Children come from all over the Gulf South to be treated by Ochsner’s pediatric otolaryngologists. There are only four fellowship-trained ENT specialists double boarded in pediatrics and in ENT in the entire world, and one of them is here at Ochsner. What’s more, our doctors consistently make New Orleans Magazine’s list of “New Orleans Best Doctors.”

The team also includes a pediatric nurse practitioner with 10 years experience as a neonatal intensive nurse, special pediatric anesthesiologists and pediatric nurses to care for children requiring surgery. We don’t just know how to treat children, we know how to talk to children and calm their fears.

Whether your child needs a consultation for a common problem, ongoing care for a chronic illness, treatment for a rare condition, or emergency care, our team can help. We work side by side with specialists in pulmonology, gastroenterology, nutrition, audiology and speech-language pathology, as well as your child’s pediatrician, to achieve the best results possible.

Together, we deliver outstanding care to patients from newborns to age 21. And we treat children with development disabilities for their entire lives. Referrals aren’t required unless mandated by insurance.

Ear and hearing disorders

• Ear Infection (otitis media)
• Cholesteatoma (skin cyst in the middle ear)
• Perforated eardrum
• Hearing loss including hearing aid and cochlear implant evaluations
• Bone conduction devices (such as BAHA)

Nasal problems

• Enlarged or infected adenoids
• Nasal obstruction
• Nasal masses
• Sinus Infections
• Nosebleeds
• Choanal atresia or stenosis

Throat disorders

• Enlarged or infected tonsils
• Snoring with sleep disorders due to large tonsils and adenoids
• Snoring after tonsils and adenoids have been removed
• Swallowing problems

Voice and speech conditions

• Hoarseness
• Vocal cord paraysis
• Hypernasal speech – air escaping through the nose with speech
• Hyponasal speech – speech that sounds as if the child is constantly congested
• Speech delays
• Velopharyngeal incompetence or insufficiency

Airway disorders

• Foreign body in airway
• Laryngomalacia
• Laryngeal clefts
• Masses including recurrent respiratory papilloma and airway hemangiomas
• Laryngotracheal stenosis
• Stridor (noisy breathing)
• Tracheotomy evaluation and removal (by treating underlying condition)
• Vocal cord paralysis

Head and neck masses

• Congenital cysts, fistulas or lesions
• Enlarged or diseased lymph nodes
• Salivary gland mass
• Thyroid tumor or mass
• Vascular anomalies such as hemangioma or lymphatic malformations

Our team cares for children who have developed ear, nose or throat problems as a result of:

• Asthma
• Allergies
• Bleeding disorders
• Cerebral palsy
• Craniofacial anomalies
• Cystic fibrosis
• Developmental delay
• Down syndrome (and other chromosomal abnormalities)

Multidisciplinary care

Ochsner Pediatric Otolaryngology offers several multidisciplinary clinics to help your children with the most complex problems.

• The Pediatric Aerodigestive Program takes a collaborative approach to problem solving. Depending on your child’s needs, he or she will receive expert care from a multidisciplinary team, including a pediatric ENT, a pulmonologist, a gastroenterologist, a dietician and a speech therapist.
• Craniofacial Team provides multidisciplinary care for your children with craniofacial issues. Your child will be seen by a a pediatric ENT, a pediatric plastic surgeon, speech therapist, and pediatrician
• Velopharyngeal insufficiency clinic (VPI). For children with VPI we provide a collaborative approach between a pediatric ENT and speech therapist to develop a tailored treatment plan for your child
• Coordinated care with pediatric endocrinology for children with thyroid tumors or grave’s disease
• Combined care with laryngology for children with vocal cord paralysis
• Combined and coordinated care with hematology/oncology and head & neck cancer surgery for children with head and neck tumors

Ochsner Hospital for Children is home to a high-tech microscopy suite allowing for immediate and accurate diagnosis of ear disorders. Regardless of the size of the child’s ears, the ears can be completely cleaned and examined at the time of the initial visit.

We are one of the few places in Louisiana that can diagnose hearing loss in children at any age. If your child fails an a neonatal hearing test in the nursery your child can be seen promptly, the ears will be completely cleaned and an unsedated auditory brain stem response testing (ABR) will be done. ABR (auditory brain stem response) testing is an extremely accurate method for determining hearing levels in children who have hearing loss.

We have cutting-edge video endoscopy equipment that allows for accurate airway diagnoses on the initial visit without the use of anesthesia. We can perform an endoscopy while your child is still awake, right here in the clinic, instead of putting your child under general anesthesia.

Ochsner’s pediatric ENTs offer a wide variety of diagnostic and treatment options, including advanced, minimally invasive surgical techniques.