Pediatric ENT Problems
09-12, 10:45–11:45 (Europe/Istanbul), Humanitarian + Transverse Activities + Global Outreach 2

<p>Pediatric ENT Problems will be discussed.</p> <p>Title</p> <p>From Deaf Children to Local ENT Autonomy: Twenty Years of Pediatric Otology in Cambodia</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronic ear disease remains a major cause of preventable hearing loss in children living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In Cambodia, the lack of ENT specialists, imaging facilities and surgical infrastructure initially limited access to adequate care. The ASEAR humanitarian program has provided pediatric otologic care for more than 20 years and offers a unique perspective on the evolution of hearing healthcare in a developing country.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We reviewed the evolution of the ASEAR program from 2000 to 2024 through three successive phases: establishment of a referral-based surgical program, development of local ENT training, and implementation of advanced otologic and hearing rehabilitation procedures. Historical surgical outcomes were compared with current practice after the emergence of trained Cambodian ENT surgeons and the introduction of cone-beam CT imaging.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During the first phase, more than 5,000 patients were screened and over 700 ear procedures were performed. Children frequently presented with advanced chronic suppurative otitis media and cholesteatoma. Cholesteatoma represented one-third of operated cases and severe complications including facial paralysis, dead ear and intracranial infection were common. Because long-term follow-up was uncertain, disease eradication was prioritized through radical procedures.</p> <p>The creation of local ENT residency programs and the training of Cambodian otologists, including Dr Sokdavy Touch, progressively transformed the model. The introduction of cone-beam CT imaging enabled more accurate staging and postoperative surveillance, allowing selected conservative cholesteatoma surgery and functional reconstruction. Current outcomes approach those reported in developed countries while reducing dependence on foreign surgical missions.</p> <p>Seven bone-anchored hearing devices were implanted. Although hearing benefit was satisfactory in selected patients, a high rate of fixture loss and limited acceptance, particularly in unilateral hearing loss, highlighted the challenges of implantable hearing technologies in LMIC settings.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The major challenge in pediatric otology in LMICs is not only surgery but sustainable capacity building. Long-term improvements were achieved through infrastructure development, local specialist training, imaging availability and progressive transfer of expertise. The ultimate goal is to move from disease control toward durable hearing rehabilitation delivered by autonomous local teams.</p>
<p>To present a 20-year experience of pediatric otology in Cambodia and demonstrate how chronic ear disease management evolved from humanitarian surgical missions focused on disease eradication to a sustainable model based on local ENT training, imaging resources and hearing rehabilitation. This experience highlights the importance of capacity building in LMICs and shows that outcomes comparable to those of developed countries can be achieved when infrastructure, expertise and follow-up systems are progressively established.</p>
Moderator Moderator
Vincent Cousins
Panelist Panelist
Mümtaz Taner Torun
Jean Baptiste Lecanu
Ostap Orishchak
Haşmet Yeğin
Ghassan Alokby
Jean Baptiste Lecanu
<p>Dr Jean-Baptiste Lecanu is a French ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon,Associate Professor at the French college of Paris Hospital , Head of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the Institut Arthur Vernes in Paris, President of its Medical Board, and President of the humanitarian NGO ASEAR, with extensive expertise in rhinology, otology, ambulatory surgery, and international surgical outreach. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, contributed to French national ENT guidelines, and has led clinical, academic, and humanitarian initiatives in Southeast Asia for more than two decades.</p>
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Vincent Cousins
<p>Monash University Medical School Graduate; Australian ORL Training; Fellowships with Prof Donald Harrison, London and Prof Dietrich Plester, Tubingen. Main practice in Otology Neurotology from 1986.</p> <p>Past Federal President Australian Society for OHNS, Past President Neurotology Society of Australia.</p> <p>Royal Australian College of Surgery: Past Senior OHNS Examiner, Past Councillor, Past Chair of Academy of Surgical Education</p> <p>IFOS Executive Board member for Oceania 2009 - 2017, Regional Secretary for South East Asia, Western Pacific & Oceania 2017 - 2026.</p> <p>Outreach experience in China 2001 - 2025, Papua New Guinea 2010 - 2014, Zimbabwe 2015 - 2024</p>
Mümtaz Taner Torun
<p>Prof. Dr. Mümtaz Taner Torun. I was born in 1981 in Gaziantep. Since 2021, I have been the head of the ENT Department of Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University Faculty of Medicine. I mainly work in the field of Rhinology. Some of my publications. Prof. Dr. Mümtaz Taner Torun. I was born in 1981 in Gaziantep. Since 2021, I have been the head of the ENT Department of Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University Faculty of Medicine. I mainly work in the field of Rhinology. Some of my publications: 1. Torun MT. Usage of Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Routine Otolaryngologic Surgeries in Turkey. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol, 2022. Doi:10.1055/s-0042-1745727. 2. Torun MT, Yılmaz E. The role of the rhinostomy ostium size on functional success in dacryocystorhinostomy. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2022;88(S1):S57-S62. doi: 10.1016/j.bjorl.2021.03.006. 3.Torun MT, Başer E, Tanış T, Kuşderci HS. Pneumatization of all turbinates: A very rare entity. Ear Nose Throat J. 2020 Feb;99(2): 19-20. doi:10.1177/0145561319825666.</p>
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Ostap Orishchak
<p>Dr. Ostap Orishchak is a Pediatric Otolaryngology Fellow at McGill University in the Department of Otolaryngology (Canada). He completed his Doctor of Medicine and otolaryngology residency at Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University (Ukraine). His academic and clinical interests include pediatric otolaryngology, otology, hearing care, airway disorders, and global surgery.</p>
Haşmet Yeğin
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Ghassan Alokby
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