department of otolaryngology Archives
Novel research explores way to restore silenced voices
Mar. 22, 2018—A 2011 cicada swarm is leading to transinstitutional research at the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE) and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) to develop a surgical planning tool to help restore speech for people with vocal fold paralysis.
Botox for the shaky voice
Mar. 14, 2018—Vanderbilt investigators found that Botox injection into the vocal cords can lead to improved quality of life for patients with voice muscle problems.
VUMC mourns renowned neurotologist Glasscock
Feb. 22, 2018—Renowned neurotologist Michael E. Glasscock III, MD, adjunct professor of Otolaryngology, died Feb. 17 in the home he shared with his daughter, Martina Glasscock Barnes, in Asheville, North Carolina. He was 84. The cause of death was kidney disease.
How six cups of ground coffee can improve nose, throat surgery
Jun. 20, 2017—Vanderbilt engineers have designed a “granular jamming cap” filled with coffee grounds that can improve the accuracy of the sophisticated “GPS” system that surgeons use for nose and throat surgery.
New clinic focuses on patients with rare ear malformations
Jun. 8, 2017—Having a child born without an external ear or ear canal can be a scary and confusing experience for parents, and finding medical care for the rare condition has meant having to travel to several distant medical centers for treatment options.
Eavey honored by Saint Joseph’s University
May. 18, 2017—Ron Eavey, M.D., Guy M. Maness Professor and chair of Otolaryngology and director of the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, received the 2017 Edward C. Bradley S.J., M.D., Medical Alumni Award from the Saint Joseph’s University Medical Alumni Chapter at its annual awards event on its Philadelphia campus on April 23.
Undiagnosed taste, smell issues focus of new clinic
Feb. 23, 2017—People who have problems with their sense of smell or taste and don’t know the cause have a new treatment option at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center.
New technique helps ease ear tumor surgery
Feb. 16, 2017—Last fall, the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center became the second facility in the country and third in the world to use a fully endoscopic surgical technique to remove an acoustic neuroma, a rare benign tumor on the balance and hearing nerves.
International patients finding their way to Bill Wilkerson Center
Feb. 16, 2017—Patients are coming to the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center from around the globe, discovering the center’s world-class services through social media. One such person is Sophia Pafitis, who traveled to Vanderbilt last year from the Australian island of Tasmania.
New lab spaces emblematic of Otolaryngology’s growth
Feb. 2, 2017—To understand the phenomenal growth of research in the Department of Otolaryngology, step inside the S corridor on the second floor of Medical Center North. That is the location of the department’s gleaming new Laryngeal Biology Laboratory, which occupies the previous footprint of several smaller labs that have now been combined into a shared modern space.
Studies find tonsillectomies offer only modest benefits
Jan. 26, 2017—Removing tonsils modestly reduced throat infections in the short term in children with moderate obstructive sleep-disordered breathing or recurrent throat infections, according to a systematic review conducted by the Vanderbilt Evidence-based Practice Center for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Many options available to treat wide range of sleep disorders
Jan. 12, 2017—Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder in which people experience repetitive obstructions of their breathing multiple times per night. It is a common condition, and has been associated with many health problems including daytime tiredness, high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke, said David Kent, M.D., assistant professor of Otolaryngology.
