Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Services
The ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists work to help you hear, speak, breathe, swallow, and maintain balance. Many different conditions can cause problems with these functions and our ENT consultants can help diagnose and treat a broad range of conditions in adults and children.
Make an ENT Appointment
We offer treatment for conditions of the ear, nose, and throat at UPMC locations in:
ENT Conditions We Treat
Our consultants treat:
- Allergic rhinitis: Sneezing, itching, runny nose, and watery eyes caused when something you're allergic to gets in your nose.
- Ear infections: Pain and hearing issues caused by fluid and mucus build-up in the middle ear. Ear infections are common in young children.
- Nasal conditions: Factors affecting how you breathe, caused by conditions like nasal polyps (growths), a deviated septum, broken nose, or rhinitis (swollen nose and sinus tissues).
- Sinus disease: Headache, cough, pressure, or sore throat caused when sinuses become infected due to virus or bacteria.
- Tonsillitis: Swelling in the tonsils (soft tissues in the throat) due to a virus or bacterial infection.
Specialised Ear, Nose, and Throat Services at UPMC
UPMC consultants provide comprehensive examinations of the ear, nose, and throat (ENT). We offer a range of specialised services to treat and correct ENT conditions.
Nose and throat procedures
We treat problems with breathing, speaking, and swallowing using procedures such as:
- Adenoidectomy: Removal of the adenoids that are in the throat that help trap germs from the mouth and nose.
- Endoscopic sinus surgery: Surgery to improve air flow in the sinuses. We do this surgery with an endoscope, a thin tube with a lighted camera.
- ENT endoscopy: Removal of masses or nasal polyps from the nose or sinuses using an endoscope.
- Laryngoscopy: Examination of the throat and larynx (voice box). Consultants may do this exam with a thin instrument called a laryngoscope.
- Microlaryngeal surgery (phonosurgery): Surgery to correct voice disorders and remove scarring on tissue in the larynx.
- Septoplasty: Surgery to fix problems with the septum (bone, cartilage, and membranes dividing the nasal cavity).
- Sinoscopy: Examination of the sinuses with an endoscope.
- Submucosal diathermy of interior turbinates: A procedure that opens the airway in the nose by shrinking the turbinate, a membrane-covered bone.
- Tonsillectomy: Removal of the tonsils, soft tissues in the throat, that help fight infections.
We offer functional endoscopic sinus surgery to help open the sinuses and improve drainage. Our team also provides reduction of nasal fracture after trauma, such as an injury or vehicle accident. Sometimes, a mass or “stone" may form in the submandibular gland, one of the glands that produces saliva. Our consultants use submandibular gland excision to relieve pain and help prevent infection.
Ear procedures
We use specialised procedures to drain fluid, reduce pain, and improve hearing. These include:
- Grommet insertion: Our consultants place small tubes in your child's ears to drain fluid. These tubes, or grommets, fall out on their own between six months and one year.
- Mastoidectomy: We remove infected cells and bone from the space behind the ear.
- Otoplasty: During this surgery, we change the shape or position of the ears. We correct congenital conditions (present at birth) or conditions due to injury.
- Tympanoplasty: During this procedure, we repair the eardrum to improve hearing.
- Cholesteatoma surgery (combined approach tympanoplasty): Our consultants remove cholesteatoma, a skin cyst. These cysts, located in the middle ear and mastoid bone, may be present at birth or form after chronic ear infections.
Why Choose UPMC for Ear, Nose, and Throat Care?
We are long term partners of the HSE (Health Service Executive) and private insurers and work diligently to ensure everyone has equal access high quality, healthcare delivered in a timely fashion.
Our consultants specialise in diagnosing and treating ear, nose, and throat conditions.
We offer referrals for other services throughout the UPMC network and work closely with our audiology team to diagnose and treat hearing issues.