Pediatric Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose and Throat - ENT)
Ear infections are the single most common illness diagnosed by pediatricians in the U.S. At Ochsner Hospital for Children, a team led by three fellowship-trained pediatric ENTs, or otolaryngologists, provide family-focused care for ear infections, as well as, a host of other diseases of the head and neck.
Why Ochsner Otolaryngologists?
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, 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.
Conditions We Treat
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 mass
- Sinus Infections
- Nosebleeds
- Choanal atresia or stenosis
Throat disorders
- Enlarged or infected tonsils
- Snoring with sleep disorders due to large tonsils and adenoids
- Swallowing problems
- Vocal problems
Voice and speech conditions
- Hoarseness
- 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 throat
- Laryngomalacia
- 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)
- Immune deficiency
- Muscular dystrophy
- Organ transplants
- Premature birth
Ochsner’s pediatric ENTs offer a wide variety of diagnostic and treatment options, including advanced, minimally invasive surgical techniques.
The Best Equipment for the Best Outcomes
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 ALGO (a neonatal hearing test) in the nursery your child can be seen promptly, the ears will be completely cleaned and a repeat ALGO can be done the same day. Same-day appointments are often available.
We are also one of the few places in the state that offers sedated ABR testing. ABR (auditory brain stem response) testing is an extremely accurate method for determining hearing levels in children who are too young to evaluate with standard audiological testing.
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.