J
ust imagine how different life
would be if you couldn’t smell a
bluebonnet in bloom. Or hear
your child’s laughter. Thousands of people
in Central Texas suffer from a range of
issues that are helped by ENT specialists at
Scott & White Healthcare. In fact, more
than half of all physician office visits within
the healthcare system are for ear, nose, and
throat conditions. Specialists called
otolaryngologists offer an alphabet soup of
diagnostic and treatment services so
patients of all kinds can live as fully as
possible—from youngsters with ear
infections or tonsillitis to sinus sufferers,
the hearing impaired, patients with head
and neck cancer, those who have speech or
balance issues, and more.
“We take care of almost everything
above the shoulders—it’s a broad
spectrum,” says Alan J. Johnson, MD, a
neurotologist who treats neurologic ear
disorders. He is also the chief of the
Division of Otolaryngology at Scott &
White Healthcare.
The subspecialties of otology (ear),
rhinology (nose), and laryngology (throat)
are linked in the division because of the
proximity of those structures in the head.
But physicians point out a greater purpose:
“Except for vision and, to a certain extent,
touch, we deal with all the other senses that
keep people in touch with their
surroundings,” says Michael J. Miller, MD,
chief of the Section of General
Otolaryngology at Scott & White College Station. In fact, Dr. Johnson calls
otolaryngologists “guardians of the senses.”
response, Scott & White seeks to make
ENT care convenient, with locations in
Temple, Round Rock, College Station,
Georgetown, and Taylor, Texas.
W. Roy Smythe, MD, chairman of the
Dr. Michael J. Miller performs a nasal endoscopy to evaluate a patient’s sinus problems.
Expert care for young and old
Whether you’re eight days old or
celebrating 80 years, otolaryngology care is
a part of life for everyone at some point.
An example of this is a routine hearing
exam, conducted on all newborns, and
during the school age and golden years. In
“Except for vision and, to a certain extent, touch,
we deal with all the other senses that keep
people in touch with their surroundings.”
Department of Surgery at Scott & White
Healthcare, says, “We care for patients with
major cases like severe hearing loss and skin
cancer, but physicians must also look after
everyday ENT complaints. There are a
number of so-called ‘mundane’ problems that
patients deal with that aren’t life-threatening
but need the care of an expert. It’s not
mundane if you’re the one suffering from it.”
This is especiall