Initial consultation
Depending on the exact nature of your concern our ENT clinics will provide a thorough assessment of your problem with an expert consultant. At your initial assessment, our consultants will firstly gain an in-depth history of your exact symptoms to formulate a list of possible diagnoses and treatments.
State-of-the-art diagnostics available for you
Following your initial consultation, our expert ENT consultants may request several diagnostics tests depending on your symptoms:
A variety of diagnostic hearing tests are sometimes requested each of which is able to detect specific types of hearing loss. A pure tone audiometry test will often be requested to test an individual’s hearing across a range of pitches. Depending on an individual’s symptoms a number of other hearing tests may be requested which specifically test hearing ability with background noise or monitor the function of different parts of the anatomy of the ear. Some tests which may be requested include:
- Speech audiometry
- Acoustic reflex testing
- Oto-acoustic emissions
- Auditory brainstem response
- Auditory processing testsCortical evoked response audiometry
Inner ear problems are often associated with balance disturbance, and to diagnose the exact cause of this symptom a further range of tests may be requested:
- Caloric test
- Eye movement and rotating chair test
- Posturography
- Video head impulse test
- Vestibular evoked myogenic potential
- Roll test
Structural disorders of the nasal cavity can often be accurately diagnosed from a thorough history and a physical examination. However, for verification of disorders such as a deviated nasal septum, enlarged bony structures in the nasal cavity and nasal polyps, imaging will be requested which may include X-rays, CT scans or MRI scans.
Similarly, when patients present with problems related to the throat and vocal disorders, our ENT consultants will often require imaging to help confirm the exact nature of the problem. A laryngoscopy may sometimes be advised. This is a diagnostics procedure performed under a general anaesthetic in which a small camera is passed in to the throat, allowing your ENT consultant to examine the area in more precise detail.
The right treatment for you
Following your diagnostic tests our expert ENT consultants will talk you through the findings and formulate a non-surgical or surgical plan, depending on the clinical situation and your wishes. In specific circumstances, for example when there are underlying medical problems, we may recommend further consultations with other departments in conjunction with your ENT treatment.