Head And Neck Surgery

At Texas ENT Center we provide a thorough evaluation of the head and neck region.  A concern for many patients is whether or not they have cancer.  There are approximately 110,000 cases of head and neck cancer diagnosed each year in the United States.  Many of these can be prevented; smoking is the leading risk factor for head and neck cancer.  Symptoms of head and neck cancer include: a lump in the neck, changes in voice, trouble swallowing, a growth in the mouth, persistent earache, weight loss, and bleeding. Many times these symptoms may be present but they are not caused by a cancer rather due to some other condition.  At Texas ENT Center, we can help determine this, perform the necessary diagnostic tests, and eventually treat many of these conditions.  Our office is equipped for ultrasound fine needle biopsies and diagnostic nasolaryngoscopy.

Conditions:

• Neck masses
• Thyroid/Parathyroid problems
• Salivary tumors
• Cancers of the head and neck region
• Skin cancer

Diagnostic Tests:

• Flexible Laryngoscopy
• Videostroboscopy
• In-office biopsy
• Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration biopsy

Treatment:

• Thyroidectomy - A Thyroidectomy is a surgical procedure that removes all or part of your thyroid gland. This can be done for thyroid cancer, goiter (enlarged thyroid), or suspicious thyroid nodules. If part of the thyroid is excised (lobectomy) this is generally done as an outpatient surgery. When the entire thyroid is removed an overnight admission is typically performed to monitor calcium levels. For more information on thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer visit the American Academy of Otolaryngology.
  
• Parathyroidectomy - A Parathyroidectomy is a surgical procedure that removes one or more of the parathyroid glands.  Parathyroid glands are small glands around the thyroid gland that serve to control calcium and phosphate levels in your body.  These glands may need to be removed for tumors of the parathyroid gland or in certain cases of hyperparathyroidism (elevated parathyroid hormone).
• Submandibular gland resection - The submandibular gland is a salivary gland located just below your jaw that helps create saliva. Many conditions can affect this gland requiring removal.  This includes tumors, recurrent/chronic infections. and stones causing blockage and severe pain. It is typically an outpatient procedure and recovery is a few days to a week. For more information about the salivary glands go to the American Academy of Otolaryngology.
• Parotidectomy - A Parotidectomy is surgical procedure to removal of the parotid gland. The parotid gland is located in front of the ear just lateral to the jaw bone. It serves to provide saliva to the mouth. The parotid gland may be required to be removed due to tumors, cancer, recurrent infections, or stones. Depending on the diagnosis the surgery can be an outpatient procedure or require hospitalization. For more information about the parotid gland and salivary diseases please visit the American Academy of Otolaryngology.
• Neck dissection - A procedure in which the neck is explored and lymph nodes and concerning masses are excised. This is typically needed for certain types of cancer treatments or in the workup of neck masses.