Pediatric Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose and Throat — ENT)

What makes pediatric otolaryngology at Ochsner exceptional? Many factors set us apart, including:

• Convenient care. Who wants to travel far to find pediatric ear, nose and throat care? We don’t think you should have to. That’s why we offer pediatric otolaryngology services throughout Louisiana. Virtual appointments are also available for Louisiana residents.

• Leading-edge technology. The microscopy suite at Ochsner Children’s Hospital features sophisticated equipment that allows our team to quickly diagnose ear disorders. We can diagnose hearing loss even in the youngest children using auditory brain stem response testing. If your child has an airway problem, we can use endoscopy, which involves sending a scope down the nose or throat, to find the cause. Sometimes, we can perform this procedure while your child is awake.

• Nationally ranked services. U.S. News & World Report ranked Ochsner’s otolaryngology program among the top 50 in the U.S.

Team approach to care. Our pediatric otolaryngologists and advanced practice providers don’t just work with each other on diagnosis and treatment. They also team up with a variety of pediatric specialists, including endocrinologists, plastic surgeons, pulmonologists, gastroenterologists, audiologists, oncologists and speech-language pathologists. We also offer multidisciplinary clinics for children with aerodigestive conditions, craniofacial conditions and velopharyngeal insufficiency, as well as for children with complex tracheostomy tubes and ventilator dependence.

The Ochsner pediatric otolaryngology team sees patients in communities throughout Louisiana, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Covington, Prairieville, Gretna and Destrehan. Find a location near you.

• Airway disorders. We treat a wide range of conditions affecting children’s airways. These include foreign bodies or masses in the airway, narrowing of the upper airway and problems with the larynx, or voice box.

• Ear and hearing disorders. What child hasn’t had an ear infection? Some children, however, develop ear infections over and over again. Our team treats recurrent ear infections, perforated eardrums and cysts in the middle ear, among other hearing-related problems. We also perform bone anchored hearing aid and cochlear implant surgery.

• Head and neck masses. The pediatric otolaryngology team treats problems with the lymph nodes, blood vessels, congenital cysts or masses and thyroid and salivary glands.

• Nasal conditions. These conditions include sinus infections, enlarged or infected adenoids, nasal obstructions, polyps, masses and recurrent nosebleeds.

• Snoring and sleep disorders. Snoring can be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, which is when muscles in the airway interfere with breathing during sleep. Large tonsils, adenoids and other structures in the head and neck can cause obstructive sleep apnea.

• Throat disorders. We treat swallowing conditions and enlarged or infected tonsils.

• Voice and speech conditions. Various problems can affect children’s vocal abilities, including chronic hoarseness, vocal cord paralysis and speech delays.

Our team also treats ear, nose and throat issues related to other medical conditions, such as asthma, allergies, craniofacial conditions, cystic fibrosis, and developmental delays and disorders.

The pediatric otolaryngology team will work with your child’s pediatrician and other specialists to develop a treatment plan that best fits your child’s needs. Not every child will require surgery, but our team performs a variety of surgical procedures, including complex operations to treat airway and sleep conditions. Our treatments include:

• Airway surgery. Our otolaryngologists perform open, or large-incision, surgeries, as well as minimally invasive endoscopic procedures. We offer laryngotracheal reconstruction to treat narrowed airways. Our specialists also care for children who are dependent on tracheostomy tubes to help them breathe.

• Implantable devices for ear and hearing disorders. We offer a variety of bone-anchored hearing aids. We also offer cochlear implants, which send messages to the brain via the auditory nerve. Cochlear implants may help children with severe hearing loss.

• Multidisciplinary care for head and neck tumors. We coordinate with pediatric endocrinologists to treat thyroid diseases and tumors. Our otolaryngologists perform head and neck surgery to remove tumors and masses.

• Procedures for sleep problems. Our team performs complex procedures to treat obstructive sleep apnea. A minimally invasive procedure called sleep endoscopy may be appropriate for patients who didn’t find relief following standard tonsil or adenoid surgery.

• Swallowing disorders surgery. Surgery is available to repair a laryngeal cleft, which is an abnormal space between the voice box and esophagus that can allow food and liquid to enter the lungs.

Children who get many difficult-to-treat ear infections that cause serious problems, such as hearing loss, may be good candidates for surgery to place small tubes in the eardrums. These tubes help equalize air pressure between the middle ear and outside and drain fluid.

Many children snore, and it’s not always a cause for concern. However, snoring can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, perhaps due to oversized tonsils or adenoids. If your child snores, tell your child’s pediatrician. He or she may refer your child to a pediatric otolaryngologist.

This condition is also called stridor. The most common cause in babies is laryngomalacia, which is when voice box tissues partially block the airway when a baby inhales. A pediatric otolaryngologist can determine whether your baby needs treatment. Most babies outgrow noisy breathing.