ENT

Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgery is a fascinating specialty. It is involved in the diagnosis and management of a vast range of diseases presenting from birth through all ages. The pathologies covered range from congenital airway obstruction in the neonate to head and neck malignancies in the elderly. Systemic diseases can also manifest for the first time in the ENT area. The creation of a surgical airway in the form of a tracheostomy can be lifesaving, but some ENT surgery is performed to improve quality of life, so it is particularly important to understand the indications for surgical interventions. In contrast to other surgical specialties, many of the patients who are seen in the outpatient setting do not need surgery and medical management is required. For those interested in ENT surgery as a career, there are different areas within this diverse field that can be followed to a specialist level. These include rhinology, otology, and neuro-otology, in addition to the specialist areas of paediatric ENT, head and neck cancer surgery, voice, and facial plastic surgery. A thorough knowledge and understanding of the diagnosis and management of common ENT conditions is vital for those who wish to work in general practice, paediatrics, or emergency medicine. ENT conditions in children represent a very large proportion of the workload in any general practice setting. Various foreign bodies can be swallowed, inhaled, or inserted into the nose or ear, so an understanding of how and when these need to be removed is essential for any junior doctor working in the Emergency Department. In this chapter, the questions are based on the important knowledge that needs to be accrued as an undergraduate or a recently qualified doctor, as many readers may not have the opportunity to work as a junior doctor in an ENT team before treating ENT patients in the Emergency Department or in a general practice setting.