A neurotologist and a neurosurgeon are working together on an acoustic neuroma

[slowthai]

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Which respective skill sets does each bring to the table? I guess this question could be extended further to other kinds of operations ENTs collaborate on with other specialties like facial reconstruction with plastics and more.

 

[VisionaryTics]

Which respective skill sets does each bring to the table? I guess this question could be extended further to other kinds of operations ENTs collaborate on with other specialties like facial reconstruction with plastics and more.

For skull base procedures, neurosurgeons often consult ENT for approach, i.e. for lateral skull base tumors, ENT will do drilling via retro/translabyrinthine/middle cranial fossa approaches to expose the tumor/dura and then neurosurgery will remove tumor. For anterior skull base, ENT will often do endonasal approach to expose tumors of pituitary/parasellar/suprasellar tumors, and then neurosurgery scoops it out. The key here is that neurosurgery controls the flow of patients for pretty much any skull base (aside from acoustic neuromas, which show at ENT door with asymmetric hearing loss).

For some institutions, plastic surgery will collaborate with ENT for microvascular reconstruction of the head and neck, but the tide is shifting. Most institutions, ENT will do their own microvascular reconstruction. In my program, I can't think of a single time that we've collaborated with plastics. Occasional oculoplastics for complex lid reconstructions or lacrimal stuff, but otherwise we do our own reconstruction.

 

[slowthai]

Thank you! Very interesting.