Heinz Stammberger (1946-2018) was a German-Austrian teacher, and researcher in the field of sinus surgery and otolaryngology. He was an Emeritus Professor and Head of the Department of General ORL, H&NS of the Medical University of Graz. [1]
Stammberger was widely recognized as the father of endoscopic sinus surgery. He started in 1975 working in the ENT department at Graz under the supervision of Prof Messerklinger who developed his endoscopic approach to sinus disease. He learned the basics of endoscopic surgery in Graz and spent his life advocating and teaching FESS philosophy around the world. [2] [3] [4]
Heinz Stammberger Award has been created in 2019 to pay tribute to the Stammberger through an annual award by the Middle East Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (MEAO-HNS). [5] Professor Stammberger co-founded TSESI: Tarabichi Stammberger Ear and Sinus Institute, dedicated to teaching and research in the field of endoscopic ear and sinus surgery. [6]
Professor Stammberger received honorary fellowships of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of England, Edinburgh and the American College of Surgeons. He received multiple prizes and awards including the Georg Davey Howell from the University of London, the ERS Award of Merit and the Cottle Golden Head Mirror. [7]
Otorhinolaryngology is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the surgical and medical management of conditions of the head and neck. Doctors who specialize in this area are called otorhinolaryngologists, otolaryngologists, head and neck surgeons, or ENT surgeons or physicians. Patients seek treatment from an otorhinolaryngologist for diseases of the ear, nose, throat, base of the skull, head, and neck. These commonly include functional diseases that affect the senses and activities of eating, drinking, speaking, breathing, swallowing, and hearing. In addition, ENT surgery encompasses the surgical management of cancers and benign tumors and reconstruction of the head and neck as well as plastic surgery of the face, scalp, and neck.
Stapedectomy is a surgical procedure in which the stapes bone is removed from the middle ear and replaced with a prosthesis.
A perforated eardrum is a prick in the eardrum. It can be caused by infection, trauma, overpressure, inappropriate ear clearing, and changes in middle ear pressure. An otoscope can be used to view the eardrum to diagnose a perforation. Perforations may heal naturally or require surgery.
Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is a procedure that is used to treat sinusitis and other conditions that affect the sinuses. Sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinuses that can cause symptoms such as congestion, headaches, and difficulty breathing through the nose.
Rande Lazar is an American otolaryngologist with a primary focus in pediatric ear, nose, and throat disorders. He has special expertise in adult and pediatric sleep and snoring disorders and surgery, as well as adult and pediatric sinus disorders.
Sir Victor Ewings Negus, MS, FRCS was a British surgeon who specialised in laryngology and also made fundamental contributions to comparative anatomy with his work on the structure and evolution of the larynx. He was born and educated in London, studying at King's College School, then King's College London, followed by King's College Hospital. The final years of his medical training were interrupted by the First World War, during which he served with the Royal Army Medical Corps. After the war, he qualified as a surgeon and studied with laryngologists in France and the USA before resuming his career at King's College Hospital where he became a junior surgeon in 1924.
Mani H. Zadeh is an Otolaryngologist-Head and Neck Surgeon and a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) as well as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). He is considered an expert in minimally invasive surgical procedures and specializes in nasal and sinus disorders. He is the author of numerous publications and has been cited by his peers in the medical field, specifically for endoscopic sinus surgery and septal surgery. He is the founder of the L.A. Sinus Institute and has won numerous awards for his field of medicine.
Jonathan E. Aviv is an American otolaryngologist–head and neck surgeon and a professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, New York. He is also Clinical Director of the Voice and Swallowing Center at ENT and Allergy Associates in New York City, New York. An inventor, author, educator, physician and surgeon, he is best known for his invention of Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing with Sensory Testing (FEESST), a medical device that allows office-based assessment of oropharyngeal dysphagia, or swallowing disorders, without the use of X-ray. He is also known for his development of Transnasal Esophagoscopy (TNE), a method of examining the esophagus without using conscious or intravenous sedation. From 1991 to 2009, he was a full-time academic surgeon and director of the division of head and neck surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Milind Vasant Kirtane is an Indian otorhinolaryngologist, reported to have performed the first cochlear implant surgery in Mumbai. The Government of India honoured him, in 2014, with the award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for his contributions to the field of medicine.
Endoscopic ear surgery (EES) is a minimally invasive alternative to traditional ear surgery and is defined as the use of the rigid endoscope, as opposed to a surgical microscope, to visualize the middle and inner ear during otologic surgery. During endoscopic ear surgery the surgeon holds the endoscope in one hand while working in the ear with the other. To allow this kind of single-handed surgery, different surgical instruments have to be used. Endoscopic visualization has improved due to high-definition video imaging and wide-field endoscopy, and being less invasive, EES is gaining importance as an adjunct to microscopic ear surgery.
Jacob Sadé (3 June 1925 – 16 March 2020) was a German-born Israeli otolaryngologist, also an emeritus professor at the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University.
Desiderio Passali is an Italian doctor and ear, nose and throat professor at the ENT Department of Siena University. Passali worked for 40 years in ENT departments of various University hospitals, in Italy, and established ENT departments in Rome, Siena and L'Aquila he headed for 45 years, and where many physicians and students studied otolaryngology and audiology. His clinical, surgical and scientific main interest centered on rhinology, inflammatory ear diseases, pediatric otolaryngoloy, allergy, equilibrium.
Antral lavage is a largely obsolete surgical procedure in which a cannula is inserted into the maxillary sinus via the inferior meatus to allow irrigation and drainage of the sinus. It is also called proof puncture, as the presence of an infection can be proven during the procedure. Upon presence of infection, it can be considered as therapeutic puncture. Often, multiple repeated lavages are subsequently required to allow for full washout of infection.
Mohan Kameswaran is an Indian otorhinolaryngologist, medical academic and the founder of MERF Institute of Speech and Hearing, a Chennai-based institution providing advanced training in audiology and speech-language pathology. He is one of the pioneers of cochlear implant surgery in India and a visiting professor at Rajah Muthiah Medical College of the Annamalai University and Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai. He has many firsts to his credit such as the performance of the first auditory brain stem implantation surgery in South and South East Asia, the first pediatric brain stem implantation surgery in Asia, the first totally implantable hearing device surgery in Asia Pacific region, and the first to introduce KTP/532 laser-assisted ENT surgery in India. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2006, for his contributions to Indian medicine.
Lakhumal Hiranand Hiranandani (1917–2013) was an Indian otorhinolaryngologist, social activist and philanthropist, known for pioneering several surgical procedures which later came to be known as Dr. Hiranandani's Operations. He was the founder chairman of Hiranandani Foundation Trust which runs two schools in India and was reported to have been active in the social movement against organ trade in India. He was a recipient of the Golden Award of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the first Indian and the fifth overall to receive the honour. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1972, for his contributions to medicine and society.
Nicholas John Frootko is a retired South African / British Otolaryngologist / Head and Neck Surgeon with a special interest and expertise in Ear Surgery.
Flordeliz "Gigi" Osler is a Canadian Senator, physician, and assistant professor at the University of Manitoba. She was the 2018–2019 President of the Canadian Medical Association.
Muaaz Tarabichi is a Syrian otolaryngologist, lecturer, researcher, and author. He is recognized around the world as the father of endoscopic ear surgery. He is the co-founder of Tarabichi Stammberger Ear and Sinus Institute. He was elected as the chairman of the International Advisory Board of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.
Dame Valerie Joan Lund is a British surgeon and emeritus Professor in Rhinology at University College London. Lund has worked on endoscopic endonasal surgery and studies sinonasal conditions She was elevated from CBE to DBE in the 2024 New Year Honours.
David William Kennedy is an American academician, surgeon, and otolaryngologist. He is currently serving as an emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania.