Category: Patient Care

WashU Medicine experts hope to educate their profession regarding procedure misuse

Xray of sinuses

Since its approval in 2005, balloon sinus dilation procedures have increased dramatically among certain providers, causing concern for some medical experts, including WashU Medicine rhinologist Nyssa Farrell, MD, and comprehensive otolaryngologist Jay Piccirillo, MD. Together, they and collaborators recently published a series of articles in the prestigious JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery that document the […]

Surgery at odds with lifestyle: Matching treatment to one patient’s needs

photo of Matt Rohlfing with WashU Shield

Cecilia K. has undergone two surgeries to correct idiopathic subglottic stenosis, but now that she is primary caregiver for a husband diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease, another surgery is at odds with her lifestyle. WashU Medicine laryngologist Matthew Rohlfing, MD, was able to offer her an alternative, with some rather dramatic results. Idiopathic subglottic […]

Town Hall highlights service and success

photo of Buchman speaking at Town Hall event

On August 15, the Department of Otolaryngology held its annual Town Hall where Lindburg Professor and Chair Craig Buchman, MD, shared highlights of the department’s state of affairs and celebrated service awards for a number of staff members. Buchman shared data that reflected a number of successes throughout the department’s mission areas: Buchman also shared […]

Otolaryngology section, St. Louis VA #1 in national productivity

photo of surgeons reviewing CT scan

Data for FY24 shows that Otolaryngology at the VA St. Louis Health Care System had the highest productivity of the nearly 100 otolaryngology sections in the nation. WashU Medicine providers that offer comprehensive clinical and surgical care at the VA St. Louis Health Care System include Section Chief Paul Zolkind, MD, Matthew Shew, MD, and […]

Intraoperative measure offers hope for cochlear implant optimization

photo of OR during CI surgery

Despite numerous amazing success stories of cochlear implant (CI) recipients, it remains near impossible to predict how well any given patient will understand speech following implantation. The reasons why have been largely unexplained. The Division of Otology/Neurotology at WashU Medicine is working diligently to help answer these questions and provide implant recipients with a better […]

Multidisciplinary clinic offers a voice to patients with spasmodic dysphonia

A retired teacher of 30 years and now a volunteer tour guide at the St. Louis Zoo, Nancy Penrod has had to rely heavily on her voice, a voice that once wasn’t so reliable due to a condition called adductor laryngeal dystonia or spasmodic dysphonia. A multidisciplinary clinic staffed by otolaryngologist Matthew Rohlfing, MD, and […]

Siteman Head and Neck Tumor Center at WashU Medicine dedicated

The Robert Ebert and Greg Stubblefield Head and Neck Tumor Center at Siteman Cancer Center was officially dedicated at a ceremony April 22. The event was held at the Gary C. Werths Building at Siteman Cancer Center and organized by The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Family and friends of the two courageous cancer patients, as […]

Hearing specialists advocate for cochlear implants at annual meeting

Several hearing specialists from the Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery at WashU Medicine offered their expertise and advances in research at the annual ACIA meeting on cochlear implantation in Boston, April 30-May 3. The American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACIA) is a non-profit organization created in 2010 with the goal to advocate for cochlear implantation […]

WashU Medicine to be a show of force at 2025 COSM

Faculty and trainees from the Department of Otolaryngology at WashU Medicine will share their expertise and advancements in research and patient care at the upcoming Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings (COSM) in New Orleans, May 14-18. The annual meeting brings together the membership of the nine COSM societies, otolaryngology residents and fellows in training, medical students, […]

WashU Medicine surgeons give patient back his smile

photo of Eric Barbarite

Larry Sims was known for his big smile. But a diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma in his parotid gland – the largest of three salivary glands – would change that forever. Or, would it? A team of surgeons in the Department of Otolaryngology, led by facial plastic surgeon Eric Barbarite, MD, thought otherwise. The multidisciplinary […]