UT ORL Update

Samar Fakhri, MD Professor   One of the most exciting aspects of attending scientific meetings is to explore new products and technologies presented during the program sessions or showcased by the exhibitors.  At the recent Combined Otolaryngology Society Meetings (COSM)…

Soham Roy, MD,FACS,FAAP Professor, Director   As we move toward a world where medical treatments are judged not by pizzazz but by efficacy and cost-effectiveness, evidence-based medicine (EBM) has become the new thrust of medical education and practice.  Along with…

Yitzhak Etan Weinstock, MD Assistant Professor   The term “goiter” simply refers to an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland.  There are multiple causes of goiters and their presence does not necessarily indicate that the thyroid gland is malfunctioning on…

Sancak Yuksel, MD Associate Professor   As we all know, normal hearing is binaural. Binaural hearing provides some major benefits: better and targeted hearing in a noisy environment, better localization of sounds, and more natural and balanced hearing quality. If…

Amber Luong, MD, PhD Associate Professor   Johnson & Johnson recently announced its acquisition of Acclarent for over $800 million. This acquisition and the recent survey for new CPT codes for the balloon sinus ostial dilation beg the question as…

Ron J. Karni, MD Associate Professor & Chief   Patients with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC) exhibit excellent rates of disease control and survival with total thyroidectomy and post-operative radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy. In the United States, overall survival is greater…

Tang Ho, MD Associate Professor Nasal obstruction secondary to anatomic nasal deformities is a fairly routine problem seen by the otolaryngologists in the office, usually in the setting of someone who has failed medical management. While routine septoplasty and inferior…

Tang Ho, MD Associate Professor The reconstruction of a subtotal to total lower lip defect, whether it be due to trauma or cancer resection, presents a significant challenge for the plastic and reconstructive surgeon. In addition to the clear immediate…

Ron J. Karni, MD Associate Professor & Chief Lip cancer is the most common malignant lesion of the oral cavity, constituting 25-30% of all oral cavity cancer cases. It is the second most common malignancy of the head and neck…

Martin J. Citardi, MD Professor & Chair Every day, physicians rely upon Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) to report their services for payment by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and other third-party payers. Increasingly, CPT coding captures quality…