Overview

Rhinologists review sinus scan Nose and sinus surgeons review scans

Experts in treating nose and sinus problems (rhinologists) discuss a surgical plan.

People with conditions of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck are cared for by the specialists of the Mayo Clinic Department of Otolaryngology (ENT)/Head and Neck Surgery. The clinic has one of the largest ear, nose and throat practices in the world, with more than 50 specialists committed to providing individualized medical and surgical care to people at its campuses in Arizona, Minnesota and Florida. Mayo Clinic Health System locations serve more than 60 communities in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota. These sites bring Mayo Clinic ear, nose and throat (ENT) expertise and head and neck surgery to their local communities.

Our otolaryngologists work closely with other specialists to provide coordinated, comprehensive care for thousands of people each year. Depending on your situation, your Mayo Clinic doctor might collaborate with experts in audiology, endocrinology, speech pathology, ophthalmology, neurosurgery, dermatology, allergy and immunology, neurology, plastic surgery, pulmonary medicine, sports medicine, oncology, and other areas as needed. Pediatric otolaryngologists consult with other pediatric specialists to provide comprehensive care for children. Mayo Clinic's campus in Minnesota is one of the few medical centers in the United States with the expertise to perform specialized pediatric otolaryngology surgeries, such as laryngotracheal reconstruction.

An otolaryngology surgical team operates Facial reconstruction surgery

A surgical team works together to perform complex facial reconstruction surgeries.

Physician-scientists at Mayo Clinic conduct research to develop and improve treatment options. People treated at Mayo Clinic are frequently among the first to benefit from breakthrough therapies, advanced technologies and clinical research trials.

Mayo Clinic's Otolaryngology (ENT)/Head and Neck Surgery researchers have advanced surgical treatments, such as through-the-mouth (transoral) laser microsurgery, transoral robotic surgery, laryngeal transplants, and small blood vessel (microvascular) head and neck reconstruction surgery. Our surgeons were among the earliest pioneers of transoral minimally invasive techniques to remove tumors.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for ear, nose and throat by U.S. News & World Report.

A multidisciplinary approach to head and neck cancer

Head and neck 3D printing for reconstruction

Jonathan M. Morris, M.D., Radiology, Mayo Clinic: There's really no hospital system that has built as much infrastructure around 3D printing as Mayo has. We've done a lot of studies in the field of head and neck cancer and 3D printing and how they're complementary. Some of those complementary studies just show better understanding of the patient's specific anatomy before entering the operating room. With patient-specific virtual surgical planning and cutting guides, you can save up to 2 hours in the operating room, which means less time for a patient under anesthesia. And we get a better outcome because of all the design ahead of time.

We've developed a specialty called point-of-care manufacturing. All the manufacturing as the physicians inside the hospital, so there's no translation needed. We go from CT scan to three-dimensional model of complex cancer in every area of the body, but particularly in head and neck, quite seamlessly. We're combining surgery, biomedical engineering and radiology all in one place to create not just the 3D printed models, but also the virtual surgical planning.

We take the imaging with the patient's anatomy and tumor and vascularity, and then we print those out in a life-size three-dimensional way and give them to the surgeon as kind of a roadmap.

Daniel L. Price, M.D., Otorhinolaryngology, Mayo Clinic: We're all used to looking at two-dimensional images of patients and CT scans and MRIs. And 3D modeling takes that 2D image and turns it into something that you can hold in your hands and really understand what's the patient's anatomy. Having guides that are custom fit to their jaw, to their bone that we're taking from another part of their body to reconstruct them so that we can get perfect bone-to-bone contact and make them look as much like they did prior to ever having a cancer diagnosis.

But you really have to get it perfect the first time. We have the opportunity to practice, plan and make it perfect on a computer before we ever get to the operating room. We found that patients had less complications long term when we use 3D modeling. They were less likely to have a plate break, and they were less likely to have that bone fracture or nonunion when we use 3D modeling.

Dr. Morris: Another advantage is patient consent. When you let the patient hold their own skull or their own mandible or their own tumor in their hands, then you can start using the model as a communication vehicle. Mayo Clinic is an integrated multidisciplinary team. So instead of just surgeon and neuroradiologists meeting to discuss cases, now we have surgeon, neuroradiologist, biomedical engineers, and 3D printing capabilities all in the same care team.

Dr. Price: We excel at complex patient care. And I think that's where our efficiency and the expertise of all of our colleagues to take care of those complex patients really comes into play.

Contact

Arizona

  • Mayo Clinic Otolaryngology (ENT)/Head and Neck Surgery
  • 13400 E. Shea Blvd.
    Scottsdale, AZ 85259
    Phone: 480-301-8484

Florida

  • Mayo Clinic Otolaryngology (ENT)/Head and Neck Surgery
  • 4500 San Pablo Road
    Jacksonville, FL 32224
    Phone: 904-953-0853

Minnesota

  • Mayo Clinic Otolaryngology (ENT)/Head and Neck Surgery
  • 200 First St. SW
    Rochester, MN 55905
    Phone: 507-284-3856
June 14, 2023