Head and Neck Surgeons in New York City
This hub helps you route by problem — a new neck lump, a cancer diagnosis, a thyroid or parathyroid finding, a salivary swelling, a voice or swallowing concern, planned surgery, or a recovery need — and understand what happens next. It covers head and neck cancer, thyroid and parathyroid disease, salivary and parotid conditions, neck masses, reconstruction, and second-opinion care.
Overview
Head and neck conditions can affect breathing, swallowing, speech, and appearance. Evaluation may involve flexible laryngoscopy, ultrasound, fine-needle aspiration, imaging, and pathology review, and we coordinate surgery and reconstruction so that treatment addresses both the disease and the patient's long-term quality of life.
The Head and Neck division at Norelle Health in New York City evaluates conditions involving the throat, voice box, mouth, neck, thyroid, parathyroid glands, salivary glands, skin, and upper aerodigestive tract. Patients may arrive with a neck mass, a thyroid nodule, persistent hoarseness, a salivary gland lump, difficulty swallowing, an uncertain biopsy, or a recommendation for surgery they want to understand more clearly. The division is built for careful diagnosis, second opinions, and surgical planning, with coordination among oncology, radiation oncology, endocrinology, radiology, pathology, dentistry, and speech-language pathology when appropriate. Treatment decisions depend on more than the name of a disease. They take into account tumor location, stage, lymph node involvement, prior treatment, overall health, swallowing and voice goals, airway safety, and reconstructive needs. For head and neck cancers, the emphasis is on cancer control while preserving function — voice, swallowing, breathing, appearance, and nutrition — whenever medically appropriate. Surgery is one part of a larger care plan that may also include observation, repeat imaging, radiation, systemic therapy, or surveillance, and reconstruction is available to restore form and function after tumor removal or trauma.
Areas of Focus
- Thyroid and parathyroid surgery
- Surgery for head and neck cancers
- Reconstruction after tumor removal or trauma
- Free tissue transfer for complex defects
Need guidance?
Our patient coordination team is available to answer questions and schedule your evaluation with the right specialist.
Contact UsHead and Neck Cancer
Site-specific cancer pages explain symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment pathways, and the surgical pages explain how operations are planned.
Head and Neck Cancer
A head and neck cancer diagnosis raises two questions at once: how to control the disease, and how treatment may affect speech, swallowing, breathing, and appearance. Care is organized to address both, from accurate diagnosis through surgical planning, reconstruction, and rehabilitation.
ConditionThroat Cancer
Throat cancer is not one diagnosis. Cancers of the tonsil, tongue base, hypopharynx, nasopharynx, and larynx behave differently and may require very different treatment, so the first job is to identify the precise site and confirm it with endoscopy, imaging, and pathology.
ConditionLarynx Cancer
Larynx cancer treatment is not only about controlling a tumor; it is also about the safest realistic plan for voice, swallowing, and breathing. Options can range from endoscopic surgery or radiation to partial surgery, total laryngectomy, or combined treatment, and the right plan depends on where the cancer is and how the larynx works.
ConditionOral Cancer
Oral cavity cancer can affect the tongue, floor of mouth, gums, inner cheek, hard palate, or lips. Even a small lesion can have major implications for speech, chewing, swallowing, dental health, and reconstruction, so a precise map of the tumor and neck lymph nodes guides the plan.
ConditionHPV-Related Oropharyngeal Cancer
HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer most often begins in the tonsil or base of tongue and may first appear as a painless neck lump. Accurate site identification, p16 interpretation, smoking history, staging, and treatment comparison are central to a good plan.
ConditionTonsil Cancer
Tonsil cancer may cause throat pain, one-sided ear pain, asymmetry, swallowing symptoms, or a neck mass, and HPV-related disease can be subtle at the primary site. The key is to define the primary tumor and neck disease before comparing treatment.
ConditionBase-of-Tongue Cancer
Base-of-tongue cancer begins deep in the oropharynx, where small tumors can be difficult to see and may first present as a neck mass. Treatment planning must balance access, margins, neck disease, swallowing mechanics, and the chance of combined therapy.
ConditionUnknown Primary Head and Neck Cancer
When cancer is found in a neck lymph node but the original tumor is not visible, the workup should be systematic and time-sensitive. Finding the primary can narrow treatment fields, clarify staging, and reduce unnecessary exposure of healthy tissue.
ProcedureHead and Neck Cancer Surgery
Head and neck cancer surgery is a family of operations, not one procedure. A clear plan defines the oncologic goal, the structures at risk, the expected defect, the reconstruction, and how you will breathe, speak, swallow, and recover.
ProcedureOral Cancer Surgery
Oral cancer surgery removes the tumor with a healthy margin and, when needed, treats the neck lymph nodes and reconstructs the area. The plan balances complete cancer removal with preserving speech, chewing, and swallowing.
ProcedureLaryngeal Cancer Surgery
Surgery for laryngeal cancer ranges from a limited endoscopic procedure to partial or total laryngectomy. The right operation balances cancer control with whether the remaining larynx can provide a safe airway, useful voice, and effective swallowing.
ProcedureTransoral Robotic Surgery
Transoral robotic surgery allows selected tumors of the tonsil and tongue base to be removed through the mouth. The key question is not whether a robot can reach the tumor, but whether TORS improves the total treatment plan without creating unsafe margins, bleeding risk, poor function, or avoidable combined therapy.
ProcedureNeck Dissection
Neck dissection removes lymph nodes from defined levels of the neck to treat or stage head and neck cancer. The extent is matched to the tumor and to imaging, with the aim of thorough cancer control while protecting shoulder function, nerves, and major vessels.
ProcedureLaryngectomy Surgery and Recovery
Total laryngectomy removes the voice box and permanently separates the airway from the mouth, nose, and throat. Planning focuses on why the operation is recommended, whether reconstruction is needed, and how breathing, communication, and swallowing will be supported.
Thyroid and Parathyroid
Evaluation and surgery for thyroid nodules, goiter, thyroid cancer, and overactive parathyroid glands, with imaging and biopsy when appropriate.
Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer care has become more individualized. The right plan may range from active surveillance in selected low-risk cases to lobectomy, total thyroidectomy, lymph-node surgery, or radioactive iodine, and the decision weighs voice, calcium, hormone treatment, and future monitoring.
ConditionThyroid Nodules
Most thyroid nodules are benign, and many never need a biopsy or an operation. Evaluation uses thyroid function, ultrasound pattern, size, symptoms, and growth, with fine needle aspiration only when indicated, to avoid both missed risk and unnecessary treatment.
ConditionGoiter
A goiter is an enlarged thyroid gland. It may be diffuse or nodular, hormonally normal or overactive, and visible in the neck or extending behind the breastbone. Treatment depends on what the gland is doing, not its size alone.
ConditionHyperparathyroidism
Primary hyperparathyroidism is diagnosed with blood and related testing, not with a scan. Imaging is used later to plan an operation once the biochemical diagnosis and the reasons for surgery are established.
ConditionParathyroid Disease
Parathyroid disease is broader than a single adenoma. Primary, secondary, and tertiary hyperparathyroidism, along with uncommon parathyroid tumors, have different causes, laboratory patterns, imaging roles, and treatment pathways.
ProcedureThyroid Surgery
Thyroid surgery may remove one lobe, nearly all, or all of the gland. The right extent depends on the diagnosis, both-lobe anatomy, lymph nodes, hormone status, symptoms, future surveillance, and the patient's preferences.
ProcedureParathyroid Surgery
Parathyroid surgery removes the overactive gland or glands causing primary hyperparathyroidism. The plan depends on a confirmed biochemical diagnosis and on localization, with the choice between a focused operation and bilateral exploration made for each person.
ProcedureThyroid Ultrasound and FNA Biopsy
A thyroid FNA is a targeted diagnostic test, not a routine step for every nodule. Ultrasound features and size determine whether a biopsy is likely to help, and the result must be translated into a concrete next decision.
Salivary and Parotid
Diagnosis and surgery for salivary gland lumps, parotid tumors, and related conditions, with attention to facial nerve function.
Salivary Gland Disease
Salivary gland swelling can come from a stone, duct narrowing, infection, autoimmune inflammation, medication-related dryness, or a tumor. The timing, especially swelling with meals, often provides the first clue, and evaluation matches treatment to the cause.
ConditionSalivary Gland Cancer
Salivary gland cancer includes many rare tumor types with very different behavior. The diagnosis should name the gland, histology, grade, nerve involvement, local extent, and lymph-node risk before treatment is finalized.
ConditionParotid Tumor
Most parotid tumors are benign, but a persistent mass near the ear still needs a diagnosis. The questions that guide care are what the tumor is, where it sits relative to the facial nerve, whether it is growing, and whether observation or surgery is the better choice.
ProcedureParotidectomy
Parotidectomy removes part or all of the parotid gland to treat a tumor or persistent gland problem. The central decision is how much gland to remove while identifying and protecting the facial nerve.
ProcedureSalivary Gland Surgery
Salivary gland surgery treats tumors, stones, strictures, chronic infection, or cysts, and the right procedure ranges from gland-preserving techniques to removal of part or all of a gland, chosen to fit the diagnosis while protecting nearby nerves.
ProcedureSubmandibular Gland Excision
Submandibular gland excision removes the salivary gland beneath the jaw through a neck incision. It may be considered for a tumor, severe chronic obstruction or infection, or stones that cannot be treated with a gland-preserving approach.
Reconstruction and Recovery
How reconstruction restores form and function after tumor removal, and the supportive care that helps speech, swallowing, nutrition, and movement recover.
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Head and Neck Reconstruction
Reconstruction does more than close a wound. It restores lining, bulk, support, contour, and a platform for swallowing, speech, dental rehabilitation, and future treatment, with the method matched to the specific defect.
ProcedureFree Flaps
A free flap, or free tissue transfer, moves living tissue with its own blood vessels from a donor site to the head and neck, reconnecting the vessels under a microscope. The flap is chosen to match the defect and the function being restored, not because one donor site suits every patient.
Patient GuideRecovery After Head and Neck Surgery
Recovery varies widely, from an outpatient biopsy to a major operation with neck dissection and free-flap reconstruction. A useful plan sets individual milestones for airway, pain, wounds, drains, nutrition, communication, swallowing, mobility, and return to daily life.
GuideSpeech and Swallowing After Head and Neck Surgery
Speech and swallowing recovery begins with a baseline. This guide explains how function is assessed and rehabilitated before and after oral, throat, laryngeal, neck, and reconstructive surgery.
GuideNutrition After Head and Neck Surgery
Nutrition is part of treatment. This guide explains how weight, hydration, protein, texture changes, tube feeding, and dietitian support are planned to protect healing after head and neck surgery.
GuideHead and Neck Lymphedema After Treatment
This guide explains how to recognize external and internal head and neck lymphedema after surgery or radiation, and how evaluation, therapy, compression, and fibrosis care are planned.
GuideTrismus After Head and Neck Cancer Treatment
This guide explains why limited jaw opening occurs after head and neck surgery or radiation, and how measurement, therapy, devices, pain care, and dental planning help preserve function.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Common presenting symptoms that lead patients to a head and neck evaluation, with guidance on how each is assessed.
Neck Mass
An adult neck mass without a clear infectious cause should be treated as potentially serious until a diagnosis is established. A lump present for two weeks or longer, or of uncertain duration, meets a guideline threshold for prompt evaluation.
ConditionCongenital Neck Mass
Congenital neck lesions may be noticed in childhood or appear later after infection or growth. In an adult, a cystic neck mass should not be labeled congenital until malignancy has been appropriately excluded.
ConditionDifficulty Swallowing
Difficulty swallowing is a symptom, not a diagnosis. The first distinction is whether the problem begins in the mouth and throat, with coughing, choking, or trouble starting a swallow, or lower in the esophagus, where food feels stuck after the swallow begins.
ConditionHoarseness and Voice Changes
Most short-lived hoarseness is benign, but a voice change that does not improve within about four weeks should be examined with laryngoscopy, and sooner when breathing difficulty, a neck mass, a tobacco history, or recent neck surgery is present.
Considering a second opinion?
If you have a new diagnosis, an uncertain biopsy, or a recommendation for surgery you want to understand more clearly, our team can review your records and imaging and walk you through the options.