science

Otorhinolaryngology

Otorhinolaryngology is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Otorhinolaryngology rather than just read about it. In short: Otorhinolaryngology ( oh-toh-RY-noh-LARR-in-GOL-ə-jee, abbreviated ORL), also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology – head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT), is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the surgical and medical management of conditions of the head and neck. Doctors who specialize in this area are called otorhinolaryngologists, otolaryngologists, head…

Key takeaways

Otorhinolaryngology belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Otorhinolaryngology to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Otorhinolaryngology from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Otorhinolaryngology ( oh-toh-RY-noh-LARR-in-GOL-ə-jee, abbreviated ORL), also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology – head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT), is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the surgical and medical management of conditions of the head and neck. Doctors who specialize in this area are called otorhinolaryngologists, otolaryngologists, head and neck surgeons, or ENT surgeons or physicians. The ear, nose, and throat operate as an interconnected system, linked to each other via the Eustachian tube. Patients seek treatment from an otorhinolaryngologist for diseases of the ear, nose, throat, base of the skull, head, and neck. These commonly include functional diseases that affect the senses and activities of eating, drinking, speaking, breathing, swallowing, and hearing. In addition, ENT surgery encompasses the surgical management of cancers and benign tumors, reconstruction of the head and neck, and plastic surgery of the face, scalp, and neck.

Etymology The term is a combination of Neo-Latin combining forms (oto- + rhino- + laryngo- + -logy) derived from four Ancient Greek words: (cf. Greek ωτορινολαρυγγολόγος 'otorhinolaryngologist').

Training Otorhinolaryngologists are physicians (MD, DO, MBBS, MBChB, etc.) who complete both medical school and an average of 5-7 years of post-graduate surgical training in ORL-H&N. In the United States, trainees complete at least five years of surgical residency training. This comprises three to six months of general surgical training and four and a half years in ORL-H&N specialist surgery. In Canada and the United States, practitioners complete a five-year residency training after medical school. Following residency training, some otolaryngologist-head & neck surgeons complete an advanced sub-specialty fellowship, where training can last for one to two years. Fellowships include head and neck surgical oncology, facial plastic surgery, rhinology and sinus surgery, neuro-otology, pediatric otolaryngology, and laryngology. In the United States and Canada, otorhinolaryngology is among the most competitive medical specialties for residency positions following medical school. In the United Kingdom, entrance to higher surgical training is competitive. It involves a rigorous national selection process. The training programme consists of 6 years of higher surgical training after which trainees frequently undertake fellowships in a sub-speciality before becoming a consultant. The typical total length of education, training, and post-secondary school is 12–14 years. Otolaryngology is among the more highly compensated surgical specialties in the United States. In 2022, the average annual income was $469,000.

Sub-specialties

(*Currently recognized by American Board of Medical Subspecialties)

Topics by subspecialty

Head and neck surgery Head and neck surgical oncology (field of surgery treating cancer/malignancy of the head and neck) Head and neck mucosal malignancy (cancer of the pink lining of the upper aerodigestive tract) Oral cancer (cancer of lips, gums, tongue, hard palate, cheek, floor of mouth) Oropharyngeal cancer (cancer of the oropharynx, soft palate, tonsil, base of tongue) Larynx cancer (voice box cancer) Hypopharynx cancer (lower throat cancer) Sinonasal cancer Nasopharyngeal cancer Skin cancer of the head & neck Thyroid cancer Salivary gland cancer Head and neck sarcoma Endocrine surgery of the head and neck Thyroid surgery Parathyroid surgery Microvascular free flap reconstructive surgery Skull base surgery

Otology and neurotology

Study of diseases of the outer ear, middle ear and mastoid, and inner ear, and surrounding structures (such as the facial nerve and lateral skull base)

Outer ear diseases Otitis externa – outer ear or ear canal inflammation Exostoses or Surfer's ear are bony growths in the outer ear canal Middle ear and mastoid diseases Otitis media – middle ear inflammation Perforated eardrum (hole in the eardrum due to infection, trauma, explosion, or loud noise) Mastoiditis Inner ear diseases BPPV – benign paroxysmal positional vertigo Labyrinthitis/Vestibular neuronitis Ménière's disease/Endolymphatic hydrops Perilymphatic fistula Acoustic neuroma, vestibular schwannoma Facial nerve disease Idiopathic facial palsy (Bell's Palsy) Facial nerve tumors Ramsay Hunt Syndrome Symptoms Hearing loss Tinnitus (subjective noise in the ear) Aural fullness (sense of fullness in the ear) Otalgia (pain referring to the ear) Otorrhea (fluid draining from the ear) Vertigo Imbalance

Rhinology Rhinology includes nasal dysfunction and sinus diseases.

Nasal obstruction Inferior turbinate hypertrophy Nasal septum deviation Chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps Sinusitis – acute, chronic Environmental allergies Rhinitis Pituitary tumor Empty nose syndrome Severe or recurrent epistaxis

Pediatric otorhinolaryngology Adenoidectomy Caustic ingestion Cricotracheal resection Decannulation Laryngomalacia Laryngotracheal reconstruction Myringotomy and tubes Obstructive sleep apnea – pediatric Tonsillectomy

Laryngology

Dysphonia/hoarseness Laryngitis Reinke's edema Vocal cord nodules and polyps Spasmodic dysphonia Tracheostomy Cancer of the larynx Vocology – science and practice of voice habilitation Muteness and selective muteness

Facial plastic and reconstructive surgery Facial plastic and reconstructive surgery is a one-year fellowship open to otorhinolaryngologists who wish to begin learning the aesthetic and reconstructive surgical principles of the head, face, and neck pioneered by the specialty of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Rhinoplasty and septoplasty Facelift (rhytidectomy) Browlift Blepharoplasty Otoplasty Genioplasty Injectable cosmetic treatments Trauma to the face Nasal bone fracture Mandible fracture Orbital fracture Frontal sinus fracture Complex lacerations and soft tissue damage Skin cancer (e.g. Basal Cell Carcinoma)

Sleep surgery

Sleep surgery encompasses any surgery that alleviates obstructive sleep apnea and can anatomically include any part of the upper airway.

Nasal cavity / nasopharynx Septoplasty Adenoidectomy (especially in pediatrics) Oral cavity / oropharynx Tonsillectomy (especially in pediatrics) Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty Transoral midline glossectomy Genioglossus advancement Other Hyoid suspension Maxillomandibular advancement Hypoglossal nerve stimulation

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Otorhinolaryngology

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Otorhinolaryngology claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Otorhinolaryngology before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Otorhinolaryngology ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Otorhinolaryngology

In research: Otorhinolaryngology appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Otorhinolaryngology in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Otorhinolaryngology is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Auditory system, Medical specialties, Otorhinolaryngology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Otorhinolaryngology outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Otorhinolaryngology in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Otorhinolaryngology means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Otorhinolaryngology out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Otorhinolaryngology in simple terms?

Why does Otorhinolaryngology matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Otorhinolaryngology?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Otorhinolaryngology.