As experts in this field, we use a multidisciplinary approach that includes state-of-the-art diagnostic and surgical techniques to help patients with breathing problems that can cause sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea and snoring. Our approach is uniquely patient-tailored and combines lifestyle education with the latest office based and surgical procedures, including:

Nutritional education CPAP evaluations Office snoring procedures Palate surgery

Functional rhinoplasty Tongue base resection Jaw and tongue repositioning and advancement

Dr. Rima DeFatta's passion is the diagnosis and management of all upper aerodigestive tract disorders that are vital to your patient's ability to eat, breathe and speak. She is a board certified Otolaryngologist with fellowship training in Laryngology. Her expertise lies in the management of difficult airway and swallowing disorders. She has a particular interest in the most challenging and diverse issues related to professional, occupational and developmental voice problems. She specializes in cutting-edge diagnostic, medical and surgical treatments of the larynx and related structures, such as:

• Microsurgery of vocal fold edge pathologies
• Voice sparing surgery for early stage laryngeal malignancy
• Autologous lipotransfer for rehabilitation of the aging voice
• Endoscopic treatment of Zenker's diverticulum
• Botulinum toxin for spasmodic dysphonia
• Injection medialization of the paralyzed vocal fold
• Laryngeal framework surgery for glottic insufficiency
• Acute and long-term management of inhalational injury
• Endoscopic management and external fixation of laryngeal trauma
• Laser ablation and balloon dilatation of airway stenosis
• Voice optimizing treatment of laryngeal papillomatosis
• Minimally invasive treatment of pediatric voice disorders and vocal fold pathology

Severe trauma or a head and neck tumor can have a devastating effect on how a patient looks, eats, breathes, speaks, swallows and interacts with the world. Dr. Robert DeFatta is a board certified Facial Plastics and Reconstructive surgeon who thrives on these most challenging cases. His goal is to restore the patient's appearance and function and allow them to feel whole again. His experience in aesthetically reconstructing large head and neck defects has allowed him to hone his skills for the delicate cosmetic surgery of the face and neck. He has extensive experience in performing rejuvenating and aesthetic procedures to correct imperfections that can compromise a patient's self-confidence.

Dr. Robert DeFatta is also board certified in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. His expertise includes using advanced diagnostic techniques and innovative surgical approaches such as the da Vinci® robot and intraoperative CT and MRI to achieve the best outcomes for the most challenging lesions of the head and neck, including:

Our Head & Neck Center experts are constantly striving to stay at the forefront of medicine. With this goal in mind, they offer their patients the least invasive surgical procedures, which allow for less painful surgery and a shorter recovery. Dr. Robert DeFatta's commitment and expertise is evident by having established a skull base surgery program in upstate New York that offered:

• The latest, completely endonasal approaches to the anterior and middle cranial fossas and brainstem
• Cutting-edge, compassionate care that obviated the need for patient and family travel during a time of crisis and vulnerability.

The program at Sacred Heart Hospital similarly offers:

• Incision-free transnasal access to brain tumor resection
• Endoscopic and external skull base approaches
• Endoscopic transnasal approaches to brainstem masses

Children need to feel comfortable and parents need to trust that their child is in the most skilled and caring hands. We make a special point of meeting and connecting with each child on his or her level. We also take the time to build trust with each parent and answer every question that may be on his or her mind. The Head & Neck Center treats all the common childhood head and neck illnesses, as well as the more unusual disorders, including:

Breathing problems and sleep apnea Hoarseness and hypernasal speech Acquired or congenital head and neck masses Cleft lip and palate Chronic ear infections

Hearing loss Abnormalities of the external ear Tonsillitis and adenoiditis Sinusitis Congenital craniofascial abnormalities Periorbital infections

 

Chronic sinusitis and nasal disorders are some of the most commonly diagnosed diseases in this country in both children and adults. However, we never treat them as common. We employ the most recent advances to diagnose and treat these diseases, such as:

• Patient-tailored allergy testing, including RAST and intradermal
• Intradermal and sublingual immunotherapy
• High resolution CT imaging
• Intraoperative surgical neuronavigation
• Minimally invasive endoscopic surgery
• Balloon sinuplasty

The staff of the Sacred Heart Head & Neck Center understands the challenges hearing loss can place on our patients and their families. We strive to offer the best assistive listening and hearing aid technology at costs that are affordable for any budget. We have a personal understanding of the daily struggles individuals with hearing loss encounter because some of our own providers have hearing loss themselves. We understand that hearing aids are only the first step on the road to successful rehabilitation for people who are hard of hearing. We look forward to working with our patients to find customized solutions for all of their needs. The following is a list of some of the services we provide.

Advanced Hearing Aid Technology — We fit our hearing aids using real-ear verification measures, which is a scientific approach to ensure appropriate fit so all of our patient's communication needs are met. Many of our hearing instruments are compatible with connectivity options that provide solutions for phone conversations, television listening, and for better communication in noisy environments. FM systems are also available for better listening at school for children with hearing loss, or for adults who require more help when listening in noisy environments. Customized modifications for stethoscopes are available for hearing aid users.

Cochlear BAHA Technology — Sometimes conventional hearing aids are not enough. BAHA devices are available for patients who are looking for a bone conduction hearing solution. These devices can be beneficial for patients with conduction hearing losses or single-sided deafness.

Assistive Listening Solutions — In addition to hearing aid technology, we provide many assistive listening solutions for hard of hearing patients including devices specific to TV listening, devices for better speech understanding without hearing aids, amplified telephones, amplified stethoscopes, and mergency or alerting devices for the home.

The staff of the Sacred Heart Head & Neck Center is committed to the hearing health of our patients. We provide a full range of services to help prevent, treat, and manage hearing loss from childhood to adulthood. Some of the unique services we offer are outlined below.

Comprehensive Hearing Evaluation (Hearing Test) — Performed in a sound treated room using the latest diagnostic technologies, this test often allows us to determine the type and serverity of hearing loss. Other diagnostic tests are sometimes performed to rule out middle-ear problems. Sometimes unexplained differences exist in hearing from one ear to the other. Evoked Potentials testing can be performed to rule out auditory nerve involvement.

Pediatric Hearing Evaluations — It is never too early to check for hearing loss in children. We have many different tests that allow us to monitor hearing sensitivity in children from birth to adolescence. Infants require special testing called Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) testing in order to rule out hearing loss. This is a gentle non-invasive test, conducted through insert earphones, which allows the audiologist to monitor the response of the auditory nerve to sound. Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions testing can also be performed to rule out milder hearing losses. These tests are very common throughout Wisconsin in the assessment of children during newborn hearing screenings. Testing may be performed similar to adults in a sound treated room using Visual Response Audiometry or Conditioned Play techniques.

Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAE) Testing — Another helpful tool in monitoring the overall health of the auditory system, DPOAEs can help with differential diagnosis of the adult and pediatric patient. They are often performed in conjunction with a comprehensive hearing evaluation and can be used for ototoxic monitoring. Some medications are known to have hearing loss as a risk factor. Monitoring DPOAEs can help detect small changes in patient's hearing function and can allow for the prevention of significant hearing loss.

The staff of the Sacred Heart Head & Neck Center understands that experiencing dizziness or vertigo can greatly impact quality of life. Dizziness can lead to falls or injuries, loss of time at work, and even limit the patient's level of independence. Our team is dedicated to providing a comprehensive approach to manage and treat our patients who present with dizziness and imbalance. Patients will receive compassionate, patient-centered care whether seeing one of our Ear Nose and Throat Physicians for medical managment, or our audiologist for diagnostic testing. If physical therapy is recommended, we will work closely with your physical therapy team to explain results of our testing or to monitor progress. The following are some of the services our center provides to patients suffering from dizziness or vertigo.

Videonystagmography (VNG) — This test is performed to help rule out the inner ear as a contributing factor for dizziness. VNG testing requires the use of special goggles to record eye movements as patients track an object, and as their vestibular systems respond to different test conditions. If the vestibular system (inner ear) is contributing to our patient's dizzy symptoms, VNG testing can help determine if one ear or both ears are affected.

Computerized Dynamic Posturography (CDP) — Our bodies have three systems that are important for maintaining balance. We use our visual system (eyes), vestibular system (inner ear), and somatosensory system (sense of touch). Problems with any of these systems can affect a patient's sense of balance and lead to falls or injuries. The sensory integration test allows the audiologist to independently evaluate each system to help determine the source of imbalance for our patients.

Evoked Potentials Testing — Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMP) and Electrocochleography (ECochG) are offered in our clinic and can aid in the differential diagnosis of certain vestibular disorders.