Ear Surgery Services

Ear diseases are a common condition, often difficult to diagnose and manage as the facilities needed are specialised and require particular skills. Queensland Otology provides a comprehensive service in this respect, covering the full range of illnesses that affect the ear.

We especially excel in the management of severely diseased / damaged cases and those requiring revision surgery, for example cholesteatoma or mastoidectomy cavity repair situations.

Conditions Treated

General
Earache	Discharge
Congenital Deafness	Conductive Deafness
Sensorineural Deafness	Tinnitus
Dizziness	Ear Trauma

External Ear
Microtia	External Canal Atresia
Protruding ears	Wax (cerumen) Build-up
Foreign Bodies in the External Ear	Acute Otitis Externa (swimmer’s ear, tropical ear)
Fungal Otitis Externa	External Ear Allergy
Chronic Myringitis	External Canal Exostoses (Surfer’s Ear)
Keratosis Obturans	Neurodermatitis (Eczema)

Middle ear
Congenital Stapes Fixation	Congenital Drum and Ossicle Deformity
Eustachian Tube Dysfunction	Otitis Media with Effusion (Glue ear)
Vent tubes (Grommets)	Adhesive Otitis Media (Collapsed Eardrum)
Acute Otitis Media	Chronic Otitis Media
Perforated Eardrum	Cholesteatoma
Mastoid cavities	Mastoiditis
Otosclerosis	Glomus Tympanicum Tumours

Inner ear
Acoustic Schwannoma	Labyrinthitis
Vestibular Migraine	Age-related Hearing Loss (presbyacusis)
Noise-induced Hearing Loss	Sudden Onset Nerve Deafness
Vestibular Neuronitis	Perilymph Fistula
Meniere’s Disease (Endolymphatic Hydrops)	BPV (Benign Positional Vertigo)

Ear Surgery

At Queensland Otology we provide a high standard Otological surgical service, encompassing the procedures relevant to the above conditions. Our expertise derives from many years of in-depth experience and the associated applied research, recognised internationally, and for which Professor Black was awarded the Australian Society of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Medal for Distinguished Service in this field.

Adult Otology

Queensland Otology delivers a comprehensive service covering all adult ear conditions. Our area of particular expertise is the repair of difficult surgical conditions (e.g. infected mastoid cavities) for which advanced tertiary reconstruction skills are required and which have often defied conventional surgical management. These conditions have been the subject of applied research in this centre for many years, leading to development of techniques unique to this centre. Queensland Otology is the major tertiary referral centre for the management of these exceptional cases.

Paediatric Otology

With several decades of specialised paediatric care, initially at the Hospital for Sick Children in London, then in senior positions at the Royal Children’s Hospital and now the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, Professor Black has a wealth of experience in the ear conditions that afflict the younger patient. This includes particular expertise in the surgery for congenital ear deformities and the application of cochlear implants and more recent implantable Hearing technology. Professor Black is the Surgical Director at the Hear and Say Centre and is an original member of the Centre’s Board.

Mastoid Cavity Repair

Infected and otherwise troublesome mastoid cavities are a common complication of surgery for cholesteatoma. At Queensland Otology we have a long history of research applied to the repair and elimination of open cavities and can offer longstanding relief from these often distressing situations.

Ear Cleaning Service

The blocked ear is a frequently troublesome or distressing condition, whether due to wax, other debris, or disease. Given the associated discomfort, Queensland Otology has a ready access ear cleaning facility to provide prompt elimination of the problem, and where possible, prevention of recurrence. Cleaning often requires some complexity of instrumentation and expertise, well within our capability.

Cochlear Implant Program

With an experience of over 400 cochlear implants in both adults and children, Queensland Otology offers an extensive experience and expertise in cochlear implantation. Professor Black is a pioneer in minimalist implantation techniques, having developed perhaps the least traumatic technique available at this time. Dr Jane Black is also comprehensively familiar with the difficulties associated with this surgery, being the surgical coordinator for these services for two decades. Jane is the hands-on facilitator for our patients and our children’s families. In recent years it has become evident that the mature age group is greatly benefited by implant surgery, when needed. Patients up to 90 years of age receive these devices to overcome the isolation of deafness in later years, with very gratifying outcomes.

Implantable Hearing Technology

As well as cochlear implants, Queensland Otology provides a number of other implantable hearing devices that have been developed in recent years. The Vibrant Soundbridge is attached to the ossicular chain in the middle ear, incorporating a tiny electromagnet that vibrates, producing sound and hence hearing. Bone conduction implants (Med-El Bonebridge, Cochlear BAHA) function by vibrating the skull to produce sound. All three are particularly valuable for cases in which the usual hearing aids are inappropriate for a variety of reasons. All implants require substantial audiological services. Queensland Otology works closely with Attune and the Hear and Say Centre with regards the appropriate implant aftercare.

Audiology and Hearing Aids

Queensland Otology has had close liaisons with Attune since the latter’s inception in 1986. Attune is the largest private audiological service in Australia being largely owned by Otolaryngologists in all states. Attune has over 70 clinics nation-wide providing a full range of routine and more esoteric hearing testing facilities together with an extensive hearing aid and other audiological services. Attune services the majority of private cochlear implant and other implantable hearing technology patients in Queensland.