Spotlight

At UC Irvine Medical Center, our goal is to provide state-of-the-art medical and surgical services for patients afflicted with conditions affecting the head and neck. This includes infections, diseases and disorders of the nose, ears, mouth, throat, face, larynx (voice box), sinuses, tracheobronchial tree, esophagus, skull base, and thyroid, parathyroid and salivary glands. Otolaryngologists are often called ear, nose and throat doctors, or ENTs.

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Services

In addition to treating common disorders affecting the ear, nose, and throat, our otolaryngologists have typically completed extra training in one of several subspecialty areas, including:

• Laryngology, which encompasses the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of voice, speech and swallowing problems. This includes diseases of the larynx (voice box) and esophagus such as spasmodic dysphonia, chronic hoarseness and a wide range of other conditions. The Center for Voice and Speech Disorders at UC Irvine Medical Center provides a state-of-the-art environment in which patients experiencing voice and speech problems can be evaluated and receive voice training by speech therapists.
• Head and neck surgery, including procedures for patients with benign and cancerous tumors and other conditions affecting the throat, head and neck, temporal bone and skull base.
• Pediatric otolaryngology, which addresses conditions commonly experienced by children such as congenital abnormalities, developmental anomalies, infections and trauma-related conditions. Examples are otitis media (middle ear infection), hearing and balance disorders, snoring and sleep apnea, allergies, sinus infections, voice disorders and facial birthmarks known as hemangiomas.
• Rhinology, which treats diseases, disorders, structural abnormalities and allergies affecting the nose and sinuses. Examples include chronic sinusitis, deviated septa and hay fever.
• Otology/neurotology, which is concerned with diseases and disorders of the ear and auditory nerve. This includes hearing loss, tinnitus (ear noise), balance disorders, facial paralysis and many related conditions. In addition to conventional hearing aids, our otolaryngologists offer cochlear implants, implantable hearing aids and other leading-edge solutions for hearing impairment. They are also experts in diagnosing and treating dizziness and vertigo.
• Facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, which helps patients with aesthetic or reconstructive concerns due to trauma, malignancies, congenital malformations or aging. Procedures range from facelifts and rhinoplasties (reshaping or resizing the nose) to extensive facial reconstruction after an accident or cancer surgery.
• Otolaryngic allergy care, which treats sensitivities that cause nasal and sinus problems such as rhinitis and sinusitis. Diagnosis may include skin-prick tests and other screenings. Treatment comprises medication, avoidance of allergy triggers, gamma globulin therapy and immunosuppressive therapy (allergy shots). The diagnosis and treatment of asthma is also within the domain of otolaryngic allergists.
• Sleep medicine, which includes the evaluation and treatment of people experiencing excessive snoring, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and other sleep-related problems. The Sleep Disorders Center is a state-if-the-art facility equipped and staffed to provide sleep studies and follow-up care.

Research and clinical trials

Our researchers are active in research that promotes new and promising approaches to ENT medicine. We are also involved in ongoing clinical trials, which provide our patients access to leading-edge treatments and techniques that are generally only available at university-based hospitals and other leading medical facilities worldwide.