What Is Otology and Neurotology?
Your ears do more than hear. They help you balance, communicate, and stay connected to the world around you.
Otology focuses on your ears, especially the middle and inner ear. Your outer ear is the ear you can see. It sends sound waves to your middle ear via your eardrum. Your hearing bones in your middle ear magnify sound waves and deliver them to your inner ear. Your inner ear receives the sound waves and converts them into signals that are sent to your brain. This process allows you to hear and maintain balance.
Neurotology focuses on the connection between the brain and the ear. This includes the nerve fibers that send the information from your inner ear to your brain.
University of Utah Health expert otologists and neurotologists diagnose and treat complex ear disorders and diseases. They provide you with relief whether you have hearing loss, chronic ear infections, dizziness, tumors, or rare ear disorders.
Collaboration With Our Skull Base Tumor Program
Some of the most serious ear conditions happen where your ear and brain meet. These include tumors like vestibular schwannomas (acoustic neuromas) and paragangliomas. These tumors may press on your nerves, cause hearing loss and balance problems. In rare cases, the tumors can affect your brain.
U of U Health takes a team approach to treat skull base tumors safely and effectively.
Our skull base surgery program brings together experts from several departments:
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Oncology (cancer treatment)
By working together, we provide you with coordinated, minimally invasive care and reduce the need for multiple surgeries.
Conditions We Treat
Our team diagnoses and treats a wide range of common ear disorders. Some of these disorders are lifelong conditions. Others develop suddenly due to infection, injury, or unknown causes.
Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is the reduced ability to hear sounds compared to someone with normal hearing. Multiple factors can cause hearing loss like aging, birth defects, and others. Treatment for hearing loss includes hearing aids, cochlear implants, and assisted listening devices.
Chronic Otitis Media
Chronic otitis media involves persistent middle ear fluid behind your eardrum due to middle ear inflammation. Unlike acute ear infections, the fluid related to chronic otitis media does not resolve after antibiotic treatment. Chronic otitis media can cause hearing loss, ear fullness, and make you more likely to get an ear infection. Ear tubes are often used to treat chronic otitis media.
Cholesteatoma
A cholesteatoma is a non-cancerous skin cyst. This cyst is a mass that grows when skin cells become trapped behind your eardrum. The cholesteatoma can erode bone, cause hearing loss, lead to infections, and even damage your facial nerve. Surgery is usually the only way to remove a cholesteatoma. Occasionally, small cholesteatomas can be treated conservatively in the clinic with routine ear cleaning.
Otosclerosis
Otosclerosis is an ear disease that happens because of abnormal bone tissue growth of your third hearing bone. A specialized surgery called a stapedotomy is often a good option to restore hearing.
Facial Nerve Disorders
A facial nerve disorder is weakness or even complete paralysis of the nerve that moves your face. The most common type of facial nerve disorder is Bell’s palsy. The cause of Bell's palsy is not known. Early treatment with steroids and often antiviral treatment is recommended.
Otologists often treat facial nerve conditions because the facial nerve runs through the ear. You usually see an otologist if your symptoms don’t improve, if your facial weakness is severe (complete paralysis), or if you have other ear disorders.
Meniere’s Disease
Meniere’s disease is an inner ear disorder that causes one or more symptoms. You may experience fluctuating dizziness (vertigo), ringing in your ear (tinnitus), hearing changes, or ear fullness. Your provider may recommend managing it with treatments including oral medication, injections into the ear, and dietary changes. In severe cases, surgery can be considered.
Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) surrounds your brain and spinal cord. CSF can leak into your ear when the thin bone between your brain and ear breaks down. A CSF leak increases your risk of serious infection (meningitis). Surgery to repair the leak is recommended in most cases.
Skull Base Tumors
Vestibular schwannomas (acoustic neuromas) are tumors that grow where your ear meets your brain. Vestibular schwannomas are benign tumors, meaning that they are not cancerous and don’t spread to other parts of your body. However, they can still cause serious symptoms.
Paragangliomas are another type of tumor that can affect your ears and hearing. In addition to growing in your ears, these tumors can also grow in other areas of your head and neck. Paragangliomas can be hereditary. They are rarely cancerous and rarely spread to other parts of your body.
Otolaryngology (otology and neurotology subspecialties) and neurosurgery often work together to remove tumors that involve the ear and the brain.
Why Choose U of U Health?
Patients consistently praise our team for clear communication and supportive care. As a patient at U of U Health, you benefit from excellent care and facilities.
When to See a Specialist for Ear Disorders and Diseases
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There are some ear symptoms you should never ignore. Some symptoms mean you should contact your provider or ask for a referral:
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Dizziness or balance problems
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Facial weakness or drooping
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Ongoing ear drainage or infections
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Ringing in the ear (tinnitus)
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Sudden hearing loss
Diagnosing Complex Ear Diseases
Getting an accurate diagnosis is your first step toward feeling better. Tests, like hearing tests, help us understand and treat the cause of your ear symptoms. There are several tests to find out what is causing your ear disorder or disease:
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Balance testing—Evaluates dizziness or vertigo
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Facial nerve testing—Identifies facial weakness or paralysis
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Hearing tests (audiometry)—Measure how well sound travels through your ear
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Imaging (MRI or CT)—Show us images of the bones, nerves, and other tissues inside your ear and skull
Find an Otolaryngologist Near You
Displaying 4 of 4 providers
Craig A. Buchman
Mana Espahbodi
Richard K. Gurgel
Neil S. Patel
Our Neurosurgeons
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Karol Budohoski
William T. Couldwell
Robert C. Rennert
Treatments for Complex Ear Diseases
Treatment for complex ear disorders and diseases depends on your condition. We treat many complex ear disorders and diseases without surgery. We may recommend medications, lifestyle changes, or specialized therapies to manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life. We work with you to find the best option for your needs and goals.
Medical Treatments
Several medical treatments are available to manage complex ear disorders and diseases:
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Antiviral medications, which treat suspected viral causes of facial nerve weakness.
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Dietary and lifestyle changes treat Meniere's disease and vestibular migraine.
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Steroids help calm inflammation from sudden hearing loss, Meniere’s disease, or facial weakness/paralysis.
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Vestibular therapy treats certain balance problems with physical therapy.
Surgical treatments
Some complex ear disorders and diseases require surgery. Surgery can repair damage, remove disease, or restore hearing. These procedures range from minimally invasive surgeries to more complex operations that require you to stay in the hospital for a short time.
If you have a complex ear disorder, you may need to have one or more surgical procedures:
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Tympanoplasty repairs a hole in the eardrum using your own tissue.
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Ossicular reconstruction rebuilds hearing bones with prostheses.
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Stapedotomy or stapedectomy replaces a stiff third hearing bone with a prosthetic.
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Osseointegrated implants treat conductive and maxed hearing loss by transmitting sound through the bones of the skull.
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Cochlear implants restore hearing by surgically implanting an electronic device in your inner ear.
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Temporal bone resection involves removal of the bone of the ear to treat cancer.
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CSF leak repair involves reconstruction of the skull base.
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Tumor removal from the ear, the brain or both in conjunction with neurosurgery.
Make an Appointment With an Otologist/Neurotologist
You typically need a referral from a general ENT (ear, nose, and throat) or audiologist to see one of our otology/neurotology specialists. If you don’t have a referral or provider, our nurse practitioners or physician assistants are available to evaluate your symptoms and get you started. Call 801-587-8368 to schedule an appointment.
What to Expect at Your Appointment
We take the time to explain your condition, answer your questions, and walk you through your treatment options. During your complex ear disorders and diseases consultation, you can expect to go over several steps:
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Physical exam and symptom check
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Discussion of your customized treatment plan
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Review of a detailed hearing test and/or balance test
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Review of your imaging (MRI/CT) tests or a referral for new imaging tests
What Surgery and Recovery Are Like
Every patient and procedure is different. Surgeons do some procedures through the ear canal and others through a small incision behind or around the ear. You can generally expect a few things from your ear disorder or disease procedure:
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Anesthesia—Most procedures use general anesthesia, meaning you will be asleep during the surgery. Sometimes we use local anesthesia, where you stay awake.
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Same-day surgery—Most ear surgeries are outpatient, so you go home the same day.
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Recovery time—You may need to avoid heavy lifting or getting your ear wet for a few weeks to months after surgery. Your surgeon will provide detailed instructions.
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Follow-up care—You'll return for checkups and hearing tests to monitor healing and progress.
For more complex cases, like CSF leaks or skull base tumors, you may need to stay in the hospital. How long you stay depends on your procedure and health.
