Cass Street Ear, Nose & Throat Associates, PC

Sinusitis

Sinusitis is an inflammation of the tissue lining the sinuses. When they become blocked and filled with fluid, germs can grow and cause an infection. Acute sinusitis usually starts with coldlike symptoms such as a runny, stuffy nose and facial pain. It may start suddenly and last 2-4 weeks. Subacute sinus inflammation usually lasts 4 to 12 weeks. Chronic inflammation symptoms last 12 weeks or longer. Recurrent sinusitis happens several times a year.

Learn more about our Lugol cautery in office procedure

Nasal congestion begins when the membranes of the nasal passages get inflamed from excess mucus or from an irritating element.

Loss of Smell/ Anosmia

For most people, the loss of smell begins to deteriorate after the age of 60, and the majority of elderly people lose their sense of smell almost completely. However, there can be underlying causes for the loss of smell that need to be treated.

Nose Bleeds/ Epistaxis

Epistaxis is a fairly common condition. The blood comes from the tissue that lines the inside of the nostril. Nosebleeds are more common in people that live in dry climates, and they occur more often during the winter months. Children ages 2 to 10 and adults ages 50-80 are at the highest risk for having a nose bleed, and these are most likely to happen during the morning hours. Treatment for epistaxis can include nasal packing and cautery.

Sleep Disorders

Snoring is caused by the vibrating movement of the uvula and the soft palate that is located in the roof of the mouth. The uvula is the small mass of tissue that hangs down from the middle of the soft palate. When a person sleeps, the uvula and the soft palate relax and vibrating movements occur, causing the snoring sound.

Sleep Apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a persons breathing is interuppted during sleep. People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times. This means the brain may not be getting enough oxygen. There are two types of sleep apnea; Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Central Sleep Apnea. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is the more common of the two and is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses during sleep. With Central Sleep Apnea, the airway is not blocked, but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breath due to instability in the respiratory control center.

Tongue Tie

The condition is present at birth. A short, tight band of tissue tethers the tongue's tip to the floor of the mouth. It can affect how a child eats and speaks, and can interfere with breastfeeding. Symptoms include difficulty sticking out the tongue past the lower front teeth or lifting it to the upper teeth, though many people have no symptoms.