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About earaches

Earaches typically result from viral or bacterial ear infections, and commonly occur in children between 6 months and 2 years old. At this age, it can be difficult for your child to communicate their problems to you verbally. This is why it is important to be aware of the telltale signs that your child is suffering an earache.

If your child seems restless, repeatedly touches their ears, tries to cover them, and/or is sensitive to having her ears touched by others, chances are that they have an earache. Children’s Eustachian tubes are more horizontal than adults’ making them more prone to blockage and infection.

With or without the aid of surgically implanted ear grommets, most children grow out of periodic ear infections by age 2-4. If ear infections become chronic at any time in late infancy through toddlerhood and early childhood, an ear, nose, throat doctor may recommend ear grommets. Earaches are incredibly painful, and it can be difficult to watch your child go through them.

Go to the ENT Specialist

This is not like a cold or cough; you should not wait to see if it goes away. Ear infections can be caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Either way, it is time to make an appointment with your child’s ear, nose, and throat doctor as soon as possible.

By examining your child’s ears, the doctor will be able to tell whether it is a bacterial or viral infection. For a bacterial infection, antibiotics will be prescribed. Unfortunately, viral infections have to just run their course, but the doctor should prescribe some eardrops to help drain fluid from the middle ear and relieve pressure and pain. Draining this fluid should also help hasten your child’s recovery.

Care at Home

Ear infections are not contagious, so you will not have to worry about keeping your child home from daycare or school. However, these infections are very painful, and your child will need to rest to get healthy again.

Cloudy Fluids or Pus

If at any point you see cloudy fluids or pus draining from your child’s ear, call the doctor as soon as possible. These signs could mean that the infection is getting worse or even that your child’s eardrum has ruptured due to infection.

Fortunately, a ruptured eardrum is not as dire as it might sound. You will want to seek medical attention to assess if antibiotics need to be prescribed or if any other treatment is necessary.

In most cases, a ruptured eardrum will heal on its own within about 3 months, after the underlying infection is managed. Just be sure to follow all of the doctor’s instructions, administer all medication that the doctor prescribes, and don’t use any medications without consulting with your child’s doctor first.

In general, ear infections are an unpleasant fact of life, and most children get them. If you follow the doctor’s instructions, you and your child will get through this difficult time.

If you have questions or concerns about ear surgery contact your local doctor, who will arrange for you to see an Ear Nose Throat Specialist.

References

The post Children’s Earaches: What to do appeared first on ENT Clinic Sydney.

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Deciding to get Otoplasty for Your Child

“Kids can be so cruel.” This is a common sentiment we hear when discussing the ways children relate with each other. However, when a child is bullied it can have implications for a very long time, especially when children have a physical characteristic that makes them an easy target for bullies.

Children with large or misshapen ears are at an increased risk of being bullied while children, and therefore may run a risk of emotional issues later in life. This may be one of the reasons why ear surgery, known in the medical community as otoplasty, is one of the more common cosmetic surgeries performed on children.

Children Respond Best to Otoplasty

Another compelling reason to consider otoplasty for your child is that children tend to heal and recover faster than adults. Therefore, not only can you stop the bullying, but you can set your child up for a better recovery period than if they decide to get the surgery later in life. Surgeons report that the best ages to get otoplasty are between 5 to 10 years old. Since your child will still experience growth during these years. In turn, this growth will help to blend the surgery in with the child’s budding physical characteristics.

Additional Benefits of Otoplasty

Many cosmetic surgeries are very invasive, yet otoplasty is not one of them. During the procedure children are typically put under general anaesthesia by an anaesthetist, and then the surgeon will begin their work. This will include a small incision on the back of the ear that will expose the cartilage. Your surgeon will then expertly sculpt the cartilage in order to give the child the desired aesthetic effect.

Additionally, if the ears are protruding, a couple of stitches can be used inside the ear in order to draw the ear back toward the head and allow it to grow in a more natural position. Once all of this is completed, the surgeon stitches up the small incision and bandages the child so they can recover peacefully.

Otoplasty is a safe and quick procedure that is most effective on children. Not only will the child experience less bullying, but also they will have a better recovery and be able to enjoy their beautiful ears for the rest of their life.

If you have questions about otoplasty surgery make an appointment to see our ear nose and throat specialist.

For more information click here.

The post Otoplasty Surgery appeared first on ENT Clinic Sydney.

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Did you know that we all essentially have air filters that are built into our noses? There are structures on each side of our noses known as turbinates, which are responsible for filtering, humidifying, warming, and directing the air that we breathe in through our nasal passages. These structures do us a great service, unless they become enlarged and begin to block the air that they should be filtering. When children constantly feel as if they are congested and stuffy, they may be in need of turbinate reduction or turbinoplasty surgery to open these airways once again.

What Causes a Turbinate To Become Enlarged?

The nasal turbinates become problematic if they are abnormally large, to the point where air cannot freely flow through the nose. These nasal wall structures typically become enlarged because some type of irritant or other issue is causing the tissue to become inflamed. This enlargement can happen if the child has allergies and has been exposed to trigger substances that have caused a reaction. Exposure to irritants, like smoke, smog, or chemical fumes could be to blame. Children who have experienced sinus infections and/or have used nasal decongestant sprays may also be at a greater risk of experiencing inflamed turbinates.

Is Surgery the Only Option?

If you go to an ear, nose, and throat specialist, their initial recommendations for dealing with enlarged turbinates are not likely going to involve surgery. There is a good chance that if the causes of the enlargement are removed or addressed, that the turbinates may reduce in size without surgical intervention. Therefore, your pediatric doctor may suggest that you remove any irritants or allergens from the child’s environment. They might also prescribe medicines to reduce inflammation or treat allergic reactions, or antibiotics to address sinus infections. It is only after your child does not show any response to these treatment methods that turbinate reduction surgery should be considered. Even though this surgical procedure is non-invasive and can be completed using general anesthesia, it is always best to give non-surgical treatment options a fair amount of time to provide results.

What To Expect from Turbinate Reduction Surgery

This nasal surgery is routine. It does not require any incisions to be made to the nose, and can be performed through the nostrils, using endoscopes. Your ear, nose, and throat surgeon does not change the outward appearance or shape of the nose, only the shape of the turbinates inside. Excess tissue is removed from the turbinates, opening up the nasal passages, so your child can breathe easier once again. Even though part of the turbinate is removed, the remaining structures are still able to perform their tasks of filtering the air that passes through the nose. In some cases, depending upon the causes of the child’s blockage, it may be necessary to combine turbinate reduction surgery with other surgical procedures, such as adenoidectomy, endoscopic sinus surgery or septoplasty.

What Are the Risks Involved?

No surgical procedure is completely risk-free, but the risks associated with turbinate surgery are minimal. Approximately one in every one hundred patients has reported nasal bleeding after the surgery. Dissolvable nasal packing may be used to prevent or address this bleeding. For the best recovery, your surgeon will provide follow-up care instructions. This will likely involve performing nasal saline flushes multiple times a day for the first couple of weeks after surgery. Your child will also need to return to their ear, nose, and throat doctor for post-surgery check-ups once after a couple of weeks and again after a couple of months.

If you have questions about turbinate reduction surgery make an appointment to see our ear nose and throat specialist.

References

The post Why Your Child Might Need Turbinate Reduction Surgery appeared first on ENT Clinic Sydney.

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Our sinuses are air-filled cavities located near our nasal passages. Similar to those nasal passages, our sinuses are lined throughout the interior by mucous membranes. There are four distinct types of sinuses. They include:

  • Maxillary sinus – This sinus is felt below the area of the cheeks. This particular sinus is present when they are born, and grows while they age.
  • Ethmoid sinus – This sinus is found in the area of your child’s nose bridge. Like the maxillary sinus, it is present at birth and it continues to grow.
  • Frontal sinus – This sinus is present in the forehead area. It is not as often affected by sinusitis in children, since it does not develop until your child is about seven years old.
  • Sphenoid sinus – This sinus is located behind the nose, deep inside the face. It does not develop until your children are adolescent aged.

What is sinusitis in children?

Sinusitis is quite simply an infection of the sinuses located near your child’s nose. These will normally occur after allergic inflammation or a cold. Sinusitis can be one of three types:

  • Acute sinusitis – this type of sinusitis occurs more quickly and improves when treated appropriately
  • Subacute sinusitis – this type will not usually improve with initial treatment, and it generally lasts less than three months
  • Chronic sinusitis – this occurs after repeated episodes of acute infections, or with infections that your child experienced previously, that were not adequately treated. This usually lasts beyond three months

What are the causes of sinusitis?

In some cases, sinus infections occur after your child experiences a common cold or an upper respiratory infection or URTI. These diseases cause nasal passage inflammation that may block the opening of their paranasal sinuses. This results in an infection of the sinuses. Allergies may also lead to a case of sinusitis because of nasal tissue swelling and increased mucus production.

Other conditions may also affect your child by blocking normal secretion flow from the sinuses, and leading to sinusitis. They include:

  • Enlarged adenoids
  • Abnormalities in nasal structure
  • Tooth infections
  • Swimming and diving
  • Foreign objects
  • Nose trauma or injury
  • Cleft abnormalities

When the normal flow of sinus secretions is blocked in some way, bacteria may start to grow, leading to an infection of the sinus, or sinusitis. The bacteria that most often cause sinusitis in your child include:

  • Haemophilus Influenzae
  • Streptococcus Pneumonia
  • Moraxella Catarrhalis

What are the main sinusitis symptoms?

Your child’s age will affect their sinusitis symptoms. The most common symptoms for younger children include:

  • Infection lasting longer than a week
  • Runny nose
  • Clear discharge that may be thick yellow or green
  • Occasional daytime cough
  • Nighttime cough is noted more frequently

In older children, symptoms can include:

  • A drip occurs in the throat from the nose (post-nasal drip)
  • Cold symptoms or a runny nose lasting more than a week or 10 days
  • Facial discomfort
  • Headaches
  • Cough
  • Bad breath
  • Sore throat and fever
  • Swelling around his eyes may occur, and it is usually worse in the morning

Treatment for sinusitis

Treatment may include panadol for discomfort and a cool mist humidifier used in your child’s room. Antibiotics may be prescribed by your child’s ear, nose and throat specialist, for 10 to 14 days or longer.

If you have any questions about treating sinusitis in children please contact your local doctor who will arrange for your to see your ear nose and throat specialist.

The post Treating Sinusitis in Children appeared first on ENT Clinic Sydney.

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While nosebleeds can occur at any age, they are quite common in children. In fact, most parents will tell you that young children will experience one or more nosebleeds before they are teens. Even if this problem is commonplace, that doesn’t make it any less scary for parents. After all, it can look like a lot of blood, and if the child swallows any of it, they can end up vomiting.

So, if your child has a nosebleed, it would help immensely if you knew what may be causing it. Of course, chronic nosebleeds should warrant a visit to the doctor, but you may be able to get an idea of what is going on immediately based on your child’s situation. Here are some of the most common causes of nosebleeds in kids.

The common cold

Children commonly get colds. The virus is so common that many kids get sick more than once a year. It doesn’t help that little ones will wipe their nose with their hands and immediately handle toys. The concept of keeping germ free is commonly lost on children.

When children get a cold, the tender tissues inside of their nose can become inflamed and swollen and this can result in a nosebleed. The same can be true of allergies. Hay fever especially can cause the tissue within the nose to become inflamed and irritated.

Humidity issues

If you live in low humidity areas, then nosebleeds can come out of seemingly nowhere. That’s because the dry air also dries out the lining inside of the nose. As a result, the lining becomes irritated and spontaneous bleeding may occur. In these cases, it may make the most sense to purchase a humidifier for your child’s room.

Traumatic actions

As you probably already know, children do tend to pick their noses, and more than one child has even stuck something up a nostril. This type of activity can cause enough trauma to lead to a nose bleed. Other trauma that could result in the same problem include blowing the nose too hard or getting hit in the nose by an object like a ball.

Anatomical issues

There are certain conditions of the anatomical makeup within the nose that can lead to chronic nosebleeds. For example, a deviated septum, which means the center portion of the nose is not even, can lead to the problem.

Additionally, if there are abnormal growths inside of the nose, such as polyps, then nosebleeds may be more common. Generally, these growths are not malignant, but they should be checked by an ENT specialist.

Problems with blood clotting

If a child has a condition that makes blood clotting difficult, this can make them more susceptible to nose bleeds. One common condition is hemophilia. In addition, certain medications can actually thin the blood, making it more difficult to clot as well. One of these is Aspirin.

While most nosebleeds in children are not dangerous, it is still smart to visit a doctor. That’s because, in some instances, this problem could be connected to chronic illness. By visiting an ENT specialist, it will be easier to rule out any serious problems that could be attributed to the chronic nosebleed.

If you have any questions about nosebleeds in children, contact your local doctor, who will arrange for you to see an ear nose and throat specialist.

The post What causes chronic nosebleeds in children? appeared first on ENT Clinic Sydney.

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