When is referral to an ear nose and throat or sinus specialist necessary?
Upper respiratory and sinus infections are some of the most common things that all physicians treat. All primary care doctors are well trained to deal with routine infections. In many cases a specialist will prescribe the exact same treatment that your regular doctor would. It is for those patients that continue to have infections despite regular treatment, or those patients who cannot get rid of an infection despite antibiotics, that ear nose and throat specialists are needed. An ear nose and throat physician can look in the nose with a camera to evaluate for anatomic obstruction and can also take a culture if necessary to evaluate for resistant bacteria. A sinus specialist, of which there is three fellowship trained in the state of Connecticut, is an individual that after training in ear nose and throat, completed additional training specifically in sinus diseases. They are needed when patients have failed to respond to surgical or aggressive medical therapy.
