Dr. Ashley Agan

Episode #59

Theresa Richard, SLP educates us on the best approach to evaluating the adult patient with swallowing difficulty, including the importance and challenges of obtaining high quality assessments, and recommendations for therapy.

Episode #58

We talk with Dr. Julie Wei about what it means to connect with a mentor, the challenges of finding the right fit, and how mentoring relationships will grow and change throughout our career and undoubtedly contribute to overall wellness.

Episode #57

We talk with Dr. Allison Royer about locums opportunities for otolaryngologists, why locums is becoming more popular amongst ENTs, and how to get started as a locums physician.

Episode #50

In this episode we talk with Dr. Reena Mehta about her experiences building a solo Allergy practice from scratch, including finding a space, staffing, essential equipment, and a successful marketing strategy.

Episode #44

Dr Keith Matheny tells us how he first got involved in entrepreneurial pursuits, including starting a global purchasing organization for ENT's, as well as advice on where to start when you have a great idea for a new device!

Episode #40

Dr. Ashley Agan sits down with the eustachian tube expert Dr. Dennis Poe to discuss his approach to management and treatment of eustachian tube dysfunction.

Episode #38

Dr. Romaine Johnson tells us about The Simulation Program for open airway and foreign body training at UT Southwestern, including how he got it started, how it's being used, and what steps go into making a successful course.

Episode #36

We talk with Vestibular Therapist Matthew Johnston about the workup of dizziness and setting up patients for success with Vestibular Rehab.

Episode #35

Dr. David Goldenberg talks with us about the management of thyroid nodules, including workup, imaging and patient counseling.

Episode #34

We talk with Dr. Bradley Block, creator and host of The Physician's Guide to Doctoring Podcast, about optimizing communication to improve workflow and for better patient care.

Episode #33

We talk with Dr. Anita Jeyakumar about her approach to Single Sided Deafness in Children, including workup, treatment and long-term care.

Episode #32

Join us to celebrate BackTable ENT's First Year Podiversary with co-hosts Dr. Gopi Shah and Dr. Ashley Agan! We take a look back at the year and discuss some of our favorite episodes as well as progress towards wellness since our first episode. Thank you to our amazing guests and loyal listeners!

Episode #31

We talk with Dr. Carrie Francis about her passion for guiding personal and professional development for physicians, trainees and students, while helping them build a strategy of authentic alignment between their career goals and purpose.

Episode #30

We talk with Rhinologist Dr. Ashleigh Halderman about Revision Endoscopic Sinus Surgery, including patient selection, pre-op planning, and endoscopic technique.

Episode #29

We talk with Dr. Carrie Nieman about improving hearing health disparities among older adults, particularly among vulnerable populations. Her practice and research focuses on an innovative, community-delivered approach to affordable, accessible hearing care.

Episode #28

We talk with Dr. Mark Williams about building his solo ENT practice, taking care of recording artists in Nashville, and aligning his own music, medicine and ministry.

Episode #27

We talk with Dr. Sarah Saxon about Facial Feminization Surgery, including the range of procedures, patient selection, and technique.

Episode #26

We talk with Dr. Matthew Ryan about diagnosis and management of Allergic Rhinitis, as well as Immunotherapy as a potential treatment option.

Episode #25

We talk with Dr. David Cognetti about sialendoscopy including the importance of patient selection as well as tips and tricks for success.

Episode #24

We talk with Dr. Nina Shapiro about the importance of effective communication of medical information to patients, and helping them avoid bad medical advice. She is author of the book "Hype: A Doctor's Guide to Medical Myths, Exaggerated Claims, and Bad Advice - How to Tell What's Real and What's Not".

Episode #23

We talk with Dr. Andrew Day about the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Oropharyngeal Cancers.

Episode #22

We talk with Dr. Prashant Malhotra from Nationwide Children’s Hospital about Pediatric Cochlear Implants, including workup and patient selection.

Episode #20

We talk with Steven Goudy MD, MBA about his clinical practice and research emphasis on cleft palate care in children at Emory Healthcare, as well as some tips on trying projects/adventures outside of clinical medicine.

Episode #19

Dr. Adam Luginbuhl from Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals gives us the 101 on Immunotherapy as a treatment option for Head and Neck Cancer.

To properly diagnose and treat eustachian tube issues, physicians utilize a variety of tools and techniques throughout eustachian tube dysfunction testing. Learn more about the role of patient history, physical, tympanogram, audiogram, and endoscopy in dealing with eustachian tube disorders.

Patulous eustachian tube dysfunction is a subset of the eustachian tube disorders that commonly affects patients through troubling symptoms such as autophony or aural fullness. Learn more about the patient presentation, commonly associated conditions, and patulous eustachian tube treatment options.

Vestibular physical therapy for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) can provide relief to patients experiencing varying degrees of symptoms. Learn more about the testing and treatment process for a patient attending vestibular therapy for BPPV.

Vestibular therapy can successfully treat a variety of vestibular disorders and conditions. Learn more about what to expect when a new patient begins treatment with a vestibular physical therapist.

Dr. Scott Fortune describes how to successfully incorporate Office-Based Rhinology and associated procedures into your Otolaryngology practice.

Fine needle aspiration biopsy is today’s first-line test for diagnosing malignant thyroid nodules. Learn more about patient selection, cytology, and interpreting indeterminate results of fine needle aspiration biopsy for thyroid nodules.

Physicians utilize a variety of thyroid imaging modalities.This article discusses which are most useful both in general, and on a case-by-case basis.

Office-based Rhinologic procedures can be uncomfortable and painful for patients. It is important to have a safe and effective anesthetic protocol in place to minimize patient discomfort.

Cochlear implant risks include infections of the middle ear, injury to the dura causing CSF leaks, and facial nerve injury. Certain cochlear implant precautions can be taken to ensure that these risks and complications are minimized.

There are many considerations to keep in mind when screening pediatric cochlear implant candidates. Certain diagnostic testing can help aid in management with special importance given to pediatric cochlear implant mapping.

Dr. St. John joins us to discuss strategies to support children living with hearing loss. There are important counseling considerations throughout a child’s life, starting from early language development, through schooling years, and into adolescent decisions.

Pediatric sensorineural, conductive, and mixed hearing loss can occur for a variety of reasons. Dr. Rachel St. John, a pediatrician specializing in hearing loss, discusses diagnostic assessments for deaf and hard of hearing children.

Sinus surgery may be necessary if all medical treatments for nasal polyps removal fail. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery is the most common procedure to debride and clear the sinuses.

Sinusitis is a condition that refers to the swelling of the sinuses and usually causes the growth of nasal polyps. In general, medical treatments for sinusitis and nasal polyps should be explored before nasal polyps removal.

For complex cleft patients, such as those who are afflicted by multi-systemic organ dysfunctions, a multidisciplinary medical team is required to manage multiple aspects of their health.

Cleft lip refers to the improper separation of the lip. Cleft lip repair surgery is sometimes necessary to improve infant feeding and breathing.

Dr. Jacob Hunter provides his insights on cochlear implant surgery in adults, potential cochlear implant side effects, and special considerations for elderly populations.

Indications for cochlear implantation are typically bilateral severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with little to no benefit from appropriately fit hearing aids. The journey of implantation has many steps and requires proper screening and evaluation.

A frenotomy procedure is a tongue tie treatment option done by performing a lingual frenulum cut. Acute post frenotomy management is focused on adequate hemostasis whereas long-term management is aimed at preventing scar tissue formation. We provide an overview of the frenotomy procedure and potential frenotomy complications.

In pediatric patients with tongue-tie who have feeding difficulties, it is important to obtain a thorough history of the mother. Exploration of mother’s health status during pregnancy, and labor and delivery details can provide insight into reasons for feeding troubles.

Management of patients with chronic eustachian tube disorders is challenging. Dr. Gopi Shah, Dr. Ashley Agan, and Dr. Walter Kutz discuss the essentials of caring for patients with eustachian tube disorders and outline the approach for distinguishing between patulous eustachian tube and eustachian tube dysfunction.

Management of pediatric tracheostomy patients requires a long-term commitment from the care team. Otolaryngologists Dr. Gopi Shah, Dr. Ashley Agan, and Dr. Romaine Johnson discuss the essentials of building a successful pediatric tracheostomy program and the importance of a multidisciplinary team.