Dr. Stephen E. Metzinger, MD

Otolaryngology is the field of medicine primarily concerned with problems with the ear, nose and throat. An otolaryngologist is a head and neck surgeon who diagnoses and provides comprehensive medical treatment for the ears, nose, sinuses, throat, respiratory system, and other head and neck systems. This specialist also performs plastic and reconstructive surgery on the face, and treats disorders of the larynx (voicebox) and hearing.

Other areas of concern to the otolaryngologist are treatment of diseases, allergies and related disorders of the head. Otolaryngology is commonly called ENT, because it primarily deals with the ear, nose and throat.

Plastic surgery is surgery to repair or reconstruct physical defects of the skin, head and body. A plastic surgeon performs structural cosmetic surgery for aesthetic reasons to change the shape of features on the head or body, or can perform reconstructive surgery to correct deformities of the head or body caused by injury, disease, or birth defects. This specialist deals with the repair, reconstruction, or replacement of physical defects involving the skin, musculoskeletal system, hand, extremities, breast, trunk and external genitalia. The plastic surgeon uses aesthetic surgical principles not only to improve undesirable qualities of normal structures, but in all reconstructive procedures as well.