Tests, treatments, and services

Children's can treat your child's common and severe or rare ENT conditions. Some tests and treatments for general ENT disorders include:

• Nasal endoscopy
• Imaging
• Ear tubes
• Endoscopic sinus surgery
• Deviated septum surgery (also called septoplasty)
• Medication

Enlarged tonsils and adenoids are the most common cause of airway blockage in children. The most common treatment is surgery; more specifically:

• Tonsillectomy
• Adenoidectomy

Other tests and treatments might include:

• X-ray
• Surgery
• Evaluation of the airway with a scope
• Abscess drainage

Our specialized team diagnoses and treats pediatric hearing loss. Different tests and treatments include:

• Hearing test
• Hearing aids
• Cochlear implants
• Special training
• Medicines
• Surgery

Our voice clinic team is staffed by physicians and therapists from a variety of specialties. They work together to diagnose your child's condition and create a customized treatment plan.

Voice clinic treatment procedures

• Viewing the upper airway including the voice box (also called videostroboscopy)
• Viewing the lungs (also called bronchoscopy)
• Vocal fold injection (also called injection laryngoplast)

Our multi-disciplinary Aerodigestive Disorders Program provides a comprehensive approach to treating children with complex feeding and airway issues, including swallowing disorders. The clinic is staffed with specialists from different disciplines who will evaluate your child's conditions and work as a team to devise a treatment plan.

Children typically seen in the clinic may have other conditions and therefore they may require a variety of treatments. Some include:

• Changing your child's diet
• Drug therapy
• Surgery
• Feeding tubes

There are a wide range of facial and neck mass disorders and each one has specific tests and treatments. Depending on which disorder your child has, one or more of the following tests and treatments could be performed to diagnose and treat the face and neck mass disorder.

• MRI and CAT scans
• X-rays
• Ultrasound
• Biopsy
• Blood and urine tests
• Abscess drainage
• Stretching exercises and infant stimulation
• Antibiotic medication
• Surgical removal
• Lymphangiogram (LAG) test of the lymphatic system
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation
• Bone marrow transplant

Our ENT Program works in conjunction with our Center for Craniofacial Disorders to devise treatment plans for children with common to complex disorders and plastic surgery needs.

• Treatment and surgery for cleft lip and cleft palate disorders are done at our Cleft Lip and Palate program.
• Birthmarks and vascular irregularities are treated at our Birthmarks & Vascular Anomalies Center.

Tests and treatments of craniofacial disorders may include:

• Surgery
• Helmet or remodeling band for the head (orthotics)
• Observation (in the case of certain birthmarks)
• Medication and/or oral steroids
• Laser therapy

Children's ENT physicians are here to help when a face injury occurs. We will first ensure that your child's airway is still open and he or she can breathe. If you determine the face injury to be an emergency, take your child to the emergency room or dial 911.

Treatments for face injuries include:

• Bandages and wound treatment
• Stitches (or suturing open wounds)
• Ice
• Antibiotics and pain killers
• Moving bones back into place
• Surgery

Children's is one of approximately five hospitals in the U.S. with the expertise to care for infants and children with complex tracheal disorders. Our ENT physicians work in conjunction with a cardiothoracic surgeon (heart and lung surgeon) in treating tracheal disorders. Tests and treatments include:

• Breathing tests (also called pulmonary function tests).
• X-rays
• Procedure to view lungs (also called bronchoscopy)
• Procedure to view the larynx and vocal cords (also called microlaryngoscopy)
• Guided tube procedure (through mouth and into esophagus)
• Biopsy
• Surgery
• Observation

We treat kids who are dependent on a tube and/or ventilator to help them breathe long term. Our ENT physicians work with the Pulmonary Medicine program to devise treatments for children with complicated breathing issues. Our caring staff will also work with your family to devise long term occupational therapy solutions.

We have a number of multi-disciplinary programs to treat various conditions. ENT physicians lead the following programs (and other medical specialists contribute):

• Koss Cochlear Implant program
• Airway and Digestive Disorders program
• Saliva Control program
• Pediatric Facial Plastic program
• Multi-disciplinary Sinus program
• Voice program

ENT physicians participate in the following programs in which specialists from other areas lead.

• Vascular Anomalies program (led by Dermatology)
• Cleft lip/cleft palate (led by Craniofacial)
• Tracheal team (led by Cardiothoracic Surgery)
• Tracheostomy/ventilator program (led by Pulmonary department)
• Maternal Fetal Medicine
• Velocardiofacial program (led by Genetics)