In addition to providing general adult and pediatric otolaryngology services, the Head & Neck Institute provides several highly specialized tertiary care services through its various sections.

Communicative Disorders

The Sections of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology address speech, language and hearing disorders in a patient population ranging from neonatal to geriatric. Residents rotate through the sections observing all facets of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology in an integrated, allied health/medical team approach. Residents are exposed to state-of-the-art instrumental techniques, including acoustic and aerodynamic assessment of the vocal tract, videostroboscopy, basic audiometry, tympanometry, otoacoustic emissions, evoked potentials, cochlear implant surgery, real ear measurements, hearing aids and assistive listening devices. Research in communicative disorders is welcome.

Head and Neck Surgery

Specialists in the Section of Head and Neck Surgery evaluate and treat a large volume of patients with a variety of head and neck malignancies. All patients are seen jointly by the surgeons, radiation therapists and oncologists. Weekly Tumor Board ensures communication among team members. Research protocols are in constant use and development. Residents are part of the decision-making team and are actively involved in all facets of patient care.

Laryngotracheal Reconstruction

The Section of Laryngotracheal Reconstruction is dedicated to the management of laryngeal airway obstruction, upper and lower respiratory foreign bodies, esophageal reflux, tracheal aspiration, and voice preservation and rehabilitation. The section has achieved international status in pioneering new techniques for managing tracheal and laryngeal stenosis, and long-term/permanent tracheostomy. Ongoing research should provide better control of intractable aspiration and more effective rehabilitation of laryngeal dysfunction.

The section sponsors a yearly resident endoscopy course for rigid and fiberoptic removal of foreign bodies of the airway, tracheostomy and cricothyroidotomy.

Nasal and Sinus Disorders
Nasal and sinus disease is very common in Northeast Ohio, creating a large patient volume for this section. Patients are evaluated by appropriate clinical and radiographic workup, including endoscopy, CT scanning and allergy assessment, then offered medical and/or surgical therapy. Residents learn functional endoscopic sinus surgery as well as other, more traditional techniques in managing these patients.

The section also is committed to managing snoring and sleeping disorders associated with obstruction of the upper airway. Treatment options include out-patient laser-assisted surgery.

Otology-Neurotology

The Section of Otology-Neurotology provides comprehensive care of all forms of otologic disorders, including middle and posterior cranial fossa surgery for cerebellopontine and skull base tumors. Nearly 500 surgical cases per year provide the in-depth experience that enables resident graduates to treat otologic disorders with confidence. Research interests in the section include molecular biology of deafness (immune-mediated inner ear disease), Meniere’s disease and cochlear implanta surgery in adults and children. Staff otologists assist residents in clinical and basic science research in auditory, vestibular and temporal bone disorders.

Pediatric Otolaryngology

The section offers total medical and surgical management of pediatric otolaryngologic disorders, from infancy through adolescence, with more than 400 surgical procedures each year.

Designated outpatient clinics, including a Cleft Palate Clinic, provide comprehensive pre- and postoperative care.

Cleveland Clinic includes a Children’s Hospital, a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and numerous pediatric tertiary care specialists to help manage the most complex otolaryngologic problems of infancy and childhood.

Vestibular and Balance Disorders

The Section of Vestibular and Balance Disorders provides laboratory diagnosis, medical neurotology and vestibular rehabilitation of patients with dizziness, disequilibrium and imbalance. An outpatient clinic manages self-referred patients and those referred from Otolaryngology, Neurology, Internal Medicine and other departments. Residents rotate through the Section of Vestibular and Balance Disorders to learn about test administration and interpretation.

The section has state-of-the-art, computer-based electronystagmography and rotational chair and posturography, with the world’s largest database of laboratory test results. As Northeast Ohio’s only comprehensive laboratory, the section offers regional referral laboratory services for physicians outside Cleveland Clinic.

Clinical and basic science research is ongoing, particularly in the areas of vestibular evoked potentials, outcome of home-based vestibular rehabilitation, and genetics of motion sickness.