ENT and head & neck surgery in Dubai

Surgery is a decision, not a starting point. The first appointment is an examination: a video-endoscopic look at the nose, throat or ear, hearing tests where they are relevant, and a conversation about how the problem behaves through the day and through the night.

Some findings respond to medication, to allergy treatment, or to a change in what you are exposed to. Others are structural, and a structure does not change with a spray. The examination is what separates the two.

If an operation is indicated, you are told why, what it involves, and what the alternatives are. If it is not indicated, you are told that as well.

Many ENT and head and neck procedures are planned as day cases. You arrive at an agreed time, the procedure is carried out under general or local anaesthetic depending on what is required, and discharge is planned for later the same day once the team is satisfied you are ready.

Dr. Missaghian meets every patient before the anaesthetic is given, and every parent. That is the moment for the questions people save up and then feel awkward asking. Ask them.

Procedures take place at Quttainah Specialized Hospital on Al Wasl Road, Umm Suqeim 3. The date, the arrival time and the fasting instructions are given to you in writing beforehand.

Children's ENT procedures are common operations in the specialty: adenoids, grommets for fluid behind the eardrum, and tonsils. They are usually short, planned in advance, and arranged as day cases.

You meet Dr. Missaghian with your child before anaesthesia. Children are examined in the clinic with the screen turned towards them, so a child has already seen the thing the adults are discussing.

Parents usually want to know two things: how long their child will be in the building, and when eating, sleeping and school return to normal. Both are discussed before the date is set, not on the morning itself.

The facial nerve passes through the ear on its way to the muscles of the face. Weakness on one side of the face, a drooping corner of the mouth, or an eye that does not close fully belongs in an ENT assessment for that reason. Facial weakness that comes on suddenly, or that comes together with weakness elsewhere in the body, difficulty speaking or a change in vision, needs emergency medical assessment first.

Facial nerve palsy is assessed rather than assumed. The ear, the hearing and the function of the nerve are examined, and imaging is arranged when the pattern calls for it. Treatment then follows the cause that is found.

The same principle applies to a lump in the neck, under the jaw, or in front of the ear. It is examined, imaged where necessary, and only then is there a discussion about whether it should be removed.