UT ORL Update

Understanding the Mechanism of Allergen Immunotherapy

Amber Luong, MD, PhD     e-mail

      Over 50 million of people suffer from allergies a year in the United States. Many control their symptoms with over-the-counter medications and avoidance measures. A subset of allergy sufferers, approximately 3 million, has found relief with allergen immunotherapy. Read More »

Significance of Empty Sella in the Management of Spontaneous CSF Leaks

Samer Fakhri, MD     e-mail

      In the traditional classification of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks, spontaneous (or idiopathic) rhinorrhea is included under the “normal-pressure” category. As such, the absence of a recognizable etiology is axiomatic to the diagnosis of a spontaneous CSF leak. Over the last decade, however, a number of published studies described compelling demographic, clinical and radiographic characteristics common to most patients presenting with apparent spontaneous CSF leaks. Read More »

Radiesse®: A New Material for Vocal Fold Injection Augmentation

Ronda Alexander, MD     e-mail

      When considering vocal fold augmentation, the lynchpin of success is finding the perfect material for your patient’s indication. For those patients who are either unwilling or unsuitable for operative thyroplasty, injection medialization is an important alternative. There exist a wide array of materials of different origins and effective durations. Whether artificial and permanent, like polytetrofluoroethene (PTFE aka Teflon®), or autologous and transient, like adipose harvest, each substance has advantages, inadequacies and potential complications. The most recent addition to our armamentarium, Radiesse®, is no different in this sense. Read More »

The Emerging Role for Intraoperative Imaging in Surgical Rhinology

Martin J. Citardi, MD, FACS     e-mail

      Over the past 12-15 years, rhinologists and general otolaryngologists have increasingly embraced the use of intraoperative surgical navigation in more complex endoscopic procedures of the paranasal sinuses. The lack of real-time imaging updates that reflect the impact of surgical removal of and disruption of tissue has been commonly cited as a major shortcoming for surgical navigation. In the theory, the intraoperative acquisition of new images would represent a major advance. Two recent publications discuss intraoperative imaging in endoscopic sinus surgery and thus begin to elucidate a technological solution to this key shortcoming for surgical navigation. Read More »