Ear, Nose & Throat insights from Mike Dilkes, expert in ENT laser surgery

The cost of seeing a top ENT specialist varies. Some consultants consider themselves more prestigious or skilled than others, and charge more. Some are just greedy. Steer clear of Hospitals and clinics that are part of a bigger group. They will be manager heavy and significantly more expensive. They are also less likely to care about quality as they are only really interested in quantity. Smaller American-style practices with one or two specialists and only a few members of s

Tonsil stones are sometimes quite deep within the tonsil.

They are all related especially if your nose is causing trouble in the early season hay fever phase. If you see these bad boys, get on the antihistamines ASAP. Alder, Hazel, Willow are the main culprits. Birch is worse in April/May.

Nasal polyps are benign swelling of the nose lining. They are basically a severe form of rhinitis, a common problem often due to allergy or infection. They are linked to asthma and often present with loss of sense of smell and taste, plus nose blockage. The case in this photo shows a polyp almost coming out of the front of the nose - quite bad. Treatment is with medical therapy first, including antihistamines, antileukotrienes, steroids, saline washes, depot injections of ste

Mucous runs down the back of the nose into the throat, as in this picture. It doesn't signify infection etc just overproduction of mucus.

This is the posterior end of the nasal septum as seen from a transoral approach behind the soft palate up into the postnasal space.

Tonsil stones can arise from a number of different areas in the throat. The vast majority do arise in the faucial or palatine tonsils. However even in this area watch out for deep pockets behind the tonsils themselves as a cause for tonsil stone formation, as in this picture.

Here's a bend in the nasal septal cartilage, also called a deviated nasal septum. It causes disruption to air flow, which leads to drying, scabbing and then new blood vessel formation, which you can see if you look closely. These new blood vessels are not as robust as those originally within the septum, and are prone to rupture, causing nose bleeds, or epistaxis. They can be treated in the clinic with cautery. Longer term a septoplasty will be required to straighten the devia