Frequently asked questions about ENT care

An ENT specialist, or otolaryngologist, treats the ear, nose, sinuses, throat and related structures of the neck. See one for hearing loss, tinnitus, dizziness, recurrent ear pain, a blocked nose that will not clear, frequent sinusitis, persistent hoarseness, snoring or sleep apnea. It also applies to any concern about a child’s hearing.

At any age, including the first days of life. What changes are the complaints and the tests. In a newborn, an abnormal hearing screening and difficulty breathing through the nose; in a preschooler, snoring, mouth breathing and ear infections; at school age, delayed speech and inattention. Clínica Rhinus treats children and adults.

Not for the consultation. You can book directly with an ENT specialist, whether self-pay or through a Brazilian health plan. A medical request is required for tests and procedures: all of them depend on one, under insurance and self-pay alike. Some plans also require prior authorization for certain tests.

It is not the expected pattern and warrants assessment. Snoring on most nights, sleeping with the mouth open, restless sleep and frequent infections usually point to obstruction of the airway, most often from enlarged adenoids and tonsils or from allergic rhinitis. Assessment identifies what is obstructing and guides treatment, which is not always surgical.

It is neonatal hearing screening, carried out with the otoacoustic emissions test. A small probe is placed at the entrance to the ear and captures the cochlea’s response to sound. It is best carried out while still in the maternity unit, within the first 15 days of life. It is painless and usually done while the baby sleeps.

In a baby, not startling at loud sounds, not turning toward a sound, and stopping babbling. After the first year, delayed speech, speech only the family understands, not responding when called from behind, and turning the television up loudly. At school age, the complaint is usually inattention. Any of these signs justifies a hearing test.

Profound hearing loss is the degree at which a person cannot access speech even with conventional amplification. Options depend on the cause and on the age at identification, and include high-power hearing aids, speech-language follow-up and cochlear implant candidacy assessment. At Clínica Rhinus, the work-up, the candidacy assessment and the cochlear implant surgery are carried out by Prof. Aline Bittencourt.

Ventilation tubes are considered when fluid behind the eardrum persists for months and reduces hearing, or when ear infections recur frequently despite medical treatment. They drain the fluid and ventilate the middle ear. The decision weighs audiometry, tympanometry, the number of episodes, and the effect on the child’s speech and learning.

It is inflammation of the middle ear sustained over months, usually with a perforated eardrum and discharge that comes and goes, with little or no pain. Left untreated, it can lead to permanent hearing loss and, in cases with cholesteatoma, to erosion of the structures around the ear. An ear that discharges repeatedly deserves assessment, even without pain.

Tympanoplasty reconstructs a perforated eardrum with a graft from the patient, usually cartilage from the ear or fascia from a muscle. Recovery involves keeping the ear dry, not blowing the nose forcefully, avoiding physical exertion, and attending follow-up visits for cleaning. A blocked sensation in the first weeks is expected. Hearing outcome is assessed after healing.

Yes, and it begins by investigating the cause: earwax, hearing loss, middle ear changes, certain medications. When tinnitus persists, the aim shifts to reducing the distress, using sound amplification, sound therapy and attention to sleep and stress. Disappearance of the sound is not promised, but it can become far less intrusive.

When the deviation causes persistent nasal obstruction that interferes with sleep, exercise or daily life, and well-conducted medical treatment has not resolved it. Almost everyone has some degree of deviation and most never need surgery. Before considering an operation, it is important to treat any associated rhinitis, which may be the main cause of the blockage.

Rhinitis is inflammation of the lining of the nose, almost always allergic, with sneezing, clear discharge, itching and blockage. Sinusitis is inflammation of the sinuses, the cavities around the nose, with thick discharge, facial pain or pressure and sometimes fever. Poorly controlled rhinitis is one of the factors that favor recurrent sinusitis.

When snoring occurs on most nights, when someone observes pauses in breathing, when sleep does not restore, or when there is sleepiness while driving or in meetings. The test that confirms the diagnosis and measures severity is a sleep study.

It is a recording of sleep using sensors that monitor breathing, oxygenation and heart rate over one night. At Clínica Rhinus it is carried out at home, with a portable device. Preparation is simple: no coffee or alcohol from the afternoon onward, no daytime nap, and keeping your normal sleep routine.

They are not. Dizziness is the symptom and has many causes; labyrinthitis is a specific inflammation of the labyrinth and is far less common than everyday usage suggests. Diagnosis comes from a detailed consultation with head positioning maneuvers, together with audiometry and, where indicated, tests such as videonystagmography, vHIT and electrocochleography.

When hearing loss already interferes with everyday communication — frequently asking for repetition, struggling in noisy places, turning the television up loudly — and no medical or surgical treatment can resolve it. The indication follows from audiometry and medical assessment, and fitting is supported by a speech-language pathologist.

Clínica Rhinus performs audiometry, which measures the degree and type of loss; high-frequency audiometry, which detects early changes above the speech range; tympanometry, which assesses the eardrum and detects middle ear fluid; otoacoustic emissions, the newborn screening test; and ABR, which measures hearing without requiring a response. Tests are performed by our speech-language pathologists.

Yes, the clinic treats children and adults, for routine consultations and for more complex cases. We work with a list of Brazilian health plans published on our insurance page, alongside self-pay care. Coverage varies by plan, contract and procedure, so it is worth confirming with our team before booking.

Booking is done through the online system, available from every “Book an appointment” button on this site. The clinic is at R. das Andirobas, 10, Executive Lake Center building, suite 405, Jardim Renascença, São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil. We are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm, and Saturdays from 9am to noon.