Learn more about our appointment options, options for cancer patients, and referrals that are at your disposal.
Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose and Throat)
About the Otolaryngology ENT Division
Otolaryngology — where the doctor is often called an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) — is a surgical subspecialty of medicine that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders of the ear, nose, throat, head, and neck. At AHN, our nationally ranked ENT specialists provide outstanding, comprehensive care.
Why choose AHN Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Specialists?
Get exceptional care from skilled otolaryngology doctors who are close to home. We diagnose and treat many common conditions affecting the ear, nose, and throat. When you have symptoms that require a higher level of care, we can help you manage them using medical and surgical solutions.
We’re committed to helping you breathe and hear better, so you can live life on your terms.
All our ENT specialists are board-certified, which means they not only completed medical school and residency, they also passed a rigorous exam administered by a specialty board. In addition to this extensive training, several of our providers completed extra training, known as fellowships, in the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer care, making them experts in these rare types of cancers that affect the tongue and throat.
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Appointments
Otolaryngology
The AHN otolaryngology program is focused on comprehensive, state-of-the-art care including:
- Cutting-edge technology: Including Single Port Transoral robotic surgery, which is a minimally invasive surgical technique that allows your surgeon to perform complex procedures with precision and control. We also execute advanced reconstruction techniques.
- Advanced clinical trials: We conduct Bench to Bedside research, which means new and advanced techniques are studied and implemented in a clinical setting. This includes advanced research for radiation-induced xerostomia (dry mouth).
- Faster treatment for you: No one wants to struggle to find care or wait for answers. AHN has locations throughout our service area and works to see patients who might be dealing with a cancer diagnosis within five days.
- Care for complex cases: Our ENT surgeons use the latest surgical techniques to treat hard-to-manage ear problems at Allegheny General Hospital. Our head and neck cancer surgeons use robotics technology to perform intricate cancer surgeries more precisely. Physicians from other parts of our region refer difficult cases to us because of our level of expertise.
- Pediatric ENT care: Our team has an ENT for children, which allows us to provide comprehensive care for kids affected by concerns like ear infections, tonsillitis, and hearing loss.
- Care coordination across specialties: Our otolaryngologists work alongside different specialists, such as endocrinologists and neurologists, when your symptoms affect other parts of your body.
- Convenience: Our providers practice at several ENT offices in the region. And our ENT specialists care for more complex ear, nose, and throat concerns at Allegheny General Hospital.
Expert care
AHN otolaryngologists are adept at working in the highly intricate areas of the ear, nose, and throat. Through years of hands-on training and a multidisciplinary approach to patient care, AHN delivers expert care in this specialized practice.
Speech and swallowing problems
The AHN Esophageal Institute is located at West Penn Hospital in Bloomfield. We provide comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for speech and swallowing problems. Our multidisciplinary team of specialists can treat a wide range of conditions from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) to cancer.
We use advanced technologies and equipment like laryngeal videostroboscopy (a test that measures vocal cord vibrations). This approach ensures you can move forward with an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment plan.
Hearing and balance problems
The AHN Hearing and Balance Center is located at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. The center brings together a specialized team of providers with different areas of expertise, including neurologists, head and neck surgeons, neurosurgeons, and ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists. We streamline care for a wide range of conditions from neural hearing loss to multiple sclerosis.
We offer advanced diagnostic tests to assess your balance function and give you the answers you need to start feeling better. Our surgeons also use the latest techniques, such as cochlear implant surgery, to treat hearing and balance conditions.
Treating ear, nose and throat problems
Our providers are trained to diagnose and treat routine conditions, such as sinus infections, in people of all ages. ENT surgeons at AHN also provide care for more complex problems, such as head and neck cancer and swallowing disorders.
We diagnose and treat routine and rare conditions that affect the ear, nose, throat, head, and neck, including:
- Ear infections.
- Head and neck cancers.
- Hearing loss.
- Nasal disorders, such as deviated septum.
- Seasonal (environmental) allergies.
- Sinusitis.
- Swallowing disorders, such as dysphagia.
- Tonsillitis.
- Vertigo.
Our focus on multidisciplinary care means we work closely with other specialists for a treatment plan specific to you.
We work with the following specialties to ensure your care has everything your case needs. This may include:
- Dentists.
- Oral surgeons.
- Endocrinologists.
- Radiation technicians.
- Medical oncologists.
- Cancer support services: Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) and Oncology Rehabilitation.
- Neurosurgery: for skull-based tumors.
AHN Head and Neck Surgical Oncology
Our head and neck fellowship-trained otolaryngologists are often the first set of providers to identify and diagnose head and neck cancer. They are at the forefront of your care and will:
- Begin to care for your initial workup and diagnosis.
- Perform biopsies, either in the office, under ultrasound guidance, or in the operating room.
- Perform surgeries for benign and malignant tumors of the head and neck.
Subdivisions of this care may include:
- Reconstruction: Some head and neck fellowship-trained surgeons are trained in plastics repair techniques for reconstructing patients after potentially invasive procedures. We can scan your bone structure to preplan and reduce the surgery time.
- Endocrine surgery: Specializes in the treatment of endocrine-related disorders.
- Salivary surgery: Specializes in minimally invasive techniques for gland preserving surgery such as sialoendoscopy.
- Robotics/Transoral Laser Microsurgery: Training in minimally invasive robotic and microscopic laser surgical techniques.
- Skull Base: Trained in the removal and reconstruction of tumors located in the sinonasal cavity.
Head and neck cancer
We know a cancer diagnosis is scary, and we are here to see you through your specialized care plan. Our expert otolaryngologists meet you where you’re at and are ready to talk with you about your options. It’s important to remember many head and neck cancers can have a high rate of curability if caught early.
Our otolaryngologists can help with:
- Benign and malignant tumors of the head and neck.
- Tumors or cancer in the upper aerodigestive track including sinonasal cavity, nasopharynx, oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, and hypopharynx. This includes tumors of the mouth, nose, voice box, and throat.
- Benign and malignant tumors of the salivary glands and other inflammatory conditions of the saliva glands such as tonsil or salivary stones.
- Cutaneous cancers: Such as basal and squamous cell carcinoma as well as melanoma. This includes cancers of the scalp, face, ear, or neck.
- Endocrine disorders with surgery: Of the parathyroid and thyroid glands for cancer, and non-cancer conditions such as goiters, large nodules, hyperthyroidism, and hyperparathyroidism.
- Enlarged lymph nodes: While most lymphomas are treated by nonsurgical means, we can also be part of the diagnosis if biopsies are needed.
- Complications of head and neck cancer treatment, including osteoradionecrosis, dysphagia, and dry mouth.
AHN Head and Neck Cancer Specialists
When you see an AHN specialist, you are entrusting your care to an experienced, highly skilled, and compassionate provider. Our team is focused on providing not only expert care to treat conditions affecting the head and neck, but we also work together to deliver multidisciplinary care so all areas of medicine are represented in your care plan. Find an otolaryngologist near you using Find Care.
Leadership
Otolaryngology Division Chief
Head and Neck Division Head
Head and neck surgeons
Head and Neck Surgeon
Head and Neck Surgeon
Head and Neck Surgeon
Endocrine Surgery
Endocrine Surgeon
Physician assistants (PAs)
PA
Nurse
Registered Nurse
How to get care
If you are having issues with your ear, nose, or throat, make an appointment with one of our otolaryngologists to find the right treatment for you.
For new cancer diagnoses or conditions that are suspicious for cancer, our goal is to see patients within five days.
Schedule your appointment
To make an appointment with our ear, nose, and throat specialists:
- Call (412) 681-2300.
- Find ear, nose, and throat doctors nearby using Find Care.
- Schedule online using My Chart.
Clinical trials and research
Clinical trials and research help us move medicine and treatment forward. AHN is committed to advancing our care options by continually pursuing our research and clinical trials. In the otolaryngology division, we are conducting trials focused on the causes and treatment of radiation-induced xerostomia, the treatment of radiation-induced dry mouth. This focus helps our patients feel better during treatment.
Cancer clinical trials and research
The AHN Cancer Institute is a pioneer in cancer research and participates in clinical trials of new medical oncology therapies that are open for patients who qualify and wish to participate. Patients are screened for consideration with ongoing clinical trials at every stage of their treatment. Find currently active head and neck clinical trials.
What is a clinical trial?
Clinical trials are studies that try to answer questions about new ways to treat cancer with medications, radiation, or surgical techniques. Previous trials have shown how new methods of treatment improve survival and quality of life and reduce the risk of cancer returning.
You participate in a clinical trial only if you volunteer to do so and meet criteria for inclusion in the study, and you can stop participating in a trial at any time.
Who can join a clinical trial?
The plan for the trial, called a protocol, explains what the trial will do and how the study will be done. Based on the questions the research is trying to answer, each clinical trial protocol outlines specific criteria necessary to be eligible to join the trial.
Common criteria for entering a trial are:
- Having a certain type or stage of cancer.
- Having received a certain kind of therapy in the past.
- Being in a certain age group.
Federal rules help ensure that clinical trials are run in an ethical manner, with your rights and safety protected. It’s to ensure that you’re not put at increased risk by participating in the trial, and that the results of the study are accurate and meaningful.
Conducting clinical trials helps us contribute to Cancer Moonshot — an initiative created by President Joe Biden and the White House. The goal is to prevent more than 4 million cancer deaths by 2047 and improve the experience for people affected by cancer. We’re doing our part to join this fight by collaborating with more than 60 private companies, patient groups, academic institutions, and nonprofits.
Refer your patient to an AHN specialist
There are three ways for medical professionals who are not a part of Allegheny Health Network to refer their patients to an AHN Cancer Institute specialist and request their first appointment. You can:
- Call (412) 681-2300 to speak with an AHN Cancer Institute scheduling coordinator.
- Go to Find Care to find the right AHN specialist and the most convenient location. Then refer your patient, provide relevant patient details, and request an appointment directly from the doctor's profile.
- Use AHN Physician Access to refer your patient to an AHN Cancer Institute specialist and request an appointment.
For more information about referring your patient to an AHN specialist, read the Independent Physician Referral FAQs.
Follow your patient's health care at AHN with EpicCare® Link™
After referring your patient to an AHN specialist, use the EpicCare Link platform to collaborate with their AHN specialist and view your patient's test results, treatment plan, and progress.
Log in to your EpicCare Link account now.
If you are new to EpicCare Link or need to request your own EpicCare Link account, check the EpicCare Link for Patient Follow-up for user instructions and new account request forms.
When EpicCare Link is not an option for patient's AHN medical records
If you can’t access your patient's AHN test results through the EpicCare Link platform, your patient will need to complete and submit the correct AHN Medical Records Release form based on their state of residency. Support your patient’s request by downloading the correct medical records release form for them:
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EpicCare® Link™ is a trademark of Epic Systems Corporation and used with permission.