A State-of-the-Art Cool Springs ENT Medical Practice

ENT Specialists of Cool Springs and Columbia is dedicated to providing state-of-the-art medical services to our patients. Our view is that any technology that increases your safety and enhances surgical precision is of tantamount importance. Below you can learn more about our technology and procedures.

Balloon Sinus Dilation

Balloon sinus dilation, sometimes referred to as Balloon Sinuplasty™ is a new, minimally invasive procedure that reopens the sinus pathways and restores drainage to deliver immediate and long lasting relief to recurrent and chronic sinusitis sufferers. The FDA-cleared technology uses small, flexible, sinus balloons to open up blocked sinus passageways, by gently restructuring and widening the walls of the passageway while maintaining the integrity of the sinus lining.

We utilize balloon catheters from both the Acclarent (balloonsinuplasty.com) and Entellus (www.sinussurgeryoptions.com) systems, sometimes in combination with more traditional sinus surgery options, depending on individual patient factors.
>> Return to Top of Page

Image Guided Sinus Surgery

Computer Assisted Sinus Surgery (CASS) or Image Guided Sinus Surgery (IGS) is a system that integrates a high speed computer and the surgical instruments. This equipment, in combination with an endoscope and TV monitor, permits the surgeon to visualize the surgical instruments at all times within the sinuses based on the anatomy of the CT scan taken before surgery. This tracking system also correlates movement of these instruments. The surgeon therefore obtains instant feedback concerning the location of the surgical instruments within the various sinuses correlated to the individual's preoperative medical images, or CT scan. This real time information permits more thorough and precise surgery. (Learn More Here)

Disease, previous surgery, and normal anatomical variations can make it a challenge to perform the safest and most effective endoscopic sinus surgery, even with a detailed knowledge of anatomy and surgical skill. Avoiding orbital injuries, entry into the brain, and the carotid artery are critical.

Similar to a global positioning system, image-guided surgery system provides real-time images that can navigate in the sinuses for precise removal of diseased tissue while avoiding critical areas. (Learn More Here)

At ENT Specialists, we use image guidance for even the most straightforward sinus procedures. Our view is that any technology that increases your safety and enhances surgical precision is of tantamount importance.
>> Return to Top of Page

Allergy Drops

Today nearly 60 million Americans suffer from allergies — or roughly 20% of the population — yet less than 3% of allergic individuals are currently undergoing immunotherapy (the only treatment that changes your underlying allergic disease instead of temporarily treating symptoms).

Injection immunotherapy is an effective treatment, yet many allergy sufferers are not willing or able to consider this treatment. Sublingual immunotherapy, or allergy drops, is an off-label use of the same antigens used in allergy shots. Due to the better safety profile of allergy drops, more allergic individuals can benefit from a treatment approach that addresses the cause of the allergies.

There are many benefits to consider with allergy drop treatment including reduced time spent for physician visits, the convenience of taking immunotherapy at home or on the go, the ability to treat a broader array of allergic patients and conditions, and the reduced need for allergy medications.

Learn more about the steps to allergy drop treatment and how allergy sufferers could benefit by visiting www.allergychoices.com
>> Return to Top of Page

"Painless" Tonsillectomy

The Powered Intracapsular Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy (PITA) is a different way of performing a T&A procedure. The principle of the PITA technique is to remove the maximum amount of disease-causing tissue to treat the problem, while leaving a very small amount of tissue intact to protect the delicate throat muscles, decrease postoperative pain, and shorten the convalescent period. The precision of the PITA technique relies upon a powered instrument called a microdebrider . The microdebrider has a tiny rotating tip that allows the surgeon to remove tissue more carefully than traditional T&A surgery tools can.

With a more precise tool like the microdebrider, the surgeon can effectively treat the problem and prevent damage to nearby tissues at the same time. Consequently, the PITA technique offers most patients:

  • less postoperative pain,
  • a more rapid recovery and return to school or work,
  • a faster return to normal diet, and
  • fewer postoperative complications.

The recovery time with PITA surgery is usually less than four days and may be as little as one or two days. This means parents can go back to work sooner after their child's surgery, and children can go back to school and play. Most children who have PITA surgery also need less pain medicine. (Learn More Here)
>> Return to Top of Page

Baha - Bone Anchored Hearing Aid

A Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid is a type of hearing aid based on bone conduction. It is primarily suited to people who have conductive hearing losses, unilateral hearing loss and people with mixed hearing losses who cannot otherwise wear 'in the ear' or 'behind the ear' hearing aids.

At ENT Specialists of Cool Springs we surgically implant an abutment to transmit sound by direct conduction through bone to the inner ear, bypassing the external auditory canal and middle ear. A titanium "post" is surgically embedded into the skull with a small abutment exposed outside the skin. A sound processor sits on this abutment and transmits sound vibrations to the external abutment of the titanium implant. The implant vibrates the skull and inner ear, which stimulate the nerve fibers of the inner ear, allowing hearing.
(Learn more here: http://products.cochlearamericas.com/baha)

>> Return to Top of Page