ENT

Tympanoplasty is surgery to repair a hole (perforation) in the eardrum, usually caused by chronic infection or injury. Closing it restores hearing and stops water and germs entering the middle ear.

The adenoids are a patch of tissue high behind the nose. When enlarged — common in children — they block the nose and the Eustachian tubes, causing mouth-breathing, snoring and repeated ear and sinus infections.

Chronic sinusitis is long-standing inflammation of the sinus linings, causing a blocked nose, facial pressure, reduced smell and thick discharge that does not fully clear with tablets and sprays.

A deviated nasal septum is when the wall between the two nostrils is bent, blocking airflow on one or both sides. It may be present from birth or follow an injury.

Mastoidectomy removes infected air cells from the mastoid bone behind the ear. It is needed for chronic ear infection that has spread to the bone, or for cholesteatoma — an abnormal skin growth in the middle ear that must be removed to prevent complications.

Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS) opens blocked sinus drainage pathways using an endoscope passed through the nostrils. It is the standard surgical treatment for chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps that have not responded to medication.

Thyroidectomy is removal of part or all of the thyroid gland in the neck. It is done for a large goitre causing pressure symptoms, an overactive nodule, suspicious or cancerous nodules, or thyroid cancer.

Tonsillectomy removes the tonsils, recommended for repeated throat infections, tonsil stones, or enlarged tonsils that block breathing during sleep.

Stapedectomy treats otosclerosis, a condition where the tiny stapes bone in the middle ear becomes fixed and can no longer transmit sound, causing progressive hearing loss.

Myringotomy is a small opening made in the eardrum to drain fluid from the middle ear, usually followed by insertion of a tiny ventilation tube (grommet). It is the standard treatment for persistent glue ear, most often in children.

Throat surgery covers a range of procedures on the voice box (larynx) and throat — removing benign growths such as vocal cord nodules, cysts or papillomas, taking biopsies of suspicious areas, and treating airway narrowing.

Ear surgery covers procedures on the outer and middle ear — repairing a perforated eardrum, treating chronic infection, correcting prominent ears (otoplasty), and removing benign lumps such as pre-auricular sinuses or keloids.

Vocal cord polyps are soft swellings on the vocal folds, usually caused by a single episode of vocal strain, shouting or a bad cough, or by smoking. They make the voice hoarse, breathy and easily tired.

Nasal polyps are soft, painless swellings of the nasal and sinus lining, linked to long-standing inflammation, allergy and sometimes asthma. Larger ones block the nose and dull the sense of smell.

The turbinates are ridges inside the nose that warm and humidify air. When they are chronically swollen — from allergy, irritants or a deviated septum — they block airflow even when medication is used.