Hey everyone:
What is the new fascianation in ENT! What is the future and what is the most cutting edge and forefront research topics in the field. What are academicians gettign excited about these days in terms of research. What's making news and headlines in our field?
Surgical Excitement - It seems to me that the most excitement being generated in surgery these days regards minimally invasive techniques. Whether they are better or not still has a lot yet to be determined. But min invasive techniques for thyroid, parathryoid, salivary gland, and laryngeal cancer techniques utilizing endoscopic equipment +/- lasers is what you hear the most about. Additionally, techniques like balloon sinuplasty, endoscopic facial trauma repair, endoscopic mandibular fx repair are all where you see the biggest noise. Robotics have started to make a splash but only in a few select centers, cost is prohibitive to be exploding everywhere up to this point. You will also see new options in image guided temporal bone surgery which is relatively new. One of the best things about ENT is that technology drives the field, so when something new is out there, someone finds a way to apply it for possible surgical options in our field. It really makes surgery fun.
Clinical/Research - Here the big thing is and will likely always be cancer. Unfortunately, despite all we've done, we haven't really improved overall survival for HNSCCa in the last 30 years. It's pretty disappointing, but the advances in surgical technique as well as adjuvant therapy have really improved morbidity which has helped significantly enhance quality of life for many patients. Tinnitus research (boring as all get at for me) is making recent strides especially with the German advances in magnetic stimulation. Sinus surgery always seems to be evolving. The latest and greatest is the enhanced use of IGS which has now been around for some time and is finding more and more of an audience so that more advanced skull base surgery is performed. In the lab, there have been nice advances in understanding genetic and even molecular roles in cancer which will hopefully one day improve treatment. Hearing has also undergone enormous amounts of research and improvement in implantable hearing aids, whether middle ear devices or cochlear implants or even the BAHA have made big strides.
In Pediatrics - distraction osteogenesis has become a useful option in the treatment of some congenital disorders.
In general ENT - new techniques for the treatment of OSA including BOT coblation has hinted at a significant paradigm shift in how to treat the hypopharyngeal level.
In Laryngology - digital strobe and "chip at the tip" scopes have dramatically redefined how we can clinically evaluate and treat upper aerodigestive disorders.
I could go on and on, but this is long enough. The great thing about ENT is that everywhere you look there have been exceptional advances that allow for better diagnosis and if not better, at least broader, options in care.
just kidding.
