ENT conditions (Mr Gaurav Kumar)

Can a deviated septum cause sinus infections? Sinuses are air-filled, generally empty, spaces around the nasal cavity. These sinuses drain into the nasal cavity through small doors. Our nasal cavity is divided into right and left by nasal septum. If you have deviated nasal septum, then it can block the drainage pathway of the nasal sinuses. High deviations can block the airway and hence recurrent sinusitis. Septoplasty can correct this deviation and help opening up drainage pathways along with balloon sinuplasty or endoscopic sinus surgery.  Can deviated nasal septum cause high blood pressure or heart problem? Deviated nasal septum in anterior part can obstruct the airflow and can cause sleep apnoea symptoms. Some recent studies show a correlation between better control of high blood pressure with medication after septoplasty.  Can deviated nasal septum cause sleep apnea? Sleep apnea can be due to obstruction at different levels of your airway. Obstruction c...

Before you make your appointment with your surgeon for pinnaplasty or otoplasty? When you decide to have your ear pinned back or any cosmetic procedure think what exactly you want to change in shape. Ear shape had been prominent for a long time so what exactly triggered to go for the procedure. Evidence suggests that having prominent ears can affect self-esteem and confidence. Next thing to do research about your procedure, recovery and possible complications and outcome. It is always good to write any query you have before you do your consultation. What is the cost involved for pinnaplasty or otoplasty? The average cost of ear correction surgery (pinnaplasty) in the UK ranges from £3500 - £5000. You should always think of any additional cost of consultation or investigations required. It is very important to discuss this with the hospital and surgeon as cosmetic surgery are not covered by most insurance companies and on NHS. What makes our ears look prominent? ...

ENDOSCOPIC SINUS SURGERY WHY DO I NEED SINUS SURGERY? Sinus surgery is needed if your sinus symptoms do not respond to medical treatment and lifestyle changes. It is important to understand that you may still need medical treatment in the form of irrigation with/ without steroid spray. You should discuss this in detail with your operating surgeon during your preop consultations. WHAT ARE COMPLICATIONS OF SINUS SURGERY? It is very important to discuss possible complications of surgery and how it impacts your quality of life and profession. • Bleeding - Bleeding is a risk of any operation.  It is very common for small amounts of bleeding to come from the nose in the days following the operation.  Major bleeding is extremely uncommon and it is very rare for a transfusion to be required. • Eye problems - The sinuses are very close to the wall of the eye socket.  Sometimes minor bleeding can occur into the eye socket and this is usually noticed as some ...

Are you unable to pop your ears or feeling pressure in your ears? Eustachian tube dysfunction is a very common problem after flu or cold or even after long haul flight when you feel hearing is muffled, feel pressure around the ears and sometimes you feel as if you are underwater. Good news is most of the time it is temporary.  If you try decongestants, antihistamine ( hay fever tablets ) and Valsalva (ie try and pop your ears) things should improve after a few days to a week. Why do we have symptoms of Eustachian tube dysfunction? The eustachian tube is present at the back of our nose and connects the nose to the middle ear. It is there to maintain equal pressure on both sides of the eardrum. The eustachian tube also helps in clearing normal mucus from the middle ear.  Hence opening and closing of this ventilation tube are very important for hearing. Normally every time we yawn and chew this tube opens and closes without us noticing it. So, if this opening of ventila...

Hi Guys, Let us talk about your tonsils and adenoids. Tonsils and adenoids are part of the immune system and help fight germs. Sometimes these tissues become infected and is called tonsillitis. When you have tonsillitis, you can feel sore to eat and drink, have the temperature, and can even have difficulty in breathing. This can be treated by a procedure called Tonsillectomy. Mr Kumar may advise you to have your tonsils removed if you have tonsil stones, if your airway is blocked due to large tonsils making you choke at night ie sleep apnoea or one tonsil is bigger than other. Tonsillectomy can be done by the traditional techniques using cold steel, electrocautery or coblation.  Cold steel and elctrocautery has moderate to severe pain in postoperative period. With new coblation technique, post operative pain is very low leading to quicker recovery.  Coblation is an advanced technology that combines gentle radiofrequency energy with natural saline — to quickly, and safely r...

Mr Gaurav Kumar      Consultant ENT surgeon This information relates to ear surgery ie tympanoplasty (repair of ear drum), mastoid surgery, stapes surgery and ossiculoplasty. What is mastoid bone? Mastoid bone is like a honeycomb bone which can be felt behind the ear. It is connected to ear proper, so infection can spread to this bone. Cholesteatoma, is a kind of ear infection which can erode bone and cause complications of smelly ear discharge, hearing loss, rarely facial weakness or brain infection. Why should I have ear surgery? The main aim of ear surgery is to make the ear dry and safe, so that patient does not have any more infections and its complication. Other is to improve or preserve the hearing if possible. How is an operation performed? The operation is generally performed under a general anaesthetic but rarely can be performed under local anaesthetic. A cut on the skin may be made behind the ear or front of the ear. We will discuss w...

Having Functional or Cosmetic Rhinoplasty..................... Most important thing when considering Rhinoplasty surgery is to discuss with your surgeon the aim of procedure and outcome you will be satisfied with. It is important to discuss in detail about the procedure. Septoplasty or Rhinoplasty........... Septoplasty is correction of cartilage division between left and right nostril. Rhinoplasty can be performed with septoplasty to correct crooked nose, nasal hump and making nose smaller. It can be performed to improve breathing by supporting nasal valve area. Is Rhinoplasty covered by insurance?........... Rhinoplasty if performed for cosmetic reasons is not covered by insurance companies. Rhinoplasty can be performed to improve breathing and deformity due to trauma. It is important to check with your insurance company coverage of your insurance policy. What can be achieved in your surgery?............ Rhinoplasty is a very complex surgery. It is very important to discuss achievab...