Vestibular schwannoma is a benign (non-cancerous) tumor that grows on the eighth cranial nerve, which is responsible for hearing and balance. The tumors are rare, accounting for only five to seven percent of all brain tumors. However, for the part of the brain where they are located, called the cerebellopontine

People have one set of two vocal cords, also known as vocal folds, that work together in your voice box to produce sound. They open when you breathe in to let the air flow through your lungs, and they close and vibrate when you speak (this is called phonation). To produce adequate voice, both vocal cords

Turbinate hypertrophy refers to an excessive growth or enlargement of the turbinates, which are bony structures located inside the nose. They are covered with a special skin called mucosa, and they help filter, warm, and humidify the air as you breathe. The mucosa naturally swells during the normal nasal

Tonsillitis, also described as pharyngitis, refers to inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsils, which are lymph glands located in the back of the throat that are visible through the mouth. Typically, tonsillitis happens suddenly (acute). Some patients experience recurrent acute episodes of tonsillitis,

Tonsillitis, also described as pharyngitis, refers to inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsils, which are lymph glands located in the back of the throat that are visible through the mouth. Typically, tonsillitis happens suddenly (acute). Some patients experience recurrent acute episodes of tonsillitis,

Over 50 million Americans have experienced tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, which is the perception of sound without an external source being present. About one in five people with tinnitus have bothersome tinnitus, which negatively affects their quality of life and/or functional health. Tinnitus may

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the front of the neck. It produces thyroid hormone, which controls your metabolism, temperature regulation, and keeps your muscles and organs working properly. Diseases of the thyroid, whether functional (hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism)

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the front of the neck. It produces thyroid hormone, which controls your metabolism, temperature regulation, and keeps your muscles and organs working properly. Thyroid cancer is very common, particularly in women. It is now one of the most

Swimmer’s ear (also called acute otitis externa) is a painful condition that affects the outer ear and ear canal that is caused by infection, inflammation, or irritation. These symptoms often occur after water gets trapped in your ear, especially if the water has bacteria or fungal organisms in it.

Swimmer’s ear (also called acute otitis externa) is a painful condition that affects the outer ear and ear canal that is caused by infection, inflammation, or irritation. These symptoms often occur after water gets trapped in your ear, especially if the water has bacteria or fungal organisms in it.

Everybody gets a sore throat now and then. When you have a sore throat, this can affect speaking, swallowing, or breathing. Infections from viruses or bacteria are the main cause of sore throats, but allergies and sinus infections can also contribute. Some sore throats are worse than others. If you have

Nearly half of adults snore, and over 25 percent are habitual snorers. Problem snoring and sleeping disorders are more frequent in males and people who are overweight, and usually worsens with age. Snoring is bothersome to others, but it can also be a sign of a more serious condition known as obstructive

Have you ever felt like you had a cold that wouldn’t go away? If symptoms of discolored nasal drainage and blockage hang around for more than 10 days, or worsen after they start getting better, there’s a good chance you have sinusitis, an infection or inflammation of the sinuses. Sinuses are hollow

The salivary glands are found in and near your mouth, face, and neck. Dehydration is a risk factor for certain salivary gland disorders. To help maintain good oral health, it’s important to drink lots of liquid every day to promote good saliva production. The major salivary glands include the parotid

Otosclerosis describes a condition of abnormal bone growth around one of the three small bones in the middle ear space called the stapes. When bone around the stapes hardens, the bone cannot move freely, which limits the ability to properly transmit sound. This results in hearing loss; the less movement

Three million children under the age of 18 have some kind of hearing loss. At birth, one in 1,000 children have significant permanent hearing loss. When mild hearing loss is included, six in 1,000 children are affected. By age 18, 17 in 1,000 people have some degree of permanent hearing loss (this does

Three million children under the age of 18 have some kind of hearing loss. At birth, one in 1,000 children have significant permanent hearing loss. When mild hearing loss is included, six in 1,000 children are affected. By age 18, 17 in 1,000 people have some degree of permanent hearing loss (this does

Sinusitis (rhinosinusitis) in children can look different than sinusitis in adults. More often, children have a cough, bad breath, crankiness, low energy, and swelling around the eyes, along with a thick yellow-green nasal or post-nasal drip. Most of the time, children are diagnosed with viral sinusitis

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the throat. It has two lobes joined in the middle by a strip of tissue (the isthmus). The thyroid secretes three main hormones that control the body’s energy and growth: Thyroxine that contains iodine needed for growth and metabolism; Triiodothyronine

Glands in your nose and throat continually produce mucus, normally one to two quarts per day. Mucus moistens and cleans the nasal lining, moistens air, traps and clears what is inhaled, and helps fight infection. Mucus is normally swallowed unconsciously, but when there is a feeling of the mucus gathering

Cancer of the voice box, or laryngeal cancer, is not as well known by the general public as some other types of cancer, yet it is not a rare disease. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 13,150 new cases of laryngeal cancer (10,490 new cases in men and 2,660 new cases in women),

Hyposmia is a decreased sense of smell, or a decreased ability to detect odors through your nose. Anosmia is the inability to smell anything. These conditions are not very common. The smell is one of our most basic, important senses, and has meaning in our lives when it comes to enjoying a new sensation,

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the front of the neck. It produces thyroid hormone, which controls your metabolism, temperature regulation, and keeps your muscles and organs working properly. In hyperthyroidism, the thyroid gland is producing too much hormone. This excess

HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a sexually transmitted virus. It is not transmitted through casual contact. Many different subtypes of the virus exist, and it usually affects the throat or the reproductive tract. HPV can cause cancer, but not all HPV infections lead to cancer. Most people contract HPV

Hoarseness (also called dysphonia) is an abnormal change in the quality of your voice, making it sound raspy, strained, breathy, weak, higher or lower in pitch, inconsistent, fatigued, or shaky, often making it harder to talk. This usually happens when there is a problem in the vocal cords (or folds)

Each year, more than 55,000 Americans will develop cancer of the head and neck (most of which is preventable). Nearly 13,000 will die from cancer of the head and neck. Head and neck cancers are curable if caught early. Fortunately, most of them produce early symptoms. You should know the potential warning

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the front of the neck. It produces thyroid hormone, which controls your metabolism, temperature regulation, and keeps your muscles and organs working properly. Goiter refers to an enlarged thyroid gland. A single or multiple nodules, Graves’

Rhinitis is an inflammation of the mucous membranes or lining of the nasal cavity. Geriatric rhinitis, or rhinitis in senior patients, is a common but often neglected or overlooked condition because it is not life-threatening. Patients with geriatric rhinitis may have nasal obstruction or congestion,

Fungal sinusitis is a broad term used to describe various situations when fungus might be involved in the cause or symptoms of nasal and sinus inflammation. Fungus is an entirely separate “kingdom” from plants and animals; they are plant-like but cannot create their own food like plants do. Because

The bone and cartilage that divides the inside of the nose in half is called the nasal septum. The bone and cartilage are covered by a special skin called a mucous membrane that has many blood vessels in it. Ideally, the left and right nasal passageways are equal in size. However, it is estimated that

Dysgeusia is a condition where a person’s perception of taste is altered; everything seems sweet, sour, bitter, or metallic. Taste disorders are common in adults. A study performed on adults in the United States indicated that up to 17 percent of those tested had some impairment in taste. Impaired

Do you get spinning vertigo or dizziness sensation in certain head positions? For example, turning to a particular side when you’re lying in bed, or lying flat on your back without any pillows to support you, or tilting your head back to look up, or tilting your head down as if to tie your shoes? Is

The facial nerve controls the muscles of your face, ears, the saliva glands in your mouth, as well as the tears in your eyes, and provides some of the sense of taste on your tongue. Bell’s palsy occurs when the facial nerve is damaged by pressure or swelling and does not work properly, resulting in

Asthma is a very common condition of the lungs; about 25 million Americans experience it. During regular breathing with asthma, the passages within the lungs can become narrow and cause noisy breathing and shortness of breath. This condition can be brought on or worsened by activity, exercise, cold weather,

Swallowing is a complex process that changes over time, and swallowing difficulty (dysphagia) can be associated with aging. Changes in the tongue, upper throat (pharynx), vocal cords and voice box (larynx), and lower throat (esophagus) occur with aging. It has been estimated that more than 20 percent

Autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED) is an inflammatory condition caused by an uncontrolled immune system response that attacks the inner ear causing progressive sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) that usually starts in one ear and then affects the other ear. The body thinks a part of the inner ear should

Acid reflux occurs when acidic stomach contents flow back into the esophagus, the swallowing tube that leads from the back of the throat to the stomach. In some children, when reflux happens so frequently and is so severe that it causes complications, it is known as pediatric gastroesophageal reflux

Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS), also known as herpes zoster oticus, is a rare yet severe condition that causes facial weakness or paralysis and a rash on the outer ear. The same virus that causes chickenpox and shingles, the varicella-zoster virus, can spread and affect the facial nerve, which controls the

Hearing loss can be broadly separated into two categories: conductive (problems in delivering sound to the inner ear) and sensorineural (problems of the inner ear, or cochlea, and/or the auditory nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain). Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) happens when there is

Hyperacusis, or sensitive hearing, describes a problem in the way the brain’s central auditory processing center perceives noise, often leading to pain and discomfort. People with hyperacusis have a hard time tolerating sounds that are typically not loud to others, such as noise from running water,

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the front of the neck. It produces thyroid hormone, which controls your metabolism, temperature regulation, and keeps your muscles and organs working properly. Graves’ disease causes the thyroid gland to become overactive. It is an autoimmune

Acid reflux occurs when acidic stomach contents flow back into the esophagus, the swallowing tube that leads from the back of the throat to the stomach. When acid repeatedly “refluxes” from the stomach into the esophagus alone, it is known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, if the

Cholesteatoma is an abnormal skin growth or skin cyst trapped behind the eardrum, or the bone behind the ear. Cholesteatomas begin as a build-up of ear wax and skin, which causes either a lump on the eardrum or an eardrum retraction pocket. Over time, the skin collects and eventually causes problems

A "cleft" means a split or separation. A cleft palate refers to the roof of your mouth with or without the lip being split as well. Oral clefts are one of the most common birth defects. A child can be born with both a cleft lip and cleft palate, or a cleft in just one area. During normal fetal development

Hearing loss can be broadly separated into two categories: conductive and sensorineural (damage to tiny hair cells in the inner ear). Conductive hearing loss results when there is any problem in delivering sound energy to your cochlea, the hearing part in the inner ear. Common reasons for conductive

If the cricopharyngeal muscle (CPM) in your throat malfunctions or is impaired, this can cause you to have difficulty swallowing. The top valve of your esophagus (food pipe) is called the upper esophageal sphincter (UES), or pharyngoesophageal segment (PES). The CPM separates the esophagus and throat.

Ankyloglossia, which is also referred to as tongue-tie, is a condition where the tongue cannot move normally because it is attached to the floor of the mouth by the frenulum, which is too tight. The lingual frenulum is the band of tissue that attaches the undersurface of your tongue to the bottom part

A Zenker’s diverticulum (ZD) is a rare condition where an “outpouching” occurs where your throat meets your esophagus, the swallowing pipe that leads into your stomach. When this happens, a pouch forms and mucous, food, and/or liquid can become stuck instead of going down your esophagus and into

Spasmodic dysphonia (SD) is a voice disorder that causes involuntary spasms or contractions of the vocal cords, interrupting speech and affecting the quality of a person’s voice. The voice may sound broken, strained, or breathy depending on the type of SD. The two most common types of SD are the adductor

Sialadenitis is inflammation and enlargement of one or more of the salivary (spit) glands. The salivary glands are responsible for producing and storing saliva. The three major salivary glands are the “parotid” (on the sides of the face in front of the ears), “submandibular” (under the jaw),