Treating Retrograde Cricopharyngeal Dysfunction in a Young Child
Brave Josey, the four-year-old daughter of Erica and Daniel Josey, was in and out of the hospital in Dallas with misdiagnoses when her parents searched online and learned about retrograde cricopharyngeal dysfunction (RCPD), also known as no-burp syndrome. Brave was…
Endoscopic Zenker Diverticulum Repair Using a New Technique
When Mona King tried to swallow food, it lodged in her throat. “I would choke and have to drink water, and sometimes the food would come back up,” she says. “It was also causing me to have bad breath.” King…
The Hidden Goiter
In November 2020, Johneshia Willis contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalized in intensive care for nearly two months. When her care team was unable to extubate her, Douglas Stanley, MD, an assistant professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at McGovern Medical…
Multidisciplinary Care for Severe Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Thirteen-month-old Chidalu Chioma was snoring loudly and waking up gasping for air when she was referred by her pediatrician to pediatric otolaryngologist Zhen “Jane” Huang, MD, MBA, CPO, an assistant professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at McGovern Medical School…
A Circulating Tumor Cell Test for HPV-Related Cancers Provides More Information to Physicians and Their Patients
After a conventional tonsillectomy at a community hospital outside of Houston, Thomas Standard was diagnosed with early stage tonsil cancer related to the human papillomavirus (HPV). When a PET scan following surgery showed residual cancer, a radiologist at the hospital…
Treatment for a Rare Case of Pharyngitis Progressed to Supraglottis and Necrosis
In November 2022, Caroll Pellegrin felt unwell and saw his primary care provider with a worsening sore throat and “a little cough.” He tested negative for COVID-19, influenza, and strep throat. The following day he was unable to swallow and…
Collaboration Across Specialties Leads to a Good Outcome for Lolita Hernandez
After two hospitalizations in 2021 – one in February for dehydration and the second in September for acute colitis – Lolita Hernandez went to her primary care physician for a checkup, complaining of joint, muscle, and bone discomfort. When her…
Treatment for a Patient with Bulky Nasal Polyps Eroding the Skull Base
Alex Serna started losing his sense of smell gradually, and by early 2020, it was completely gone. Over the same two-year period, he developed a constant headache and his face progressively became misshapen. “I’m not a big complainer, so I…
Diagnosis and Repair of Empty Nose Syndrome in a Physician
Steven Sapsowitz, MD, a family physician practicing in The Woodlands, Texas, was hit with the end of a hockey stick at the age of 7 while living in New York City. The injury caused a severe deviated septum, with a…
Removal of a Foreign Body in the Neck After Ingestion of a Wire Bristle
Injuries from ingestion of wire bristles from grill-cleaning brushes are common and can lead to long-term swallowing problems and other potentially devastating injuries. Brandy Ogg’s significant other was grilling hamburgers at home last May, when Ogg swallowed what she thought…