About the Division of Otolaryngology
In the Division of Otolaryngology comprehensive care is delivered by a skilled team of doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses, who provide individualized care for each child. We practice family-centered care, educating and empowering patient families to make informed decisions about the most appropriate treatment for their child’s condition. The division is led by chief Karen B. Zur, MD.
Our Specialty Centers and Programs
Experts in the Division of Otolaryngology have created specialty centers and programs to meet unique needs of complex patients.
Center for Pediatric Airway Disorders
The center is staffed by internationally recognized leaders in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of airway disorders in children, including congenital airway defects, airway problems due to trauma or lengthy intubation, and voice and swallowing disorders. Our multidisciplinary approach makes it possible to meet the complex needs of the children who come to us. Our team includes otolaryngologists, pulmonologists, gastroenterologists, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists and speech-language pathologists. The airway team also specializes in the care of children with long-term tracheostomies.
Cochlear Implant Program
The Cochlear Implant Program offers customized care to children with sensorineural hearing loss who are being evaluated for cochlear implantation and children who already use cochlear implants. Our goal is to provide the best possible care for a child and family, to ensure that a child’s hearing is optimized, spoken language goals are being met, and the family is best prepared to advocate for the child. We also educate other professionals with whom the child may interact and conduct research into improving outcomes with the technology.
Pediatric Thyroid Center
This is one of the few centers in the nation dedicated to the unique medical needs of children and adolescents with thyroid disease. The center’s multidisciplinary team of experts offers an unparalleled level of expertise and the resources needed to provide optimal and individualized care for each child with thyroid disease. For patients facing thyroid cancer, we provide expert surgical care and radiotherapy. The center also treats children with hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroid function disorders and thyroid nodules.
Pediatric Voice Program
The Voice Program is one of only a few programs nationwide that specializes in comprehensive voice treatment for children. We treat children 3 years and older who have voice issues — such as vocal cord paralysis, polyps, cysts, nodules and scarring, chronic laryngitis, or a functional voice disorder — with a team that includes dedicated pediatric otolaryngologists, advanced practice nurses, voice therapists and a voice research scientist. They understand the emotional impact vocal issues can have on a child and how they can affect social development, scholastic performance and self-esteem. Because a child’s vocal folds are still developing, we believe in finding nonsurgical solutions for voice issues whenever possible. If needed, we offer other options, including: laryngeal electromyography (EMG), vocal fold injections (aka injection laryngoplasty), recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) reinnervation and phonomicrosurgery.
Our Research
Our relentless pursuit to provide the best care includes ongoing research to find the best treatments for the many conditions we treat. Highlights include:
- CHOP Otolaryngology’s Audiological and Genetic Database Project (AudGenDB) is a multi-institutional effort to bring together electronic health records with genetic and genomic information to facilitate research in the causes and outcomes of congenital hearing loss. The database resource is a national effort, collecting data from multiple institutions. CHOP’s efforts are led by John A. Germiller, MD, PhD.
- Ian Jacobs, MD, has lead a national task force that is investigating potential, new mitigation strategies for alkaline (button battery) caustic injuries, which include application of neutralizing acidic fluids.
- Ian Jacobs, MD, is also working to develop engineered tissue cartilage for pediatric laryngotracheal reconstruction.
- Karen Zur, MD, is researching the comparative treatment options for recurrent laryngeal nerve reinnervation in children.
- Lisa Elden, MD, MSc, is a co-investigator on a randomized controlled trial evaluating nasal steroids as therapy for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.