Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery

Founded in 1961 alongside the establishment of Kasturba Hospital, the Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, provides comprehensive care for diseases of the ear, nose, throat, head and neck, and skull base, and began its postgraduate training program in 1971. Attached to a tertiary care hospital, the department integrates clinical care, teaching, and research, and offers MS and fellowship training supported by three subspecialty units and state-of-the-art surgical infrastructure. It serves patients from Goa to Kerala, with the majority hailing from Karnataka.

Highlights

The first department in South India to start a Cochlear Implant program, in 1995, using a 22-channel cochlear implant electrode.

Renowned for head and neck cancer management since the early 1980s, with a large series of total laryngo-pharyngo-oesophagectomy with gastric transposition using an upward eversion stripping technique pioneered in the department.

Introduced endoscopic sinus surgery in 1989 and KTP laser-assisted surgery in 1999, and now offers CO2 laser, coblation, and microdebrider-assisted surgeries.

Organised into three subspecialty units — Otology and Lateral Skull Base, Rhinology and Anterior Skull Base, and Laryngology and Head and Neck Surgery.

Houses a dedicated Centre for Balance Disorders and a Centre for Swallowing Disorders, along with specialised Allergy and Voice clinics.

Offers Fellowship courses in Head and Neck and Skull Base Surgery (2 years) and Paediatric Otorhinolaryngology (1 year, in conjunction with Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru), with faculty and postgraduates certified in ICMR-NIE biomedical research and Good Clinical Practice.

Faculty

Department of Otorhinolaryngology – ENT