Pediatric ENT Disorders
Throat Disorders
Each year, hundreds of thousands of children suffer from sore throats. The pain can be caused by many things, including colds and allergies. If your child has a sore throat, it is important to take them to see their doctor. A pediatric ENT specialist can help diagnose the problem and provide appropriate treatment options for children. In some cases, they may even recommend surgery to correct the problem.
Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy
Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy is a surgical procedure that removes the tonsils, the adenoids, or both from the throat. This is often done to help with throat problems such as chronic sore throats, difficulty swallowing food, asthma, ear infections, and other respiratory problems.
Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy is done under general anesthesia and require little downtime, usually just a few days of bed rest. After recovery, patients may be sore for a few more days but otherwise experience no long-term side effects from Tonsillectomy.
Overall, Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy is an effective procedure that can eliminate throat pain, sleep apnea, and other medical issues caused by enlarged tonsils. If your child is suffering from chronic sore throats or sleep apnea, you should consult a Pediatric ENT for more information about what Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy entail.
Common throat issues pediatric ENTs deal with include tonsil stones, epiglottitis, laryngomalacia, and vocal cord paralysis. Pediatric ENT specialists know how to treat these conditions while considering a patient’s age and stage of development.
If your child has a sore throat, see an ENT that specializes in treating children. There are many different causes for a sore throat in children. Your pediatric ENT specialist will identify what the cause is so that you can better understand why your child is feeling pain and discomfort. They may recommend surgery if other serious health problems or injuries are involved. For instance, when there was an accident or injury to the neck area during sports, the problem was not identified immediately. It needs to be treated quickly, so complications do not occur.
Neck Masses
Neck masses are common in children. Some of the most common neck masses found in children include:
- Thyroglossal duct cysts
- Branchial cleft cysts
- Dermoid cysts
- Vascular malformations
- Hemangiomas
In order to determine the cause of a neck mass, a pediatric ENT will perform a physical examination and order diagnostic studies such as an ultrasound or CT scan. Treatment for these masses can vary depending on the type of mass found. Pediatric ENTs are experts at diagnosing and treating all types of neck masses.
Typical treatments may include medications (such as antibiotics), surgical removal, radiation therapy, or even chemotherapy. If your child has a neck mass and you’re looking for a specialist who will provide compassionate care while working with you to achieve the best outcome possible, you should trust treatment from an ENT.
Hoarseness
- Misuse or overuse of the voice
- Viruses
- Growths on the vocal cords
Treatment for hoarseness can include rest, antibiotics, antacids, or surgery. To determine an appropriate treatment, a doctor must first make a diagnosis. The doctor will do an exam and ask questions about the patient’s symptoms. From there, they will use diagnostic tests to rule out other possible conditions before creating a treatment plan for your child.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea symptoms include snoring, restless or interrupted sleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness. If your child is experiencing any of these, a Pediatric ENT can help with throat problems. Children are more likely to have sleep-disordered breathing than adults. A Pediatric ENT may be able to diagnose the problem by asking a few questions and performing an exam on your child while they’re sleeping.
Sleep apnea can be treated by removing any obstructions in the airway if any exist. Those with tonsils or adenoids will be examined to see if anything needs to be removed surgically. Depending on the diagnosis, different treatments could include devices like CPAP or surgery.
