When these or other pathological symptoms occur, it is not always clear to which doctor to enroll, since there are many specialists with a narrow focus. Let us dwell in more detail on what kind of manifestations the otolaryngologist will help, who it is, what it does, and how this specialist conducts the reception.
The otolaryngologist - who it and what treats?
About who such an otolaryngologist and that he heals, many learn from childhood, when he is sent to the pediatrician for complications after respiratory diseases. This doctor specializes in diseases of three main organs: the ears, the throat and the nose. In addition, the otolaryngologist is engaged in the examination and treatment of adjacent organs, are not only anatomically close, but also closely related physiologically: tonsils, adnexal sinuses, trachea, cervical lymph nodes.
The otolaryngologist is an ENT or not?
Considering that the otolaryngologist is for the doctor, we should designate one more term - ENT. This is the abbreviation for otolaryngologists, and the origin of the abbreviation comes from the first letters of the roots of the ancient Greek words denoting the specialization of the doctor: "laryng" - the throat, "from" - the ear, "rhino" - the nose. ENT doctors have knowledge of the pathologies of the neck and head, are familiar with anatomy, physiology, neurology.
What is the treatment of an otolaryngologist?
Let's consider what the otolaryngologist treats, what diseases belong to the sphere of his activity:
- pathology of the organs of hearing:
- inflammation of the external, middle, inner ear;
- eustachiitis;
- mastoiditis;
- Miniera disease;
- otomycosis;
- neuritis of the auditory nerve;
- occlusion of the ear canal with a sulfur plug;
- otosclerosis;
- hearing loss;
- barotrauma;
- pathology of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses:
- rhinitis;
- curvature of the nasal septum;
- sinusitis;
- aerosynexitis;
- ozena;
- polyps of the nose;
- nasal bleeding;
- hematoma of the nasal septum;
- pathology of the throat:
- angina;
- chronic tonsillitis;
- laryngitis;
- pharyngitis;
- paratonzillar and okolohlotocnye abscess;
- laryngospasm;
- tracheitis;
- papillomas in the larynx, on the vocal cords;
- polyposis and others.
In addition, the doctor of the ENT extracts from the upper respiratory tract, nasal passages and auditory passage of foreign bodies. Also in the competence of these doctors are preventive and scheduled examinations of pregnant women, students, workers of different enterprises. Surgical treatment is performed by a surgeon-otolaryngologist, and the oncologist-otolaryngologist deals with oncologic diseases.
Duties of the otolaryngologist
The main duties of an otolaryngologist working in a polyclinic are to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and counseling services to patients. In detecting pathologies, the physician must timely perform therapeutic and surgical manipulations, provide emergency care, and refer patients to hospitalization. All the actions of a specialist must comply with the instructions of health authorities.
When to contact an otolaryngologist?
Everyone who cares about his health should know what the otolaryngologist treats, who it is. It is recommended to have regular checkups with this doctor in order to recognize possible deviations in time. Urgently go to the reception should be when there are symptoms indicating an ENT disease:
- a prolonged runny nose with purulent discharge;
- pressing pain in the forehead, nose and on the sides of it;
- prolonged absence of nasal breathing;
- absence of smell;
- hearing disorder;
- pain, noise, or ringing in the ears ;
- severe sore throat, accompanied by fever;
- discomfort in the throat when chewing, swallowing, talking;
- sensation of a foreign object in the nasal cavity .
How does the otolaryngologist?
To determine which of the doctors is an otolaryngologist is easy, and this is possible due to the fact that the doctors of this specialty wear a special device on their heads - a frontal reflector. It is a concave circle with a mirror and a hole in the center, which allows you to direct the light beam to the study area. In addition to it, for examination of patients the doctor otolaryngologist applies such tools and instruments:
- Spatula - for examination of the pharynx;
- Nasal mirror - for examination of nasal passages;
- Otoscope - for examination of the ear cavity;
- a mirror for a back rhinoscopy, allowing to see a nasopharynx and back departments of a nose;
- audiometer - a device for determining the severity of hearing;
- endoscope - an instrument for a thorough study of the deep sections of the ear, nose, larynx.
The reception of an otolaryngologist begins with a patient interview, clarification of complaints. In the absence of the latter, examination of the auditory and nasal passages, throat, palpation of the lymph nodes is often performed. If pathological symptoms are present and the examination reveals abnormalities, additional diagnostic manipulations may be required:
- X-ray;
- computer or magnetic resonance imaging;
- baknanaliz smear from the throat , nose, ear;
- analysis of blood and others.
What does the ENT doctor check?
An ENT doctor is a specialist whose traditional examination is conducted in several stages:
- Examination of the throat and tonsils - for this the patient needs to open his mouth wide, stick out his tongue and pronounce the sound "a", and the doctor evaluates the mucosa, the presence of plaque and swelling.
- Inspection of the nasal passages - is performed using the nasal dilator mirror, alternately introduced into the nostrils, the sizes of the nasal passages, the condition of the septum, the proliferation and pathological changes are revealed.
- Ear examination - the ENT doctor enters the eardrum by inserting into the external passage of the otoscope, presses the tragus, checks the hearing with speech or with the use of equipment.
Tips otolaryngologist
The following tips of ENT help to maintain the health of ENT organs, to avoid infection during the cold and increased morbidity:
- To maintain the protective functions of mucous membranes, you should monitor the humidity in the room, which should not be below 45%.
- In the cold season it is necessary to protect ears and a throat from wind and frost, putting on a hat and scarf.
- In severe frost, it is not recommended to talk outside, to inhale air through the mouth.
- Keep away from people with signs of illness.
- To avoid injury and pushing sulfur into the ear canal, you can not use cotton buds, and clean the entrance to the ears after showering, using the edge of the towel.
- To reduce the risk of hearing loss, you need to abandon the use of vacuum in-channel headphones, and in normal headphones should be set to a volume of not more than 60% of the maximum possible.
- At the first pathological signs it is recommended to address to the doctor, instead of to be engaged in a selftreatment.