Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who is a candidate for tonsil surgery?
Tonsil surgery indications are primarily two – chronic infection – meaning more than 3-4 recurrent infections per year or greater than 2 infections in subsequent years. The second primary indication is sleep apnea. This is a condition in which during the night time sleep cycle the patient has periods in which he or she stops breathing. There are relative or secondary indications for tonsil removal and you and your doctor can discuss these.

What is sleep apnea? Should I treat the condition if I think I have it?
Sleep apnea is defined as sleep patterns marked by periods in which the patient stops breathing because of closure of the airway. This closure is usually because of tonsil tissue, palatal looseness or tongue drop back. Nasal obstruction is also a contributor to the obstruction process and often the first place that is surgically modified to help fix sleep apnea. The process should always be addressed and is best done so with the use of a CPAP machine which uses air pressure to keep the nasal passageway open.

My child has recurring infections and my pediatrician says he may need tubes – what are ear tubes for and how do they prevent ear infections? Is it dangerous?
Ear tubes or PE Tubes are very, very small ventilation ports that are placed into the ear drum to prevent pressure build up and the accumulation of fluid. Ear infections result from ear pressure problems – like that created when descending on an airplane, when one has an allergy problem or when one gets a cold. Any process that potentially makes us stuffy can result in a pressure problem for the ear and then an ear infection. Placing the ear tube for the young child is done in the operating room under anesthesia. The procedure is very safe but does carry the risks of any anesthetic. Adults who require ventilation tubes may be done in the office. You and your doctor will discuss the risk benefit ratio and decide on appropriate actions.

I suffer every fall from stuffiness in my nose, pressure in my face and headaches – are these signs of a sinus infection? The answer here is no but could be! Sinus and nasal symptoms are very similar and research suggests that a large number of “sinus” infections are actually infections of the nose that create headache, face pressure, and colored mucous. Many times these symptoms are from the common cold – viral in nature – which is treated with decongestants, fluids and anti-histamines. Many present to the ENT surgeon and recount a history of many infections that are treated with numerous antibiotics – they indicate that they feel better but have a rapid recurrence of the same symptoms when the antibiotic is finished – this might suggest the process is not bacterial but rather viral in nature or allergic based. Your ENT doctor’s exam will give you additional information and he will discuss with you the causative issues for your problem and offer some solutions.

I am a smoker and I have been hoarse for a while now and people say that I don’t sound right – should I see an ENT for evaluation of my throat – I don’t have any pain just a voice change?
Absolutely – voice changes in a smoker may suggest that the vocal cord itself is undergoing some sort of change – the change could be simply irritated or it could be a sign of early pre-cancer change.