Our Center for Pediatric Aerodigestive Disorders and Airway Surgery provides the following treatments for children:
Common Diagnostic Procedures
- Triple scope: Evaluation of the airway and upper digestive tract under anesthesia performed by ENT, Pulmonary, and GI departments simultaneously for team-based assessment, patient convenience and to avoid additional anesthetics. The procedures involve three flexible or rigid scopes inserted through the mouth to assess the anatomy, take cultures of the lower airways and perform biopsies of the upper digestive tract. Click here to learn more about this procedure.
- Ph impedance testing: Temporary probe is inserted into the child’s nose and placed into the stomach for 24 hours to evaluate for acid reflux.
- Esophageal manometry: Test using a probe inserted in the child’s nose and placed into the stomach to assess if the esophagus (food pipe) is working properly.
- Functional endoscopic evaluation of swallow: Exam using a flexible scope to assess a child’s voice box while a child is eating or drinking to determine if there is food and/or liquids going into or near the windpipe.
- Dysphagia study: Video swallow study using contrast that is performed in Radiology with a feeding therapist to assess a child’s ability to swallow various consistencies while awake that focuses on the child’s mouth, throat, and voice box.
- Esophagram: Video swallow study using contrast performed in Radiology to assess a child’s ability to swallow various consistencies while awake that focuses on the child’s upper digestive tract.
- Pulmonary function testing: Noninvasive device that a child will blow into from a mouthpiece that connects to a small machine to assess how well the child’s lungs are functioning.
Therapeutic Surgeries
- Laryngotracheal reconstruction: Reconstruction of the windpipe to improve breathing that may be performed due to narrowing, incomplete formation at birth, weakness or immobile vocal cords.
- Slide tracheoplasty: Reconstruction of a narrowed portion of the windpipe to improve breathing.
- Airway stent placement: A temporary prosthesis is placed in the windpipe to maintain an adequate opening.
- Supraglottoplasty: Surgery used to correct a malformed portion of the voice box is typically performed in infants and young children.
- Laryngeal cleft repair and/or injections: Surgery using either temporary sutures or injections to correct an abnormal communication in the voice box.
- Botox injections to salivary glands for drooling: Temporary medication placed into glands in the cheeks and in the neck to decrease the amount of saliva production.