Otorhinolaryngology and Neurosurgery Team Up to Maximize the Outcome for a Patient with Pituitary Tumor
After an unexplained “brain glitch” led to the discovery of a large pituitary tumor, retired corrosion engineer Niell Strickland joined the ranks of patients who have benefited from the teamwork of rhinologist William Yao, MD , and neurosurgeon Spiros Blackburn,…
Laryngotracheal Reconstruction: A Long-awaited Resolution for Jayda Hector
Pediatric otolaryngologist Sancak Yuksel, MD has provided care for Jayda Hector since shortly after she was born in October 2010 at just 26 weeks’ gestation. After 12 trips to the OR at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, the six-year-old girl was…
Beyond Septoplasty and Turbinate Reduction: Correction of Nasal Valve Stenosis Adds Synergy to the Mix
It’s not uncommon for patients to continue to have breathing problems after undergoing various procedures for obstructive sleep apnea and snoring. Among those who failed to find relief from prior surgeries, including maxillomandibular advancement (MMA), is 56-year-old Rick Smith, who…
Ishaan Pavuluri Makes a Comeback
On Easter Sunday 2016, three-year-old Ishaan Pavuluri was with his family at a pool party at the home of a friend. After an Easter egg hunt, his mother, Deepthi Bollu, was inside helping Ishaan and his older brother change into…
Supraglottoplasty for Neonatal Laryngomalacia
Kevin and Karla Urrutia were born at term, but as twins they were both underweight – the boy weighing in at 4 pounds 10 ounces and the girl at 4 pounds 15 ounces. “Karla was eating fine after birth, but…
A Drug-eluting Stent Offers a Young Man a Small-but-Mighty Solution to a Chronic Problem
After suffering for years from severe allergic fungal rhinosinusitis, Wynard De’kavon Crawford found relief through a minimally invasive office procedure: the placement of a tiny PROPEL® mini dissolvable implant into each of his ethmoid sinuses. Physicians at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical…
The Petty Case: Setting a Good Course Through the Perfect Storm of Allergens
Richard Petty doesn’t normally write laudatory letters about his physicians, but after treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), he sat down and penned one to Giuseppe Colasurdo, MD, president of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and then…
A Novel Lymphatic Imaging System and a Disease-focused Treatment Team Improve Survivorship in Head and Neck Cancer
Oropharyngeal cancers are still relatively uncommon, but those associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) are on the rise. Kelly Jones presented as a typical case in this relatively new category of oropharyngeal cancer patient: a 43-year-old non-smoker with previously undiagnosed HPV…
Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis: A Patient Benefits from Multidisciplinary Care
Signs and symptoms of the rare autoimmune disorder called granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), formerly known as Wegener’s granulomatosis, may develop suddenly or emerge over a period of months. In the case of Gary Giles, they developed so abruptly that he…
ECMO Improves Care for a Critical Tracheostomy Patient
After a suffering a stroke in late January 2015, 54-year-old Dale Gobert was taken to Baptist Hospital in Beaumont, Texas, where he required prolonged mechanical ventilation (and thus prolonged intubation) as part of his care. A month later, he was…