December 12, 2020

With a Cochlear Implant, Joe Amante Gets His Life Back

Joe Amante was coming home from dinner in December 2018 when he lost the hearing in his left ear. It was replaced by ringing that grew progressively louder. Within a few months, he had lost the ability to walk unassisted…


November 15, 2020

From Neonate to Toddler: Handling a Complex Case Over 3 Years

Zhen “Jane” Huang, MD, MBA, first met Ricardo “J.J.” Castaneda in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in 2017, when he was 4 months old. Born prematurely at 32 weeks, he had a heart defect…


October 24, 2020

Sialendoscopy: Better Outcomes Without Incisions

For a few years, Maria Dolores Salinas thought the occasional inflammation on the right side of her face was associated with upper respiratory infections. “I looked like I had mumps under my right jaw, and it was difficult to swallow,”…


September 20, 2020

Minimally Invasive Nasal Remodeling Helps a Patient Breathe More Easily

Scott Nickell was among the millions of people who suffer from difficulty breathing through the nose. Until recently his only options were medications or breathing strips that offer temporary relief, or invasive surgeries that involve a period of recovery. In…


August 18, 2020

Treating Nasal Polyps due to AERD with Revision Sinus Surgery and Aspirin Desensitization

Jeff Cobb had surgery for nasal polyposis 23 years ago and vowed he would never go through it again. “The surgery was more or less successful, but it was a painful experience for me with a long recovery,” says Cobb,…


August 18, 2020

Hyperparathyroidism in a Father and Daughter Linked to a Genetic Syndrome

Hyperparathyroidism occurs in people in every age group but is most common in patients in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. When father and daughter Chris and Macayla Potter were both diagnosed with hypercalcemia, otorhinolaryngologist Ron Karni, MD, suspected a genetic…


July 19, 2020

Second Time’s a Charm

Tumor. A small word that elicits big feelings. Carolyn Naman’s world turned upside down when her doctor explained one of her parathyroids had developed a benign tumor and would need to be removed. That marked the beginning of a long…


May 22, 2020

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC): Treating a Rare, Aggressive Tumor with Skill and Compassion

Often it’s the little things that give a patient the courage to carry on with a tough treatment. Spike Sturdivant found the medical and moral support he needed in otorhinolaryngologist Amber Luong, MD, PhD, and radiation oncologist Angel Blanco, MD,…


April 23, 2020

Active Vigilance Enables Surgery-only Treatment of Oropharyngeal Cancer

To have oropharyngeal cancer once and be cured without radiation therapy is more than luck. It is the sign of an attentive patient, a responsive physician and quick action. To have a recurrence four years later, and once again avoid…


March 24, 2020

Saving a Severed Larynx

Alisha Alfred was at work on the Spirit Airlines baggage crew at George Bush Intercontinental Airport as they started to offload luggage from an arriving flight. “I was reaching for a bag and my scarf got stuck in the conveyor…