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Otolaryngology

Contact Otolaryngology

  • Seattle
    206-987-2105
  • Bellevue
    425-454-4644
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Otolaryngology is the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the ears, nose, throat and related parts of the head and neck, including the sinuses, voice box and tonsils. At Seattle Children's, we specialize in caring for children with a broad range of conditions, from ear infections to problems with hearing and speaking.

The best treatment for ear, nose and throat disorders often involves specialists in many medical fields. Because our focus is on young patients, at Children's, we have the experts your child needs to get the best treatment. We work with doctors, nurses, therapists and social workers from many of Children's clinics and programs, including Audiology, the cochlear implant team, Education, Genetics, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Speech and Language, the Craniofacial Center and Vascular Anomalies.

Meet the Otolaryngology care team.

Conditions we treat

We care for children with a wide variety of problems affecting their ears, nose, throat and related parts of the head and neck, including:

  • Airway disorders

    Our team identifies and treats problems with the large tubes that carry air into and out of your child's lungs. (Our colleagues in Pulmonary treat problems with small airways, such as asthma.) When your child's airway isn't formed right, it can affect breathing. For example, some children are born with floppy tissue above their voice box (larynx) that partly blocks the opening to the windpipe (trachea). This condition is called laryngomalacia. In other children, weak and floppy walls of the windpipe can block the airway (tracheomalacia).

  • Ear infections

    When doctors refer to an ear infection, they are most likely talking about acute otitis media (AOM). AOM occurs when fluid and mucus clogs the tubes in your child's ears. This can cause pain, swelling and fever. Another type of ear infection is called otitis media with effusion (OME). In OME, fluid and mucus stay trapped in your child's ear after the infection goes away. Sometimes ear infections go away on their own. In other cases, your child may need to take antibiotic medicine.

  • Hearing loss and childhood communication disorders, including cochlear implants.

    The hearing system is fully developed when babies are born. Children with normal hearing begin to learn language as soon as they are born. Some children are born with deafness or hearing loss, though hearing loss can develop after birth, too. Children with hearing loss do better if the problem is identified and treatment begins early.

  • Neck masses

    Many conditions can cause a lump in your child's neck. Usually, neck masses in children are not cancer. Instead, they may be due to thyroid disease, which sometimes causes the thyroid gland to become so large you can see it (goiter). Another cause of neck masses in children are lymphatic malformations, which can be present when a baby is born or develop soon after. These masses involve the body fluid system (lymph system).

  • Velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI)

    Velopharyngeal insufficiency is a disorder involving the way the soft palate muscle in your child's mouth (velopharyngeal sphincter) moves during speech. The muscle does not close properly, allowing air to escape through your child's nose instead of mouth. If the velopharyngeal sphincter doesn't close off the nose, your child may have trouble saying the sounds for strong consonants, such as "p," "b," "g," "t" and "d." Your child may also have a nasal tone of voice and make snorting sounds as air escapes through the nose.

  • Obstructive sleep apnea

    Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when your child's airway closes partway or all the way during sleep, blocking air from getting in. The drop in oxygen signals the brain to wake your child up, stopping your child from getting needed sleep. In children without other medical conditions, enlarged tonsils or adenoids most often cause the blockage. The problem is most likely to happen during sleep when the throat muscles and tongue are most relaxed.

  • Sinus disease

    Sinuses are moist air spaces within the bones of the face around the nose. When sinuses swell or become irritated, the infection is called sinusitis. These infections usually follow colds or bouts with allergies.

  • Tonsillitis

    Tonsillitis is redness and swelling (inflammation) in the tonsils. Tonsils are the fleshy clusters of tissue on both sides of the back of your child's throat. The tonsils help fight off germs entering the body through the mouth. They can become swollen and coated with a yellow, gray or white substance. A child with tonsillitis often has a sore throat, fever, swollen glands in the neck and trouble swallowing.

  • Enlarged adenoids

    Adenoids are lumps of tissue in the throat behind the nose. Some children are born with enlarged adenoids. Others get repeated infections in their adenoids, which can make them swell. Because they are near the entrance to the breathing passages, enlarged adenoids can affect your child's breathing. They can also affect swallowing, and make ear infections more likely.

  • Microtia

    Microtia means a very small or missing ear. Children with microtia are born with the condition. Microtia varies from child to child. Some may have a small ear that has all of its internal parts. Others may be missing parts inside the ear. Microtia may occur on one or both sides of your child's head.