Dr. Christoph Reisser in Vienna otolaryngology for children

As an otolaryngologist for children I pay special attention to the diseases and problems of my young patients. In extensive interviews with the children themselves as well as with their parents I do my best to diagnose the problems and to determine the right treatment.

Please come to my practice and convince yourself. Problems like enlarged tonsils and adenoids, hoarseness or hearing problems are carefully diagnosed. A no-fear examination of my small patients is my top priority.

ENT inflammation – find help from your otolaryngologist for children in Vienna Children's inflammations in the ENT field often start with a viral infection and become symptomatic by an additional secondary bacterial infection.

Disorders of the ear, nose and throat (ENT) region and related areas of the head and neck usually start with a viral infection and become more symptomatic by an additional bacterial super-infection. Typical bacteria are streptococci, pneumococci and haemophilus influenzae; they have different sensitivities to different antibiotics. However, one has to keep in mind that the treatment of childhood infections with antibiotics could promote the development of resistant bacteria. Therefore any antibiotic therapy, especially for children, should only be prescribed by your paediatrician, your family doctor or your ENT specialist.

Typical diseases are:

Middle ear infections, often based on middle ear fluid (effusion)
Tonsillitis, common in chronic mouth breathing (due to adenoid hyperplasia)
Chronic Rhinitis with paranasal sinuses

Tonsillitis – diagnosed by your otolaryngologist for children in Vienna Especially in childhood tonsils play an important role in the recognition of antigens (bacteria, viruses etc.) and the formation of an immune response.

Tonsils play an important role for the immune system of children. The tonsils serve for the recognition of antigens and the formation of an appropriate immune response, which is stored in the bone marrow. In chronically inflamed tonsils bacteria can survive and pose a threat to the organism. Therefore they should be removed surgically in specific cases. Enlarged tonsils usually cause eating problems and may be reduced or removed by your ENT surgeon if they interfere with breathing or ingestion.

In children tonsillectomies are only performed from the age of six. In younger children with massive and relevant hypertrophia of the tonsils a reduction of the tonsils can be performed if necessary. Such surgery represents a lower risk and still may lead to the desired success. For a consultation simply contact your ENT doctor for children in Vienna on 0664 3907650.

Your otolaryngologist for children treats hoarseness Children's hoarseness can be caused by excessive activity of the vocal cords leading to so-called ‘vocal cord nodules’ or ‘screamer’s nodes’.

Vocal cord nodules are the most common cause of prolonged hoarseness in children. As they are caused by overusing or misusing the voice, they are also known as ‘screamer’s nodes’. The nodules usually vanish with speech therapy / logopaedia and the voice returns to normal.

However logopaedia is not always successful in pre-school age. A visit to the ENT doctor for children is advisable.

Enlarged tonsils of the pharyngeal roof / adenoid vegetations Enlarged tonsils of the pharyngeal roof are typical for almost all (small) children. However, not all children develop the following symptoms.

Typical symptom of the enlarged tonsil at the pharyngeal roof is the nasal obstruction with subsequent chronic rhinitis and mouth breathing. Children cannot breathe through the nose while eating and must therefore 'breathe' through the mouth which leads to 'smacking'. At night these children snore through the open mouth. During the day they are sleepy and 'dreamy'.

Because of the anatomically-related proximity to the nasal opening of the Eustachian tube, the ventilation of the middle ear can also be affected. This may result in middle ear effusion behind the ear drum (sterile fluid up to otitis media). Pain develops due to the pressure difference. It also leads to hearing problems which can be diagnosed by the paediatrician or otolaryngologist, who will suggest the appropriate treatment.

Adenoids – help and advice from your otolaryngologist for children The most common cause of childhood deafness is a so-called OME (Otitis Media with Effusion).

Enlarged adenoids (small lumps of lymphatic tissue at the back of the nose, behind the palate) occur in all children, but not all children develop the symptoms described below. A typical symptom of enlarged adenoids is the nasal obstruction with subsequent chronic rhinitis and mouth breathing.

Since the children cannot breathe through the nose, mouth breathing is the consequence. This becomes a problem during eating and sleeping which leads to smacking and snoring. Because of the anatomical proximity to the nasal opening of the Eustachian tube, the ventilation of the middle ear is also often affected which results in a middle ear effusion. A visit to the paediatrician or your ENT specialist for children is highly recommended to solve this problem.

Children's hearing loss – help from your ENT specialist in Vienna As described above, the most common cause of hearing problems in childhood is the fluid behind the ear drum.

As mentioned before, the most common cause of hearing problems in childhood is the fluid behind the ear drum, which can lead to Otitis Media with Effusion (OME). This occurs by an additional infection. The hearing loss is caused by the immobility of the ear drum and the ossicles due to the fluid in the middle ear. The source of this fluid is the negative pressure in the middle ear that occurs due to the ventilation problems by the enlarged adenoids.

The treatment is focused on normalizing and restoring the ventilation of the middle ear. There are various medical and surgical (mechanical) treatment options. To plan the treatment and to determine possible other causes of hearing loss it is essential to visit your ENT specialist for children.