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…
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…
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,”…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…