (p=0.048, p=0.033). In conclusion, in geriatric patients presenting with AR symptoms, systemic treatment should not be initiated before performing skin prick test, due to the adverse effects of the drugs.
International Journal of Cancer
In patients with early head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), occult lymph node metastasis is difficult to predict by clinical or pathological parameters. However, such parameters are necessary to select patients either for elective neck dissection or the sentinel lymph node (SLN) procedure. The membrane glycoprotein podoplanin is normally expressed in lymphatic endothelial cells. Recently, expression of podoplanin by cancer cells was demonstrated to promote tumor cell motility and tumor lymphangiogenesis in vitro. The value of cancer cell-expressed podoplanin was to be determined as a predictive marker for SLN metastasis in early HNSCC of the oral cavity and oropharynx. One hundred twenty patients with HNSCC of the oral cavity and oropharynx undergoing a SLN biopsy were enrolled in this prospective clinical trial of SLN biopsy. Cancer cell-expressed podoplanin was determined by immunohistochemistry using tissue microarrays. Podoplanin expression was quantified by the intensity reactivity score and categorized into expression and nonexpression. SLN examination revealed occult metastasis in 45 patients (37.5%). Twenty-nine of 120 (24.2%) primary HNSCC showed podoplanin expression. Podoplanin expression correlated significantly with SLN metastasis (p = 0.029) and remained a significant predictor for lymph node status even after controlling for tumor stage (p = 0.028). As a predictive marker for SLN metastasis, however, podoplanin expression reached a sensitivity of a mere 36% and a specificity of 83%. Podoplanin expression is associated with metastasis to lymph nodes in vivo. Podoplanin immunohistochemistry in early HNSCC of the oral cavity and oropharynx may help to select patients for the SLN procedure and to identify patients with increased risk for presence of occult lymph node metastasis in the neck.

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