Fauquier ENT Blog

Showing posts with label head. Show all posts

June 04, 2018

What Stage Cancer Do I Have?

When a patient is informed that they have cancer, one of the very first question they ask is "What stage cancer do I have?" Even if the patient does not fully understand what staging actually means, most will understand that the worse the stage, the worse the survival outcome (stage 1 being the best and stage 4 being the worst). So how does a physician come up with the cancer stage for cancers of the mouth and throat? It actually does not involve a complicated algorithm in order t…

6/04/2018 0

June 05, 2016

Liquid Biopsy for Head and Neck Cancer

Liquid biopsy is when a simple blood draw is performed in order to detect cancer cells (CTC) or mutated DNA fragments (ctDNA) free floating in the bloodstream that has been shed from the cancer's primary or secondary sites. This test has been heralded as an alternative way to make a diagnosis instead of an invasive surgical biopsy whether by needle or excision. Liquid biopsy has been developed mainly for detecting cancers of the breast, prostate, colon, ovarian, lung, and melanoma. Liqu…

6/05/2016 0

June 26, 2015

Blood and Spit Test that Detects Cancer of the Head and Neck

Over the years, simple blood tests have been developed to detect specific types of cancer in the human body. We have PSA for prostate cancer; BRCA for breast cancer; CEA for colon cancer... and potentially in the very near future... a blood as well as spit test for head and neck cancer! Finally! Developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins, this new blood/spit test is able to detect squamous cell carcinoma with astounding accuracy using a combination of both DNA mutations and HPV markers. …

6/26/2015 0

February 02, 2015

Is There an Anatomic Basis for Exploding Head Syndrome?

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Exploding head syndrome is defined as "a sudden loud noise or an exploding sensation in the head, either at the wake-sleep transition or upon waking at night, and abrupt arousal or fright after the event." Exploding head syndrome or EHS is thought to be due to a neurologic or psychiatric disorder, but I've always wondered if there's actually an anatomic explanation that can be physically corrected result…

2/02/2015 0

December 05, 2014

Video of Deep Head-Hanging to Treat BPPV (Superior Canal)

This is the fifth in a series of videos our practice is producing on inner ear dizziness. This video demonstrates how the Deep Head-Hanging maneuver is performed to treat superior (or anterior) canal BPPV . Also demonstrated is what happens within the inner ear when the maneuver is performed correctly. The first video was on how the inner ear balance system works which can be watched here . The second video was on the Dix-Hallpike maneuver to diagnose BPPV and which canal type. …

12/05/2014 0

November 24, 2014

Video of Lempert (BBQ Roll) to Treat BPPV (Horizontal Canal)

This is the fourth in a series of videos our practice is producing on inner ear dizziness. This video demonstrates how the Lempert maneuver is performed to treat horizontal (or lateral) canal BPPV . The Lempert maneuver is also known as the barbecue roll. Also demonstrated is what happens within the inner ear when the maneuver is performed correctly. The first video was on how the inner ear balance system works which can be watched here . The second video was on the Dix-Hallpike man…

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September 27, 2014

Video of Epley to Treat BPPV (Posterior Canal)

This is the third in a series of videos our practice is producing on inner ear dizziness. This video demonstrates how the Epley maneuver is performed to treat posterior canal BPPV . Also demonstrated is what happens within the inner ear when the maneuver is performed correctly. The first video was on how the inner ear balance system works which can be watched here . Of course, you can use this DizzyFix device to ensure you are performing the maneuver correctly. Soon to come are t…

9/27/2014 2

April 17, 2014

Dizziness and Imbalance in Kids

Dizziness is not the easiest thing to figure out in adults. It is even more difficult to figure out in kids who may not have the vocabulary to explain what they feel. Regardless of adult or child, a good history is required to help narrow down possibilities. A flowchart of questions to help come up with a diagnosis can be found here . Given that, a review article published in 2014 went over the most likely diagnosis of a child who is dizzy. Based on 724 subjects over 10 studies, benign …

4/17/2014 0

March 30, 2014

Man Files $15 million Lawsuit Against NYC Citi Bike Claiming Smell Loss From Bike Crash

Image by Pharos of Wikipedia In 2013, a man rented a bicycle from New York City's Citi Bike program. Apparently while riding this rental bike, the front wheel struck a wheelstop installed near a bicycle docking station which the man did not notice, flipping him resulting in head trauma. This head trauma resulted in permanent smell and taste loss. [ link ] The wheelstop is meant to prevent cars from from backing into bike stations, but the lawsuit alleges "no cones or colored wa…

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June 19, 2013

Possible Blood Test for Oral Cancer Caused by HPV?

There might be a blood test which can possibly predict individuals who may develop oral cancer caused by HPV years before it happens. HPV, an abbreviation for human papilloma virus, encompasses over 100 different strains among which only a few can cause problems in humans. Specifically, HPV 16 can lead to cervical cancer in woman and oral cancer in both genders. HPV triggered oral cancer is also the most common cause of oral cancer now exceeding even smoking and drinking alcohol. Unl…

6/19/2013 0

June 06, 2013

Sinus Headache [video]

I could describe it... but I think it's better if you just watch the video... On a more serious note, more info on sinus headaches can be read here .

6/06/2013 0

April 02, 2013

Dr. Chang Mentioned on NBC News Regarding Sound of One's Voice

Dr. Chang was mentioned today in a NBC News article on their popular Body Odds section. The article entitled "why you hate the sound of your own voice" describes why people sound and often dislike the way their voice sounds on a recording. What we hear when we speak, however, is air- and bone-conducted sounds. Vibrations from our vocal cords directly reach the cochlea. Our skulls deceive us by, in fact, lowering the frequency of these vibrations along the way, which is why we…

4/02/2013 0

December 10, 2012

Coffee Reduces Risk of Death from Oral Cancer

In a prior blog , I mentioned that researchers found that regular coffee drinkers who drank more than four cups of coffee a day had a 39 percent decreased risk of two types of head and neck cancer: oral cavity and pharynx cancers. In the study published in the Journal of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, they found however, that coffee did not decrease the risk of laryngeal cancer. Read a CNN report on this here . In a more recent study (Dec 2012), researchers have found…

12/10/2012 0

October 04, 2012

ENT Surgeons Who Use daVinci Robot

Readers know my skepticism on the practicality of the daVinci robot in ENT head and neck surgeries. However, that does not mean that I do not doubt its effectiveness in certain unique situations... as well as market forces that use such high (and expensive) technology to market a given hospital's services. In any case, plenty of patients have asked me if there's any ENT surgeons who use the daVinci robot in the region. There are... and here are two that I am aware of. Dr. Dav…

10/04/2012 0

June 07, 2012

ENT as Comic Book Hero (or Villain)

I had no idea that ENTs with our head mirrors are relatively common in the comic book world alternately portrayed as heroes or villains. (Most of us have upgraded to a headlight powered by battery, but some of us ENTs still use a head mirror.) There is a Family Practice physician who has compiled all the situations where ENTs were portrayed in comic book settings in his blog Polite Dissent . The full list can be found here . I have reproduced a few of my favorites below:

6/07/2012 0

June 06, 2012

Head CT Scans Increase Risk of Cancer in Kids

By how much? Brain tumor/cancer risk was 3X greater than the general population in children who received two to three CT scans of the head. And the chance of developing leukemia was three times as great for children who received five to 10 CT scans of the head. In the study published in Lancet, the researchers examined 176,587 children who had received a CT scan before age 22 and looked at their medical history for an average of 10 years afterward. Though the risk sounds "high,&…

6/06/2012 0

March 28, 2012

Strong Sneeze Broke Woman's Neck

Fox News reported yesterday about an Australian woman, Monique Jeffrey, who sneezed SO hard that she broke her neck... literally. According to the neurosurgeon the patient eventually saw, her C1 and C2 vertebrae had dislocated and were displaced which resulted in her symptoms of excruciating pain with her head locked to her right shoulder and in too much pain to move anything but her right arm. Her left arm was also numb with tingling. She was placed in a halo traction for three months w…

3/28/2012 0

January 08, 2012

Head MRI and CT Scans Explained!

@ENTHouse brought to my attention a FANTASTIC website that literally identifies and goes through all anatomic structures on every slice of a CT or MRI scan of the head. Sinus cavities, blood vessels, nerves, bone, suture lines, etc... Wish I thought of doing it first... It may be a bit confusing for a layperson, but if you have a copy of your CT/MRI scan and wonder where the maxillary sinus or optic nerve is located on your scan, check this website out and you probably can figure it out…

1/08/2012 1

December 03, 2011

Portable CT Scanner

Portable X-ray machines are commonplace... but a portable CT scanner?!! I saw this article by MedGadget about a portable CT scanner introduced earlier this year that can be wheeled around in the hospital made by NeuroLogica . When looking up more details, the company makes not just one portable CT scanner, but FOUR different portable machines: • BodyTom : Portable whole-body CT Scanner • CereTom : Portable CT Head scanner • OTOscan : Portable CT Sinus scanner • inSPira HD SPECT : Po…

12/03/2011 2

September 30, 2011

Woman Survives Live Grenade Lodged in Face

A 32 year old Mexican woman, Karla Flores, survived extraction of a live grenade from between her jawbones. Apparently, she was minding her own business when she was knocked out after something hit her face. Read report here . In the hospital, it was realized that rather than a stone as initially thought, it was a live grenade! Due to fear of it going off, 3 volunteer doctors and one nurse surgically removed the live grenade in an open field under direction of two explosive experts fr…

9/30/2011 0

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