With the all-consuming grind of seeing patients, it is often difficult for head and neck surgeons to sit back and ask some important questions: Just how well are we doing our jobs?



Mounting evidence suggests that human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal cancer has an improved prognosis compared with HPV-negative disease. The most recent supportive evidence comes from an analysis of a Phase III trial presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
When a 30-year-old woman from Colombia who had had severe stenosis from airway tuberculosis was referred to the University College London Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, there were more questions than answers.

SAN DIEGO-How much will I make? That question is, understandably, front and center for many otolaryngology residents and fellows weighing their first career opportunity.

SAN DIEGO-For patients who undergo surgery for obstructive sleep apnea, failure of surgery to achieve success presents a number of challenges to otolaryngologists. First and foremost is the challenge of correctly assessing the outcome of surgery followed by the need to choose additional therapy tailored to the particular needs of each patient.


Nasal polyposis has been a source of suffering for patients and a vexing problem for doctors. Polyps are associated with so many different conditions-from aspirin intolerance to infections-so figuring out the body’s processes that bring polyposis about has been a tall order.

Are there racial and ethnic disparities in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis presenting for sinus surgery? According to one recent study, the answer is yes. The nasal polyp population consists of a larger portion of nonwhite patients who tend to present with worse disease, and certain subgroups have worse quality-of-life scores.

Injection laryngoplasty (IL) performed in the office with the patient awake yields similar results as when it is performed with the patient asleep, researchers have found in a case-control study.

The otolaryngologists and pediatric surgeons who watched President Obama’s July 22 press conference must have been astonished to hear themselves vilified by the Health Care Reformer-in-Chief.