The laser is the acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. It is an intense, parallel beam of pure single wavelength in which all light waves are of the same length and travel in phase in the same direction. A lens can focus this laser beam into a small spot producing extremely high energy levels that can cut coagulate and vaporize the tissues. Lasers in ear, nose and throat surgery Endoscopic sinus surgery Care for the professional voice

The possible causes of hearing loss are many. To list a few : Exposure to constant noise Trauma / Injury Genetic causes Natural aging process Tumours Birth defects Illness Middle ear infection Toxic ear medication

Even though screening is designed to detect hearing loss as early as possible, some children don't develop hearing loss until later in life. In those instances, parents, or grandparents are often the first to notice. During the first year, notice whether your baby reacts to loud noises, imitates sounds, and begins to react to his or her name. At age 2, check whether or not your child plays with his or her voice, imitates simple words, and enjoys games. Is a he or she using two-word sentence to talk about and ask for things? At age 3, notice whether or not he or she begins to understand and follows simple directions. If for any reason you think your child is not hearing well, talk to the doctor. Accurate tests are available where even a new born can be diagnosed for even a mild hearing impairment.

Our “Centres of Excellence”, equipped with the most advanced technology, are unmatched in guaranteed state-of-the-art ENT care. We offer the following services to make the child ‘hear the world’: Microsurgery of ear for Deafness, Dizziness, Discharging ear and Facial Paralysis Computer aided Audiometric and Tympanometry Infant Screening for early detection of deafness B.E.R.A./O.A.E./S.S.E.P./M.A.S.T.E.R Digital hearing aid centre Cochlear-implant Centre Sindhuja’s Story When Sindhuja was a year and a half, her parents were devastated when they realized that she was born with no hearing at all. Her father, who had no speech due to a similar hearing handicap, did not want his daughter to go through the same trauma and isolation of his silent world. At age 2, she underwent surgery for a cochlear implant at Vikram Hospital and today has discovered all the joys and sounds of a normal child. From having no hearing or speech, her life has changed tremendously after rehabilitation. She can respond and speak like a normal child, even have a telephonic conversation, and will not have any disability, due to this miracle called cochlear implant.

The noisy sounds of snoring occur when there is an obstruction to the free flow of air through the passages at the back of the mouth and nose. This is the collapsible part of the airway where the tongue and upper throat meet the soft palate and uvula (the fleshy structure that dangles from the roof of the mouth back into the throat). When these structures strike against each other and vibrate during breathing that is snoring. Persons who snore have at least one of the following problems : 1. Poor muscle tone (lack of tightness) in the muscles of the tongue and throat. Flabby muscles allow the tongue to fall backwards into the airway or allow the throat muscles to be drawn in the sides into the airway. This occurs when the person's muscular control is too relaxed form alcohol or from drugs, which cause sleepiness. It also happens in some persons when they relax in the deep-sleep stages. 2. Excessive bulkiness of tissues of the throat Large tonsils and adenoids, for example, commonly cause snoring in children. Over weight persons also have bulky neck tissues. Cysts or tumors could also be present, but they are rare. 3. Excessive length of the soft palate and uvula A long palate may narrow the opening from the nose into the throat. As it dangles in the airway it acts as a flutter valve during relaxed breathing, and contributes to the noise of snoring. A long uvula makes matters even worse. 4. Obstructed nasal airways When a person has a stuffy or blocked-up nose he must pull hard to inhale air through it. This creates an exaggerated vacuum in his throat, in the collapsible part of the airway, and it pulls together the floppy tissues of the throat. So snoring occurs even in people who would not snore if they could breathe through the nose properly. This explains why some people snore only during the hay fever season, or when they have a cold or sinus infection. Also, deformities of the nose or nasal septum frequently cause such obstruction. "Deviated Septum" is a common term for a deformity inside the nose in the wall that separates one nostril from the other.

Socially -yes. It is disruptive to family life. It makes the snorer an object of ridicule and causes other household members sleepless nights and resentfulness. Snorers become unwelcome roommates on vacations or business trips.

And medically -Yes. It disturbs the sleeping patterns of the snorer himself, so that he may not sleep restfully. Furthermore, heavy snorers tend to develop high blood pressure at a younger age than non-snorers.

The most exaggerated form of snoring is known as obstructive sleep apnea, when loud snoring is interrupted by frequent episodes of totally obstructed breathing. This is serious if the episodes last over 10 seconds each and occur more than 7 times per hour. Your physician may recommend a laboratory sleep study as a way of evaluating your symptoms. Apnea patients may experience 30 to 300 obstructed events per night. And many spend as much as half their sleep time with blood oxygen levels below normal. During their obstructive episodes, the heart must pump harder to circulate the blood faster. This can cause irregular heartbeats, and after many years it leads to elevated blood pressure and heart enlargement. The immediate effect of this oxygen starvation is that the person must sleep in a lighter stage and tense his muscles enough to open his airway to get air into his lungs. Persons with obstructive sleep apnea may spend little of their night time hours in the deep-sleep stages that are essential for a good rest. Therefore they awaken exhausted and are sleepy much of the day. They may fall asleep while driving to work or while on the job. Long term damage to the heart and lungs is also observed.

This is the question, which is foremost in the mind of the patient. Over the years numerous treatment methods have been tried with varying results. Various mechanical devices have been patented and in fact more than 300 such devices exist. The efficacy of this kind of treatment is always in doubt. Whatever the cause of the snoring, the first line of treatment is always to improve general health. Regular exercises, good sleeping habits combined with avoidance of alcohol and sleeping pills and loss of weight will help a majority of mild and occasional snorers. Heavy snorers, those who snore in any position they sleep in and the so-called "Obnoxious-Snorers" - need more help than the suggestions above. The heavy snorer requires a through examination of the nose, mouth, palate and neck. Treatment will of course depend on the diagnosis. However a majority of patients will benefit significantly from a procedure called "Laser-assisted -Uvuloplasty" - In this technique the excess of tissue in the air passage, which is causing the obstruction, is excised with the help of the K.T.P. laser. This simple procedure replaces other older and more extensive operations done previously.

Smoking and other environmental pollutions are basically irritants to nasal mucosa and causes rhinitis. However they are troublesome in allergic or other rhinitis patient. Increasing incidence of nasal allergy might be attributed to these factors Once a sinus problem always a recurrent problem, this dictum is not true. Deviated septum, allergic rhinitis etc. require attention and treatment. Sinus infection is usually controlled with good antibiotics and endoscopic techniques available these days Prolonged use of nasal drops damages nasal mucosa and resultant condition is not easy to treat .It is addictive and caused more damage and blockage on long term use Antibiotics - misuse, injudicious and inadequate use leads to resistant strains, incomplete resolution or alteration of immune system Snoring should no more be taken lightly and requires proper assessment and treatment wherever possible. It can spell serious problems sometimes. Snorers are more prone to heart attack, high B.P. and cerebra vascular strokes Stammering or stuttering is not an organic disease. It is abrupt interruptions of speech along with repetitive utterance of sounds or syllables or initial consonants or words. It requires psychotherapy (building confidence and encouragement, removal of fears and pressures) and speech therapy Oral sub-mucous fibrosis is very common. Paan Parag, Paan Masala, Betel nut and Tobacco are proven causative factors. Since treatment is difficult, prevention is very important. Abandon and discourage their regular use Repetitive throat clearing should not be done as it damages the vocal cords. Our speech clinic offers sessions on voice care for the professional voice also Every throat problem is not tonsillitis, Sinusitis, irritants (spicy food, alcohol, Paan Parag, Paan Masala, betel nut, Paan etc.) acid reflux from stomach into throat, all are causes of sore throat Tonsils are body defense and removal only essential if this defense become notorious and troublesome to body Unexplained weakness with sore throat may be initial symptom of AIDS Earache is often, due to Eustachian tube dysfunction due to cold or sinus infections, tonsillitis, teeth problems, temporo-mandibur joint problems, cervical spondylitis etc Nagging discomfort in throat, progressive hoarseness, cough may be features of cancer Cancer-phobia can occur due to diagnosis of cancer in family or in any close friend, proper ENT consultations is must and very useful Oral health – tobacco, betel nuts, gutka, paan masala and thaini in all forms are harmful and produce cancer or pre-cancerous conditions. Do not use them. Recurrent aphthous ulcers in oral cavity may be due to peptic ulcer or gastro-intestinal problem Rinsing mouth with plain water after each meal and regular brushing at bed time and also in the morning are essential. Dental flossing may also be needed. Regular tongue cleaning is must. Regularly massage your gums Discourage excess sweets, sweet drinks, chocolates, candies, gums, ice-cream etc. they all are factors for dental caries or decay. Drinking water should have 0.7 – 1.2 ppm fluoride level Do not use teeth for opening soft drink bottles or for breaking nuts or any such activity Antiseptic mouth or throat gargling should only be used as per advice of the doctor; avoid long term use Prevention of foreign body – infants and children under two years of age should not be allowed to eat peanuts and their play area should be cleared of small objectives that could be inhaled. Adults should set good example by never placing pin or clips in their mouth

Strategically located, Vikram E.N.T. Hospital & Research Institute is accessible by prime modes of transport facility in the industrial city of Coimbatore in South India. Established with the objective of a diagnostic centre, the clinic is a modern ENT office with infallible documentation facilities. The records of patients are maintained precisely, facilitated by computerized network, which allows for constant updating of information on each patient. The 35 years of surgical expertise combined with cutting edge technology and high rates of success make this a flagship centre. The facilities are classified into : SPECIAL A/C Deluxe Rooms Lifestyle luxury suites with internet, kitchenettetc Regular Rooms Intensive ENT care and post-operative beds Audiology & Speech & Hearing Department Cochlear Implant Clinic Endoscopy suites Investigative, radiology & laboratory facilities 24 hour Pharmacy Apart from the other facilities being provided, a full-fledged restaurant with ultra-modern kitchen and for eateries is provided on-campus

The laser is the acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. It is an intense, parallel beam of pure single wavelength in which all light waves are of the same length and travel in phase in the same direction. A lens can focus this laser beam into a small spot producing extremely high energy levels that can cut coagulate and vaporize the tissues. Lasers in ear, nose and throat surgery Endoscopic sinus surgery Care for the professional voice