Articles

Acute sinusitis is an infection of the paranasal sinus cavities. The majority of infections are viral, and will resolve without treatment. Some infections are bacterial or will become bacterial over time (typically 7 - 10 days) and may require antibiotic treatment. Most bacterial infections are successfully

Allergic rhinitis is an inflammatory condition of the nose. The nasal lining reacts to allergens that are breathed into the nose, which may result in runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion and obstruction, itchy, watery eyes, and dark circles under the eyes (allergic shiners), among other symptoms. Treatment

Anosmia is the loss of the sense of smell. Anosmia may have many different causes. Viral infection, head trauma, surgery, allergies, chronic sinusitis, sinonasal polyps, benign, or malignant tumors may cause anosmia. Some patients have no identified cause. If no obvious cause is seen on exam, a CT or

Chronic sinusitis may either be an infection of the paranasal sinus cavities lasting more than 12 weeks, or chronic inflammation of the sinus lining, which may result in obstruction (blockage) of the normal sinus drainage. Treatment options include medical therapy and surgery. Medical treatment may include

Septal deviations can be congenital or acquired after trauma, surgical intervention, or other conditions. Deviation may cause obstruction of nasal breathing, increasing the likelihood of sinus infections and nasal drainage. Septal deviation may also contribute to curvature of the external nasal appearance.

Dysphagia refers to difficulty swallowing. Swallowing difficulty may arise from abnormalities in the mouth, throat, esophagus, or from neurologic or muscular disorders. Treatment initially is aimed at discerning a cause of the dysphagia and may require further testing via x-ray exams (barium swallow,

Ear pain can arise from problems of the ear such as infections, or can be caused by referred pain - pathology from elsewhere in the head and neck that causes pain in the ear without actually having any abnormalities of the ear. Other sources include diseases of the throat (tonsillitis, benign ulcers,

Epistaxis is bleeding from the nose. It most commonly occurs from the front of the septum, and may be aggravated by trauma or dry / cool environments. Bleeding may also occur from areas more posteriorly in the nose, and these sites usually result in more severe bleeding. Epistaxis may be treated with

Sensorineural hearing loss is defined as a loss of hearing caused by problems occurring in the inner ear and auditory (hearing) nerve. Causes may include aging, genetic-associated loss (hereditary), noise exposure or noise trauma, infections, congenital syndromes, inflammatory or auto-immune diseases,

Hoarseness may be defined as any change in vocal quality. Hoarseness may be described as breathy, coarse, gravelly, or weak, among many other descriptions. Hoarseness may be caused by diseases of the vocal fold - infection, inflammation, neoplasms (growths - may be benign or cancerous), neurologic, or