Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (ENT)

Contact

Dr Shyan Vijayasekaran | Clinical Professor | Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 
shyan.vijayasekaran@health.wa.gov.au

Departmental Overview 

The Otolaryngology department is heavily involved in research to improve our understanding of ear nose and throat disorders but also to help guide and direct future treatments. The department collaborates widely with other teams in the hospital such as audiology, speech pathology, anaesthesia, respiratory medicine, immunology and is also involved in bench top research in collaboration with researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia.

Key Research Areas and Projects

• Outcomes of airway surgical procedure (such as tongue base surgery for sleep apnoea and laryngotracheal reconstruction for glottic and subglottic stenosis)
• Immunology, microbiology and genetic causes of otitis media and adenotonsillar hypertrophy and novel therapeutic options for the same
• ATOMIC Ears: A Phase IIB randomised controlled trial to assess safety, tolerability and acceptability of a 5-day Dornase alfa treatment as an adjunct therapy to ventilation tube insertion for otitis media in children
• Development of novel medication and delivery options for the middle ear and nasopharynx 
• Risk factors for adenotonsillar hypertrophy and Obstructive sleep apnoea.

Tonsillectomy safety studies

• The Obstructive Sleep Apnoea study: making Tonsillectomies Safer (OSATS)
• Enhancing Management of Perioperative High risk patients through Assessment of oxygen Saturation and Sleep quality (EMPHASIS)
• Tranexamic acid in post- tonsillar haemorrhage.

Ear and hearing studies

• An international multi-center study of isoelectric EEG events in infants and young children during anaesthesia for surgery.
• Cockburn Ear Portal: An ENT and Audiology referral portal for improving access to ear health services for Aboriginal children in metropolitan areas using telehealth
• PCH Ear Portal: An urban-based ENT and Audiology referral telehealth portal to provide equitable access to specialist ear health services for children.

Global Tracheostomy Collaborative