Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery

Head and Neck Conditions

Explore conditions evaluated and treated by the Head and Neck team at Norelle ENT.

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Conditions

20 conditions

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Condition

Congenital 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.

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1 of 20 · Congenital Neck Mass

Congenital Neck Mass

Difficulty 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.

Goiter

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.

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.

Hoarseness 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.

Hyperparathyroidism

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.

Larynx 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.

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.

Oral 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.

Parathyroid 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.

Parotid 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.

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.

Throat 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.

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.

Thyroid 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.

HPV-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.

Unknown 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.

Salivary 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.

Tonsil 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.

Base-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.