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Issues related to your Ears, Nose, and Throat can significantly impact your quality of life. Our providers have the tools, training, and expertise to resolve these problems.
Our board-certified Ear, Nose, and Throat physicians (otolaryngologists) provide surgical and non-surgical solutions for infants, children, and adults. The conditions treated can include hearing loss, dizziness, nasal and sinus disease, taste and smell disorders, voice and swallowing disorders, tonsil and adenoid disorders, snoring and sleep apnea, thyroid and parathyroid disease, and head and neck cancers.
A Leader In Sleep Apnea Treatment
Sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition that is far more common than generally understood. Cardinal symptoms are loud snoring, breathing pauses during sleep, and daytime sleepiness.
At Middlesex Health, our ENT surgeons partner with doctors from Middlesex Health Sleep Medicine to provide a variety of treatment options for sleep apnea.
We were the first in Connecticut to offer several cutting-edge programs, including:
Inspire Surgery (Upper Airway Stimulation)
The millions of Americans who suffer from moderate to severe sleep apnea now have an alternative to CPAP treatment with the Inspire Procedure.
Upper airway stimulation, also known as hypoglossal nerve stimulation, is an entirely different way to treat sleep apnea.
During the surgery, a small implantable pacemaker-like device is inserted into the body, which helps stabilize the throat while sleeping by gently stimulating throat muscles and allowing the airway to remain open.
This surgery has a high success rate, a fast recovery timeline, and minimal complications, making it an excellent choice for many patients.
Inspire Therapy is not for everyone, and patients will have to meet several characteristics:
- Be 22 years of age or older.
- Have moderate to severe OSA (AHI range from 15-65 with <25% central/ mixed apneas)
- Be unable to use a Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.
- BMI less than 35
This is an outpatient surgical procedure. You will receive general anesthesia so that you do not feel pain or remember the surgery.
Two small incisions are made:
- One incision in the chest, near the collarbone, to place the battery device
- One incision under the chin to place a wire that connects with the hypoglossal nerve
Once the device is implanted and connected to the stimulation wire, the incisions are closed. Patients are able to go home the same day. Most patients experience only minor pain or discomfort following the procedure.
The first step is to allow the surgical incisions to heal completely, ensuring the device will remain in the correct location. Healing usually takes about a month, and the device remains inactive during this time.
One month after surgery, the device is activated. You will be able to control the device with a remote. The device is turned on at bedtime and turned off in the morning. While asleep, the device monitors sleep patterns and stimulates the hypoglossal nerve to ensure normal breathing.
The device may require periodic adjustments to achieve and maintain the proper level of nerve stimulation.
The battery lasts for about 11 years. When it needs to be replaced, you will need a minor surgical procedure to change the battery.
The device does not affect most normal activities, including swimming and other water activities. Limitations are similar to those for patients with a pacemaker device. You can go through metal detectors at the airport but should alert TSA agents about your device.
Any surgical procedure has a risk of bleeding or infection. Your surgeon will discuss all possible risks with you before your procedure.
TransOral Robotic Surgery (TORS)
Middlesex Health is proud to be the only facility in Connecticut offering robotic surgery to treat sleep apnea. The purpose of this surgery is to reduce the size of the base of the tongue, to minimize obstruction caused by the tongue during sleep.
TransOral Robotic Surgery is a revolution in sleep medicine because it is a minimally-invasive approach to treating sleep apnea. The da Vinci® Surgical System gives surgeons unprecedented dexterity, precision, and vision of the surgical field, so they can perform the surgery through a patient's mouth.
In the past, this surgery required a large incision in the neck and jaw - and sometimes even the need to break the jaw. This led to long recovery times for patients. TORS eliminates the need for this approach, so you can get back to your life faster and with less pain.
Patients that undergo this procedure complete the following steps:
- Pre-Surgery Assessment: Patients visit their surgeon's office for an assessment, which includes a review of recent sleep studies. Patients are also evaluated with a scope. This exam allows the doctor to determine the level of tissue obstruction.
- TORS Surgery: Patients undergo the da Vinci® Robot-Assisted procedure in the hospital. Most patients will stay in the hospital for 1-2 days after their surgery.
- Recovery: Full recovery is expected to take about three weeks.
- Follow-Up Sleep Study: About three months after surgery, patients complete a new sleep study to ensure that the procedure was successful.
Like other da Vinci® Robot-Assisted surgeries, the TORS procedure has numerous benefits. For most patients, the procedure eliminates the need for standard sleep apnea treatments, such as a mouthpiece or breathing device. Other benefits include:
- very few incisions
- less scarring
- shorter recovery time
- less time away from your day-to-day life
TransOral Robotic Surgery is designed for patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Your doctor will discuss all of your options with you and help you determine the best course of treatment.
To learn more or request a consultation, please click the "Request an Appointment" link at left.
Other Conditions We Treat
Balance disorders impact a multitude of people each year and they can be quite debilitating. Here are some of the balance disorders that we treat:
Head and neck cancers include cancers of the larynx, oral cavity, paranasal sinuses and nasal cavities, pharynx, and the salivary glands. Our ENT physicians are experts in diagnosing these types of cancers and in treating them surgically.
The Middlesex Health Cancer Center offers additional treatment options and supportive services like nurse navigation, integrative medicine, and distress management services.
We work with a number of different hearing disorders ranging from changes in hearing to loss of hearing. We have hearing testing equipment in our office and testing can often be done the same day as your appointment. If you are a candidate for hearing aids, we are able to provide you with equipment and help make sure it is a good fit. Here are some of the hearing disorders we manage:
- Age-related hearing loss
- Noise-related hearing loss
- Tinnitis (ringing in the ears)
Our ENT physicians are well-versed in caring for infants and children. Some of the most common reasons a child might need to see an ENT are:
We manage many different disorders of the sinus passages. Here are some of the most common diseases we treat:
We specialize in the surgical and non-surgical management of thyroid and parathyroid disorders including thyroid nodules and tumors, goiter, and hyperparathyroidism.
These surgeries can involve the full or partial removal of your thyroid (thyroidectomy vs. thyroid lobectomy).
You may have a voice disorder if you have a problem with pitch, volume, tone, and other qualities of your voice. These problems occur when your vocal cords don't vibrate normally. Here are some of the voice disorders that we treat:
- Spasmodic dystonia
- Vocal cord paralysis
- Vocal cord polyps
Your Care Team
Howard P. Boey, MD
Locations
- Cheshire, CT
203-271-1444
- Middletown, CT
860-344-0055
- New Haven, CT
203-776-1288
- Guilford, CT
203-458-6181
- View Full Profile
- Accepting New Patients
Tiffany T. Chen, MD
Locations
- Middletown, CT
860-344-0055
- Cheshire, CT
203-271-1444
- New Haven, CT
203-776-1288
- Guilford, CT
203-458-6181
- View Full Profile
- Accepting New Patients
Jeffrey P. Cranford, MD
Specialties / Areas of Care
- Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Locations
- Middletown, CT
860-344-0055
- Cheshire, CT
203-271-1444
- New Haven, CT
203-776-1288
- Guilford, CT
203-458-6181
- View Full Profile
- Accepting New Patients
Mark A. D'Agostino, MD
Specialties / Areas of Care
- Sleep Medicine
Locations
- Guilford, CT
203-458-6181
- New Haven, CT
203-776-1288
- Middletown, CT
860-344-0055
- Cheshire, CT
203-271-1444
- View Full Profile
- Accepting New Patients
Locations
1 Specialty Care Location