2012 Highlights


December 8, 2012

Overview
For 2012, UTHealth Otorhinolaryngology remained true to its mission: “Deliver world-class, patient-centered otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery care in a clinically integrated academic medical center.” Our partnership with Memorial Herman-Texas Medical Center and Children’s Memorial Herman Hospital has served as foundation for the delivery of tertiary and quaternary care our Texas Medical Center location. More than a year ago, we established a community-based practice site at Memorial Hermann Southeast, and for many years, we have provided services at Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital. Collaboration with these hospital partners has permitted the Department to build a seamless experience for patients with both simple and complex diseases and disorders of the ear, nose and throat and related structures.

The clinical services span the full breath of otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery. Our special programs include the Texas Sinus Institute, Texas Skull Base Physicians and Texas Voice Performance Institute, as well as dedicated subspecialty programs in pediatric ENT, head and neck oncology, otology, facial plastic surgery and sleep. These programs feature collaboration with other physicians and disciplines, underscoring our commitment to a comprehensive approach to patient care.

Our academic goals include the training of residents and fellows, who are embedded throughout our clinical services. For practicing physicians we offer CME courses (ORL Frontiers and Advanced Rhinology Concepts) as well as on-line CME.

Finally, our faculty continues to develop research endeavors. These innovations will drive tomorrow’s otorhinolaryngology care and will help us to continue to offer our patients top quality care and outstanding outcomes.

Patient Success Stories

A Collaborative Approach Offers Patients A Less Invasive Alternative for Surgical Excision of Pituitary Tumors

Minimally Invasive Surgery for Skull Base Cancer

Morphoproteomics: Driving A Shift To Personalized Care For Sinonasal Undifferentiated Carcinoma

Facial Reanimation Surgery Brightens A Young Boy’s Future

Education

2012 Residency and Fellowship Update

2012 Medical Student Update

Two ORL Faculty Members Receive Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award

Ron Karni, MD, Selected Faculty Member of the Year by Graduating Residents

Other Noteworthy Events

UTHealth Otorhinolaryngology Department Exceeds the National Averages in Quality and Safety

Internationally Renowned Otolaryngologist Speaks at 2012 ORL Frontiers

Samer Fakhri, MD Receives AAO Foundation Honor Award

Online Patient Access Library Offers Medical Information About ENT Diseases & Conditions to Patients 

UTHealth/Memorial Hermann Physician Joins A Medical Mission to Honduras

Chair of Otorhinolaryngology Named to Texas Super Doctors 2012 List

Two Audiologists Join UTHealth Otorhinolaryngology

Research

Otorhinolaryngologists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School are engaged in research efforts that move medicine forward into the future.  They presented the results of a capsaicin challenge study using optical rhinometry in non-allergic irritant rhinitis – the fourth in a series of studies evaluating the use of optical rhinometry in the assessment of rhinitis – at the 2012 American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy (AAOA) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

More information…

Media

Robotic Surgery Offers New Hope for Throat Cancer Patients

Using Cord Blood Stem Cells to Potentially Treat Hearing Loss

Allergy Season Arrives in the Houston Area With A Fury

Cord Blood Stem Cell Clinical Trial For Hearing Loss begins

Stem Cells to be Studied as Fix for Hearing Loss in Kids

Study Testing Stems Cells for Hearing Loss

FDA-Approved Study Will Use Cord Blood Stem Cells to Treat Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Children

Hospital Begins First Stem Cells Approved Study to Treat Hearing Loss

First FDA-Approved Study of Stem Cells to Treat Hearing Loss Begins at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital

Publications

Pathology quiz case 2. Metastatic calcium phosphate deposition secondary to chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Basañez IZ, Fakhri S, Ho T, Man LX.
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2012 Apr;138(4):429-31. No abstract available.

Increased percentage of mast cells within sinonasal mucosa of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyp patients independent of atopy.
Shaw JL, Ashoori F, Fakhri SCitardi MJ, Luong A.
Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2012 May-Jun;2(3):233-40. doi: 10.1002/alr.21021. Epub 2012 Feb 16.

Mometasone furoate gel: a novel in-office treatment of recalcitrant postoperative chronic rhinosinusitis.
Alava I, Isaacs S, Luong ACitardi MJ, Fakhri S.
J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2012 Jun 1;41(3):183-8.

Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis in children.
Shockley R, Roy S.
Ear Nose Throat J. 2012 Jul;91(7):280-1.
TCL1: a shared tumor-associated antigen for immunotherapy against B-cell lymphomas.
Weng J, Rawal S, Chu F, Park HJ, Sharma R, Delgado DA, Fayad L, Fanale M, Romaguera J, Luong A, Kwak LW, Neelapu SS.
Blood. 2012 Aug 23;120(8):1613-23. doi: 10.1182/blood-2011-09-382838. Epub 2012 May 29.

Endoscopic trans(naso)orbital management of supraorbital mucoceles with biliary T-tube stenting.
Man LX, McLean CC, Pierce ML, Fakhri S.
Laryngoscope. 2012 Sep 10. doi: 10.1002/lary.23581. [Epub ahead of print]

Does lack of glottic closure affect quality of life as a cause of constipation in laryngectomized patients?
Ugur SS, Yuksel S, Coskun BU, Dadas B, Sirin G, Selcuk A.
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2012 Sep 25. [Epub ahead of print]

Staphylococcus aureus prevalence in allergic fungal rhinosinusitis vs other subsets of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.
Clark DW, Wenaas A, Luong ACitardi MJ, Fakhri S.
Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2012 Oct 4. doi: 10.1002/alr.21090. [Epub ahead of print]

The use of image-guided surgery in endoscopic sinus surgery: an evidence-based review with recommendations.
Ramakrishnan VR, Orlandi RR, Citardi MJ, Smith TL, Fried MP, Kingdom TT.
Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2012 Oct 8. doi: 10.1002/alr.21094. [Epub ahead of print]

Pilot study comparing total intravenous anesthesia to inhalational anesthesia in endoscopic sinus surgery: novel approach of blood flow quantification.
Gomez-Rivera F, Cattano D, Ramaswamy U, Patel CB, Altamirano A, Man LX, Luong A, Chen Z, Citardi MJ, Fakhri S.
Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2012 Nov;121(11):725-32.

Successful Onyx embolization of life-threatening traumatic posterior jugal artery fistula following mandibular
fracture.
Maioriello AV, Stanley DJ, Ho T, Ashley WW.
J Neurointerv Surg. 2012 Jul;4(4):e15. Epub 2011 Aug 11.