Pediatric Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose and Throat — ENT)

What makes pediatric otolaryngology at Ochsner Children's exceptional? 

• Convenient care: Ochsner Children's offers 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: Ochsner Children's has been ranked No. 1 hospital for kids in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report.

• 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.

Our pediatric otolaryngology team at Ochsner Children's diagnoses and treats the following conditions:

• 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.

"The best birthday present you can get is the gift to hear. And it's not just a gift for us, but a gift for her." - Kennedie P., mother of Kynzlee, a pediatric ENT patient

"They've changed her life completely. The child she is today is able to communicate with people. They've changed her life and ours, as well." - Lucia M., mother of Tilly, a pediatric patient

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.

Pediatric otolaryngology is a field of medicine focusing on ear, nose and throat (ENT) conditions in infants, children and adolescents, including common issues like ear infections and tonsillitis, as well as complex problems like congenital head and neck defects, sleep apnea and airway abnormalities. Some conditions may require surgery.

During the fall and winter, viral upper respiratory infections become more common. These often begin as colds but can lead to middle ear infections (otitis media), tonsillitis, sinusitis or infected neck lymph nodes.

You should see a pediatric ENT if your child has frequent ear infections, persistent snoring or noisy breathing (this could be sleep apnea), chronic congestion, hearing loss signs (like delayed speech or asking "what" often), frequent heavy nosebleeds, or lasting swallowing or throat issues like tonsillitis or drooling, as these indicate problems beyond typical childhood illnesses that need specialized care.