Repair of a Right Sphenoid Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak
In 2020, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, clear watery fluid started running from Julia Ayala’s right nostril during the day and down her throat at night. A resident of Weslaco, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, Ayala saw her primary…
In-Office Temperature-Controlled Radiofrequency Remodeling of the Nasal Airway
Julio Avelar suffered from severe nasal congestion on the left side and had difficulty breathing, particularly at night. “To be honest, I’d had the problem for almost 10 years,” he says. “Some time before that, I saw a doctor who…
After Extensive Testing for Rare Disorders, An Adenoidectomy Provides a Cure
By the time Borris Akins’s mother found Zhen “Jane” Huang, MD, MBA, CPO, a pediatric otolaryngologist in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Borris had seen specialists from A to Z for a range of…
Facelift and Removal of a Parathyroid Adenoma with Hidden Scar
Asia Mohsin, MD, a Houston-area obstetrician / gynecologist, suffered from insomnia, fatigue, excessive thirst, recurrent urinary tract infections, and gastroesophageal reflux disease beginning in 2017. In the years that followed, she presented twice in an emergency department with severe chest…
A Patient Benefits from Transnasal Endoscopic Surgery for a Sphenoid Inverted Papilloma
The sphenoid sinus is a rare location for an inverted nasal papilloma, a usually benign but occasionally invasive and locally destructive tumor. Primary treatment is almost always surgery, made complex by difficult access and proximity to the internal carotid artery…
81-Year-Old Jo Anne Jones Returns to Barrel Racing After Surgery for a Sphenoid Mucocele
The first time it happened, Jo Ann Jones was competing in a barrel race in Glen Rose, Texas. “We ran down that alleyway and had a good first barrel, and I remember heading toward the second. Then I blacked out…
A Patient with Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea Benefits from Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation
Jim Pollard was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) 15 years ago, after his cardiologist ordered a sleep study. When he was fitted with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, he discovered that he is among the 50% of…
Eosinophilic Sialodochitis: A Rare Condition That Could Be Diagnosed Only Through Sialendoscopy
One evening in the mid-2010s, Sharon Robertson’s face swelled after eating. “I had a stone in one of my salivary gland ducts, and it popped out on its own.” This was a first clue that would lead to her eventual…
Advanced Imaging and Surgical Skill Lead to Successful Removal of a Parathyroid Adenoma
After Paul Fertsch broke his ankle in 2023, he started slowing down. “I couldn’t walk 25 feet without being exhausted. We thought it was related to my ankle, but my wife also noticed that my personality had changed,” Fertsch says….
Diagnosing and Treating Acute Adult-Onset Sinusitis
Roger Zimmerman, who celebrated his 58th birthday this year, has had “sinus problems” his entire life. He continued to suffer sinus infections seven to eight times a year, and he received steroid shots and antibiotics frequently. “Finally I got tired…