BackTable ENT & Allergy

Epidemiological studies reveal that women make up 25% of all obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients, yet only 11% of patients carrying OSA diagnoses are women. What drives this disparity? In this episode of the BackTable ENT Podcast, sleep surgeon and UCSF Associate Professor Dr. Megan Durr joins host Dr. Gopi Shah to discuss OSA in women. --- CHECK OUT OUR SPONSOR Medtronic ENT https://www.medtro...

Before bringing a new device into your practice, it’s prudent to understand the science behind, indications for, and insurance coverage of that device. In this episode, Dr. Rajiv Pandit, comprehensive otolaryngologist at Dallas ENT Head & Neck Surgery Center, joins BackTable to discuss his success treating sinusitis with drug-eluting stents. --- CHECK OUT OUR SPONSOR Medtronic ENT Propel Implants...

Any otolaryngologist or cochlear implant (CI) patient can tell you that the journey to better hearing begins in earnest after CI activation. When the patient in question is a child, what does that journey look like? In this episode of the BackTable ENT podcast, Dr. Sarah Cordingley, audiologist with Peak ENT (Provo, Utah), joins host Dr. Gopi Shah to discuss aural rehabilitation for pediatric CI p...

Part of being a doctor is making high-stakes decisions nearly every day. However, making quality choices becomes even harder when you’re inundated with work and not sure where to start. In this episode, Dr. Steven Goudy, Professor of Pediatric Otolaryngology at Emory University (Atlanta), joins host Dr. Gopi Shah to cover decision fatigue. --- SYNPOSIS First, Dr. Goudy defines decision fatigue and...

While resident education represents the top priority of most otolaryngology departments, few attending surgeons receive formal training on teaching. In this episode of the BackTable ENT podcast, host Dr. Gopi Shah covers surgical education with Dr. Oswaldo Henriquez, rhinologist at Wellstar Health and adjunct associate professor at Emory School of Medicine. --- CHECK OUT OUR SPONSOR Medtronic ENT...

Dr. Aditya Bagrodia sits down with Elie Toubiana, founder and CEO of ScribeMD.ai, to discuss the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in medical documentation. --- SYNPOSIS Their conversation covers the capabilities and benefits of using an AI-driven medical scribe that ensures HIPAA compliance, reduces physician burnout, and enhances patient interactions. Elie also shares his...

While the mantra “see one, do one, teach one” once guided surgical education, nowadays, technologies like 3D printed models and realistic surgical videos allow trainees to safely gain hands-on experience. In this episode of the BackTable ENT podcast, Dr. François Simon, pediatric otolaryngologist at Necker Hospital for Sick Children (Paris, France) joins host Dr. Gopi Shah to discuss technological...

In this episode, laryngologist Dr. Inna Husain joins host Dr. Ashley Agan for a deep dive into laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) to illuminate patient presentation, diagnostic tests, and future directions in LPR research. --- CHECK OUT OUR SPONSOR Medtronic ENT https://www.medtronic.com/en-us/healthcare-professionals/specialties/ear-nose-throat.html --- SYNPOSIS The episode begins with a recap of Epi...

In this episode, Dr. Raj Sindwani, rhinologist at the Cleveland Clinic, joins host Dr. Gopi Shah to discuss advanced navigation systems, such as virtual reality (VR), to improve functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). --- CHECK OUT OUR SPONSOR Stryker ENT https://ent.stryker.com --- SYNPOSIS First, Dr. Sindwani shares how he combines pre-operative imaging data and navigation to plan successful...

In this episode of the BackTable ENT Podcast, thyroid expert Dr. Dana Gibbs speaks with host Dr. Ashley Agan about Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and hypothyroidism. Despite the high prevalence of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (1-2%), the condition is often misunderstood. Otolaryngologists and internists alike will benefit from Dr. Gibbs’ insight into Hashimoto’s presentation, diagnosis, and treatment. --- SYN...

In this episode, Dr. Mihir Patel, Professor of Otolaryngology at Emory University and expert in Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS), discusses HPV-positive head and neck cancer with host Dr. Ashley Agan. --- CHECK OUT OUR SPONSOR Medtronic ENT https://www.medtronic.com/en-us/healthcare-professionals/specialties/ear-nose-throat.html --- SYNPOSIS Dr. Patel opens by briefly sharing his journey to head &...

In this episode, hosts Dr. Ashley Agan and Dr. Gopi Shah discuss the ENT workforce with Dr. Andrew (“AJ”) Tompkins, an Ohio-based comprehensive otolaryngologist and member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery’s socioeconomic task force. --- SYNPOSIS First, Dr. Tompkins provides an overview of the ENT workforce from trainee to retiree stages. He describes his work with th...

In this episode of the BackTable ENT podcast, Dr. Pete Manes, associate professor of rhinology at Yale, discusses political advocacy with host Dr. Ashley Agan. --- SYNPOSIS Dr. Manes begins by explaining how a life-long interest in government underlies his work as a physician-advocate with the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. Currently, he serves as the Academy’s Coordin...

In this episode, Dr. Hamdy El-Hakim, pediatric airway surgeon and Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, joins host Dr. Gopi Shah to review laryngeal clefts in children. First, Dr. El-Hakim describes the presentation of laryngeal clefts. Affected children have coughing fits bad enough to cause watery eyes and “blue spells.” These fits are sometimes misattributed to other airway abnormal...

In this episode, Dr. Mark Royer, private practice otolaryngologist and medical director of ENTLocums.com, joins BackTable to discuss salary negotiation for physicians. Dr. Royer begins by using his personal career journey to highlight the importance of negotiation skills. Then, he describes how to develop these skills. Throughout the episode, Dr. Royer emphasizes the importance of knowing one’s va...

In this episode, Dr. Gavin Setzen of Albany ENT & Allergy Services addresses the current landscape of insurance reimbursement with host Dr. Ashley Agan. The episode opens by reviewing the current state of healthcare financing, where climbing costs, declining reimbursement, and continued consolidation of medical groups confront physician-owned private practices. Mindful of this context, Dr. Setzen...

In this episode, pediatric otolaryngologist Dr. Julie Wei (Akron Children’s Hospital) and psychologist Dr. Herdley Paolini discuss surgeon burnout with guest host, pediatric otolaryngologist Dr. Anthony Sheyn (Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital). First, Dr. Paolini reviews causes of surgeon burnout, drawing on three decades of experience working in physician wellness. Then, Dr. Sheyn and Dr. Wei discu...

In this episode, Pediatric Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) Olivia Brooks (University of Florida Shands Hospital) shares her experience performing inpatient fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) with host Dr. Gopi Shah. First, Olivia reviews the presentation of swallowing disorders in infants. She explains differences between the two most common swallowing tests: videofluoroscopic...

In this episode, Dr. Ashleigh Halderman, Rhinologist and Associate Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, discusses chronic invasive fungal sinusitis with hosts Dr. Gopi Shah and Dr. Ashley Agan, First, Dr. Halderman outlines her advocacy work as President of the Texas Association of Otolaryngology. Then, the discussion transitions to chronic invasive fungal sinusitis. D...

In this episode, Dr. Sohit Kanotra, director of UCLA’s Complex Pediatric Airway Program, discusses open airway surgery in children with host Dr. Gopi Shah. First, the surgeons review the presentation of pediatric airway stenosis, which causes stridor in younger children and exercise intolerance in older ones. Drawing on his experience at UCLA, Dr. Kanotra addresses how to build a pediatric airway...

In this episode, hosts Dr. Gopi Shah and Dr. Ashley Agan talk to Dr. Stephen Schoeff, laryngologist at Kaiser Permanente (Tacoma, WA) about subglottic stenosis in adults. Dr. Schoeff introduces subglottic stenosis (SS) as a rare condition affecting adult women of all ages. Patients complain of progressive dyspnea, declining exercise tolerance, and mucus sensation. Sometimes confused for asthma, gl...

In this episode, hosts Dr. Ashley Agan and Dr. Gopi Shah discuss the transition from residency to private practice with Dr. Christopher Gentile of Northeast Atlanta ENT. First, Dr. Gentile briefly describes his career journey from medical school to private practice. Shedding light on the residency to private practice transition, he addresses the challenges of adapting to a new clinical environment...

In this episode, host Dr. Ashley Agan discusses eustachian tube (ET) dilation with Dr. Dennis Poe, neurotologist and Professor of Otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School. First, the surgeons describe clinically meaningful differences between adult and pediatric ETs. Then, Dr. Poe reviews workup of pediatric ET disorders. Since inflammation accounts for most ET dysfunction, controlling comorbid al...

In this episode, Dr. Nora Perkins (Albany ENT & Allergy Services), discusses in-office procedural management of nasal airway obstruction with hosts Dr. Ashley Agan and Dr. Gopi Shah. First, the surgeons discuss the advantages of in-office procedures. Then, Dr. Perkins describes different presentations of nasal airway obstruction and their medical management. Diving deeper, Dr. Perkins shares her p...