Patient – The consultation at the ENT specialist

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The illness diagnosis

The consultation at the ENT specialist

Discussion

Your consultation with the ear-nose-throat specialist will start with a discussion, during which the doctor will ask you some questions.

What are your symptoms, since when do you have them, how do they progress, etc.

The doctor will then evaluate your tobacco and alcohol consumption, because these toxic substances favour the appearance of throat and larynx cancer.

Finally, you will have to give us information concerning your health: previous operations, treatments in progress, other history, etc.

Examination

The second stage of your consultation is the clinical examination.

The ear-nose-throat specially may examine your ears if you complain about them.

The examination of the mouth is important, and allows to see rapidly and simply if a cancer of the mouth or of the upper portion of the throat progresses.

Unfortunately, the examination of the mouth is not sufficient, and does not allow seeing the throat in full. Therefore it needs to be completed by an examination with a small camera that will go through your nose. This examination allows seeing your throat and larynx in full.

Finally, the doctor will palpate your neck, to see whether you have sick lymph nodes, related to your cancer.

At the end of the consultation, if the ENT specialist suspects the presence of a cancer of the mouth, throat or larynx, he/she will schedule an examination under general anaesthesia, as well as CT-scan of the neck and lungs, and sometimes MRI.

Total laryngectomy: from diagnosis to recovery

Introduction

Total laryngectomy: from diagnosis to recovery

The illness diagnosis

Treatment by total laryngectomy

The return home