ABEA SPRING 2010 NEWSLETTER
MESSAGE FROM THE
PRESIDENT
The annual ABEA meeting at COSM in Las Vegas (April 28, 29) will
be a wonderful learning experience. Under the direction of Program Chairman Jim
Burns, we will have sessions devoted to new and controversial issues in
laryngology and bronchoesophagology. The Chevalier Jackson Lecture will be
given by Dr. Marshall Strome entitled "Laryngeal Transplantation- The end of
the beginning". There will be 2 panels of Great Debates including the
"Hoarseness Guidelines" and "Laryngopharyngeal Reflux". The general sessions
will have oral presentations on vocal fold immobility, clinical laryngology,
reflux, in the lab, airway stenosis and case reports. I urge all of the members
to attend and participate in these exciting sessions.
The ABEA and the ALA have joined forces under the leadership of
myself and Dr. Marvin Fried (President of the ALA) to offer a rebuttal to the
"Hoarseness Guideline" proposed by the AAO-HNS. This will be in the form of a
joint editorial on the process to be published in the Academy Journal and a
scientific paper whose lead author will be Dr. Lucian Sulica which will be
published in the Laryngoscope.
The ABEA and ALA along with the ELS (European Laryngological
Society) are planning a joint meeting at the COSM meeting in 2012 which will
allow a vast new influx of ideas and contribution from our colleagues in
Europe. This will be the first of its kind and hopefully will lead to many more
joint sessions.
The ABEA is a vibrant and expanding society. We encourage each
member to reach out to their colleagues and have them participate and join our
ranks. We are expanding the committee structure and would love to have new
members who wish to work join the committees and help our organization continue
to thrive
.
Lastly,
I want to thank and commend Dr. Sasaki for the hard work he has done to set up
the Presidentís Circle and other funds and his efforts to raise capital. He
will report further on this activity. I want to thank every one of the members
of the ABEA Council for the hard work and efforts they have made during my
Presidency to make the society flourish. In appreciation and to acknowledge
this work, I have made a contribution to the ABEA fund in the name of each
member of the council.
Andrew
Blitzer, MD, DDS
President,
ABEA
MESSAGE FROM THE
DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
I am so grateful for the 2009 contributions we
received from a number of past Presidents and Council members in developing two
very important support mechanisms for our growing and vibrant Society, the
Presidentsí Circle and the Councilís Leadership Circle. Thus far, through combined
contributions of nearly $20,000, we affirm the role of this Society in
promoting the science so necessary in the care of our patients.
I hope that you too will want to recognize the
importance of our Societyís past contributions by considering a contribution of
your own, in support of our future.
I would be happy to hear from you individually by phone/email or from
patients you have successfully treated whose gratitude might be reflected in
support of the science enabling their successful care. Alternatively a link to
the ABEA website donation page can be found at
http://www.abea.net/website/page28/page28.html
Thank you and with all good wishes,
Clarence
T. Sasaki, M.D.
ABEA
Development Officer
(203)
785-2592
(ABEA
Tax Exempt #56-6060790)
VICE PRESIDENTíS
REPORT
Guidelines:
The
AAO-HNS Guideline development process continues to evolve. Changes have been made in the process
of topic submission, as well as in the processes of external review, peer review,
scoping, topic selection and Guidelines Development Task Force composition.
Suggestions are
currently being solicited for the various types of guidelines, including
Specialty specific guidelines, clinical consensus statements, and
multi-specialty guidelines.
Suggestions for Guideline Topics can be
submitted by any member of AAO-HNS, and can be submitted in the form of a brief, one-paragraph idea or by
using the GDTFís topic submission form.
They should be sent to Danielle Divittorio, Research and Quality Improvement Analyst, at
ddivittorio@entnet.org by April 15,
2010. The next deadline
will likely be in the fall of 2010.
If you choose to submit
a topic, it may be helpful review the topic submission form to get an idea of
the factors which are considered in the topic selection process. A link to the topic submission form can
be found at http://www.entnet.org/Practice/clinicalPracticeguidelines.cfm. I would be happy to assist anyone who
would like to submit a topic for consideration.
The
GDTF Winter newsletter with additional information is available at http://www.entnet.org/Practice/upload/2010-Winter-GTDF-Newsletter-2.pdf .
ABEA Progression:
When
we revised our Bylaws in 2008, we recognized that this would impact the terms
of office of both elected Council members and appointed Committee Chairs. Options for achieving full compliance
will be presented to the Council and then to the Membership for their
consideration.
Ellen Deutsch, MD
Vice President, ABEA
SECRETARYíS
REPORT
As
Dr Blitzer mentioned, our society continues to grow and we have many new young
and bright members. Our goal is to encourage these young members to participate
in committee and other activities. To that end I recently asked members to let
me know if they are interested in becoming more involved with the ABEA. The
response was excellent and we now have compiled a list of interested members
from which we will select future participants for committees and other
activities.
This COSM meeting will be Dr. Jerry Goldsteinís last
meeting as Chair of the Secretaryís Liaison Committee (SLC). I want to extend my
sincerest thanks to Dr Goldstein for all that he has done support the ABEA and
all of the specialty societies who gather at COSM. Dr Stanley Shapshay will replace Dr
Goldstein as chair of the SLC and I very much look forward to working with him.
In
keeping with the tradition of publishing historical essays in the newsletter I
have selected a chapter from Chevalier Jacksonís autobiography (published by
The MacMillan Company, 1938)
entitled "Development of
Esophagoscopy".
COSM – Below are the venues and dates for the next
three annual meetings.
Gregory Grillone, MD, FACS
Secretary, ABEA
COSM
Future Meeting Dates & Locations
2011 - April 27-May 1,
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Chicago, IL
2012 - April 18-April 22,
Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego, CA
2013 – April 10-14
JW Marriott Grande Lakes Orlando, FL
PROGRAM
CHAIRíS REPORT
The theme for the 90th annual meeting
of The American Broncho-Esophagological Association under the leadership of Dr.
Andrew Blitzer is "Great Debates in Laryngology and Broncho-Esophagology". This yearís scientific program includes
36 podium presentations; invitations for 21 poster presentations were offered.
Program highlights include panel discussions that focus on the diagnosis,
management and controversies of hoarseness and laryngopharyngeal reflux. Dr. Marshall Strome will deliver the
Chevalier Jackson Lecture on laryngeal transplantation and a special
presidential lecture entitled "Airway Clinic: Broncho-esophagology in the 21st
Century" will be given by Dr. Marshall Smith. Scientific sessions are devoted to neurolaryngology,
pediatric laryngology and broncho-esophagology, reflux, and airway
stenosis. This yearís guest of honor
is William Lawson, MD, DDS.
A link
to the full program can be found at http://www.cosm.md/abstract/2010program.pdf
James
Burns, MD
Chair,
Program Committee
From
The Life
of Chevalier Jackson: An Autobiography
The MacMillan Company
New York
1938
DEVELOPMENT OF ESOPHAGOSCOPY
(1890-1899)
When
I was in London I saw an impractical device designed by Morell Mackenzie in an
effort visually to inspect the esophagus, one of the greatest needs of that
day. After that time I had been working on the problem and had devised and
carefully used tubular specula for this purpose. Finally in 1890 I had
developed an esophagoscope worthy of the name. With it I had removed a
tooth-plate from the esophagus of an adult, and with a smaller model a coin
from the esophagus of a child. This was a great achievement. I exhibited the
instruments and the specimens at the medical society's meeting. A shocking
result followed. I had made a fearful blunder. In my haste to follow the custom
of physicians, of reporting promptly anything they have developed that seems to
be a contribution to the advancement of medical science, in order that others
may test the value of the new thing and join in its further development, I had
made a premature announcement. Worse still, I had failed to warn of the technical
difficulties and pitfalls in the use of the new instrument. As a consequence
disaster followed the use of duplicate instruments made from my model by an
instrument maker. The esophagoscope was condemned. I was heartbroken. I felt
that it was all my fault. In vain I tried to convince myself that making the
instrument, modifying it, working along step by step in its use during a number
of years had kept me from a full realization of the dangers that would arise
from its use by the profession as something entirely new. I convicted myself of
moral cowardice; through fear of accusations of egotism I had failed to warn of
dangers that I must have known to be inherent in any instrument to be used for
such a purpose in the anatomical region concerned. I was filled with remorse,
and disconsolate beyond words. I told the instrument maker the instrument was
not yet sufficiently perfected for general use and asked him not to sell any. I
took the whole matter to the medical society meeting and explained the difficulties
and dangers. The consensus of opinion was that the instrument was the hobby of
an enthusiast, and that others had better let it alone. I was shocked and
disappointed because I had thought I had added something to the science of
surgery. It was little consolation that I did all the esophagoscopies the
profession called upon me to do. I dared not write about the esophagoscope nor
advocate in medical meetings its general use.
A
few years later (1902) Doctor Max Einhorn made the excellent suggestion that a
light carrier, then recently patented by a soulless mechanic for use on a
cystoscope, be used on an esophagoscope. I adopted the suggestion; it greatly
improved visibility and led to other improvements in the instrument and the
technique of its use that rendered it practical.
All
this is ancient history now, but I have never forgiven myself for my lack of
courage and forethought.
Reference
to my own work, only, is required by the subject of this book. If it were a
history of esophagoscopy, the work of others, especially that of Doctor Harris
P. Mosher would be entitled to an important place.
The
development of the esophagoscope brought me a long series of very sad cases,
especially stricture of the esophagus from swallowing lye. These little children
of the poor arrived usually in almost dying condition from food and water
starvation. If they had not been without water for more than a week it was
usually possible to save their lives. Some died on the way for want of water.
One case will serve to illustrate.
A
little girl seven years old, emaciated to a skeleton arrived with the message
she had not been able to swallow a drop of water for a week. She looked
wistfully at a glass of water then she tried to swallow some of it; she choked,
coughed and all the water came back through the nose and mouth. The two Sisters
of Mercy said they had found the child lying on the floor of a coal miner's
shanty, where they had gone to see the mother who was dying of pneumonia. The
father was lying on the floor in a drunken stupor. The little girl's ragged
dirty clothing was soaking-wet. She was crying for water, and a little
three-year-old brother was supplying it with a tin cup from a tin pail. But
evidently the water had run out of her mouth and soaked her clothing because
she could not swallow it. I put down the esophagoscope between her dry, parched
lips and found a tight stricture of the esophagus (the passage from the mouth
to the stomach). The scars had not completely closed the passage; in its
narrowest part was a corklike plug of grayish material. I removed the plug with
delicate forceps passed through the esophagoscope. After removal of the
instrument the child was given a glass of water. She took a small sip expecting
it to choke her and come back up. It went slowly down; she took another sip,
and it went down. Then she gently moved aside the glass of water in the nurse's
hand, took hold of my hand, and kissed it. She took more water and a glass of
milk. The nurse put the child to bed, and coming back reported: "She
dropped off to sleep. It will be a wonder if she lives: she is just skin and
bones." She did live. When she got stronger the Sisters had her admitted
to a Catholic orphanage and brought her in regularly for treatment. With the
esophagoscope the stricture was dilated until at the end of two years she could
swallow any kind of food in a perfectly normal way; and she grew well and
strong.
No
money could give satisfaction equal to that of such an achievement. That wan
smile and kiss of the hand from the grateful child whose swallowing was
restored after a week of water starvation meant more to me than any material
remuneration; the memory of it now, over forty years later, still yields
dividends of satisfaction. And associated with it are memories of hundreds of
similar cases of children since brought back from the very edge of the grave.
Not every life could be saved, but nearly all could be brought back if they had
not reached the point where the dried-out tissues had lost their power to take
up water.
The
cause of the pitiable condition of these children was the swallowing of
household lye. It was in every kitchen. It looked like sugar, and was mistaken
for this by children. When a child put it into his mouth it burnt the
esophagus; and when the ulcers following the burns healed, the contracting
scars gradually closed the esophagus until even water would not go through. In
the girl mentioned above, the scars had not quite completely closed the
esophagus, but they had narrowed it to a tiny passage; this passage was
occluded by the small piece of some substance, probably raw potato, the child
had swallowed to appease her hunger when her mother was bedfast and dying.
In
those days the containers had no poison label to warn mothers of the dangerous
nature of lye; consequently it was carelessly left on the floor, most often in
the kitchen cupboard right where the children could get it. Even worse than lye
were the cleaners. These preparations were diluted lye; on their containers
were such criminally misleading statements as, "Will not injure the skin
or the most delicate fabric." But when these sugarlike lye-containing
substances entered the esophagus of a child they burnt like a red-hot iron.
Obviously
these lye bums were preventable accidents. Two things were to be done. A
warning label must be put on the containers, and a nation-wide campaign of
education must be inaugurated so that these caustic poisons would be kept out
of the reach of children.
I
went to the packers of lye-containing preparations. As business men they said
in effect: "No such thing as a poison label can be put on my preparation
unless it is put on every preparation in the market, because such a label would
single out my preparation as dangerous and people would shun it in favor of
unlabeled preparations. Even if all packers now in business agreed, there would
be new concerns constantly bringing out unlabeled preparations. If you spent
all your time at it, you could not keep up with the flood of new
concerns." It was evident
that it would be necessary to have a law that would be fair to all while
protecting the children.
I
was not one of those who think that passing a law is a remedy for every wrong;
but no one questioned the necessity for the then existing law requiring the
druggist to label carbolic acid "Poison," and it seemed to me illogical
not to require the grocer to put a "Poison" label on caustic
poisons-especially so because the druggists' poisons usually go on a high shelf
in the medicine cupboard whereas the grocers' poisons if misbranded are likely
to be put on the floor of the kitchen cupboard, in easy reach of children.
I
then went to George von Bonhorst, who was closely associated with the political
machine that then ruled Pennsylvania. He always accompanied Chris Magee on the
frequent trips to Harrisburg, and although neither held office of any kind they
were always present at legislative sessions. A speaker of the House of
Representatives once opened a session by announcing, "A full quorum and
Chris Magee being present, the House will please come to order." I had
known George von Bonhorst since childhood. I explained to him the sad plight of
the children whose mothers had had no warning that lye is a poison. He said:
"Chev, I am sorry for the children, and I would like to help in your
effort to help them; but I must tell you that you would have a long and
expensive way to travel before you could get a bill like that through the State
Legislature. In the first place you would have to get the backing of the heads
of various powerful political groups. First and most powerful is the beer and
liquor group: they dominate Pennsylvania politics. What legislative votes they
cannot buy with cash, they can influence with a few complimentary cases of beer
or whisky. They would not put it through for you, but nobody could if they
opposed it. There are other groups. Then would come the lobbyists and the
political hangers-on who make their living by bleeding everybody who wants a
bill passed. Nothing but money and lots of it would get your bill up for
consideration, let alone have it passed. Unless you have a wealthy
philanthropist with loose purse strings to help you, don't attempt it. Sorry,
Chev, but such is Pennsylvania politics today."
I
was sick at heart. First of all, it seemed so sad to me that I could not help
protect the children. Next was the humiliating thought of the utter depravity
of the political rulers. That I must get the permission of liquor interests
before I could do anything toward welfare legislation made me feel the utter
degradation into which rule of my state had fallen. I had not lost my faith in
human nature and felt that many legislators were humane men to whom I would not
appeal in vain if I could get to them; but here I visualized "the long and
expensive way to travel."
It
was disheartening. I was willing to work hard, but I had no philanthropist to
finance the undertaking. I made up my mind that the day would come when I could
and would put through the legislation requiring the labeling of household lye.
Meanwhile I would collect appealing and convincing evidence to show legislators
when the time should come. I would collect photographs of the poisoned starving
children, and the label of the lye container in each case.
Year
after year I collected the clinical data. Again the old stubborn determination
to hang on.
The
discovery that the part of my esophagoscopic work concerned with foreign
bodies, as well as lye strictures, in children was due to preventable accidents
filled me with determination to devote a large part of my life to the
prevention of these causes of needless suffering.
News
and Updates on ABEA Members
Dr. Andrew Blitzer, President of the ABEA,
will succeed Dr. Marvin Fried as the next President of the American
Laryngological Association. He has also been appointed as the only
Otolaryngologist on the International Organizing Committee for the Neurotoxin
2011 meeting in Sante Fe October 2011. In addition, he has been invited as a
keynote speaker to the European Dystonia meeting in Hamburg in May 2010. He
along with Drs. Mitchell Brin and Loraine Ramig have published the 2nd
edition of their classic textbook "Neurologic Disorders of the Larynx"
published by Thieme Medical Publisher
Dr Gregory N. Postma was elected President,
Dysphagia Research Society (DRS) and presided over the
18th
Annual Meeting of the DRS which was recently held in San Diego, CA. The
Dysphagia Research Society is a multidisciplinary group of professionals
specializing in the evaluation and management of individuals with dysphagia and
aspiration. This meeting involved more than 50 independent scientific paper
presentations and also had a number of invited presentations of interest to
otolaryngologists. This included a panel on eosinophilic esophagitis moderated
by Dr. Dana Thompson which also included Dr. Michael Rutter. This reviewed the
manifestations and treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis both in adults and
children.
Dr.
Fred McConnel gave the keynote address on a Surgeonís Perspective of Pharyngeal
Swallowing Gained from Manofluorography. This was an outstanding review of his
pioneering work in manofluorography and included present day advances. A
session particularly of interest to surgeons was held on implantable mechanical
adjuncts for swallowing moderated by Gregory Postma. This included Dr. Christy
Ludlow, Dr. Michael Broniatowski and Dr. Peter Belafsky. This was a fascinating
review of cutting-edge technology and also included a surprise sword swallowing
demonstration.
If you are interested in joining the Dysphagia Research Society or attending their next annual meeting in San Antonio, TX, please contact Dr Postma at gpostma@mcg.edu or contact the DRS on line at www.dysphagiaresearch.org
Dr
Steven Zeitels was the honored guest at the Georgia Society and
Metro Atlanta Educational Society of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery. Dr Zeitels also
appeared on Good Morning America in a
segment about restoring an opera singer's voice with the Pulsed KTP Laser &
Avastin
Dr Jamie A. Koufman has recently published a reflux cookbook. This
is an outstanding resource for your patients with reflux disease. Please check
out the book at www.refluxcookbook.com and especially the blog post "The
Missing Link."
Dr Clarence Sasaki is this years recipient
of the Chevalier Jackson Award of the American Bronchoesophagological
Association as well as the recipient of the American Laryngological Association
award. He was also the guest of honor at the Yale Surgical Society in
recognition of contributions to Head & Neck Surgical Oncology.
Drs Robert J Toohill and Nikki Johnston have edited a book,
soon to be published, entitled "Effects, Diagnosis and Management of
Extra-Esophageal Reflux". Many of the chapter authors are ABEA members.
The book is being published by Nova Publishers and they may be accessed at https://www.novapublishers.com
Tadashi Nakashima, MD, DMSi, President of the
Kurume University Hospital and Professor and Chairman, Department of
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kurume University School of Medicine,
Kurume, Japan, has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors, Japan Laryngological
Association
Dr Alessandra Rinaldo has been inducted as a
fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Fellowship ad eundem, Royal
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, Fellowship qua Surgeon, and
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Fellowship ad hominem
Kiminori Sato, M.D.,
Ph.D.,
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kurume University, Japan,
was appointed an Honorary Fellow of the Philippine Society
of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Inc., which was received on November
30, 2009 at the Annual Convention of the Philippine Society of
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
David L. Mandell, MD,
FAAP, FACS
was a coauthor on the following manuscript: Simons JP, Mehta D, Mandell DL. Assessment of constipation
in children with tracheostomy. Archives of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck
Surgery 136: January 2010, 27-32. This may very well be the first and only
research study ever looking at the link between pediatric tracheostomy and
constipation (the paper was mentioned as newsworthy on the AAP website about a
month ago)
Drs Ian Jacobs , Ellen Deutsch and Karen Zur ran the 4th Annual
Pediatric Airway Endoscopy Course for residents. Based upon the evaluations,
the course was a huge success. There were 39 residents from northeastern
programs and 6 Pediatric otolaryngology fellows. There were almost 40 faculty. Dr Dana Thompson was the keynote
speaker and did an amazing job
Dr Ian Jacobs appeared on a TLC (The
Learning Channel) special on Pediatric Airway foreign bodies entitled "Your Kid
Ate What?" He was also selected as a Top Doc in South Jersey for the past two
years and Top Docs in America
Job Board
ABEA Related Courses, Conferences and
Announcements
Massachusetts General Hospital Laryngology & Laryngeal Surgery
Course – September
24-25, 2010
Phone:
617-726-0218, E-mail: mwoodworth@partners.org. or www.cme.hms.harvard.edu
Visiting Lecturers:
Robert S. Langer, Eugene N. Myers, Andrew Blitzer, Allen D. Hillel, Roger L. Crumley,,
Gayle E. Woodson, Alessandro de Alarcon, Robin T. Cotton, Michael S. Benninger, Marvin P. Fried,
Bert W. O'Malley Jr.,
Marshall Strome, Anthony Jahn, Robert H. Ossoff, Bruce H. Haughey
Harvard lecturers:
Andrew L. Warshaw, Marsha A. Moses, R. Rox Anderson,
Douglas J. Mathisen, John C. Wain, Hugh D. Curtin,
Aaron D. Friedman,
James A. Burns, Robert E. Hillman, Steven M. Zeitels
Message from Gregory S.
Weinstein, M.D.
"FDA
approves TransOral Robotic Surgery (TORS) for Malignant and Benign Lesions of
the oral cavity, larynx and Pharynx"
As
of December, 2009 the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of
the da Vinci robotic surgical system for selected malignancies of the oral
cavity, pharynx and larynx and all benign disease. This is an exciting
development for patients suffering with head and neck tumors and surgeons who
treat these tumors. TransOral Robotic Surgery (TORS) using the da Vinci
surgical system has, during the past five years, been shown to be a great
benefit for our patients. While the original bench and clinical research
has been done at the University of Pennsylvania, we have trained surgeons from
numerous programs around the United States and worldwide. While clinical
research continues to bring this field forward our goal is to move forward with
training surgeons with an interest in utilizing these techniques to help their
patients. Of special interest, newly reported data from the University of
Pennsylvania indicates that HPV negative cancers do just as well as HPV
positive cancers following TransOral Robotic Surgery (TORS) indicating a
potential significant advantage for TORS in the HPV negative population.
The training program at the University of Pennsylvania consists of a
three day course that includes (1) a porcine skills lab, (2) surgeon led
cadaver dissection, (3) observation in the outpatient setting and (4)
observation of TORS cases in the operating room.
7th Annual Emory Voice
Centerís Laryngeal Imaging Workshop - February
18-19th, 2011. Atlanta, Georgia. This is a two day hands-on workshop for
Otolaryngologists, Speech Language Pathologists, Physicianís Assistants, and
Nurse Practitioners interested in performing laryngeal videostroboscopy. The
weekend will include didactic and laboratory sessions. There will be 6 hours of
guided hands-on laboratory practice time in small groups. For more information
contact Michael Johns, M.D. at michael.johns2@emory.edu
or visit www.emoryvoicecenter.org.
In
Memoriam
Prof. Dr. Gyorgy
Lichtenberger on
May 27, 2009, at the age of 64
Antonio De la Cruz, M.D It is with deep sadness that the
House Ear Institute and House Ear Clinic announce the passing of their longtime
colleague and friend Antonio De la Cruz, M.D. He is survived by his son Anthony
Charles, daughter Jeannette, and his longtime companion Nilia Matos and her
daughter Gwenael Salha. He passed away from complications from lymphoma
at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, on Friday morning,
July 31, 2009, at the age of 65.
For the many people who knew him, Dr. De la Cruz will be remembered fondly as a kind and caring humanitarian, with a passion not only for helping patients with auditory disorders, but also as someone who cared deeply about sharing medical and scientific knowledge with the worldwide medical community. Over the course of his career, Dr. De la Cruz made a positive difference in the lives of thousands of people.
Dr. De la Cruz received his Doctorate in Medicine in 1967 and completed his specialty training in otolaryngology at the University of Miami Hospitals in 1973. After completing his Fellowship at the House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles in 1974, he joined the practice as an Associate in January 1975.
In addition to being a world-renowned neurotologist at the House Ear Clinic, Dr. De la Cruz served as the House Ear Instituteís Director of Education, leading professional training programs for hundreds of visiting physicians from around the world in otology/neurotological surgical procedures and practices. He also was an active member of the House Ear Instituteís Board of Trustees since 1984.
"All of us at the House Clinic and House Ear Institute are saddened at the sudden passing of our dear friend and colleague Antonio De la Cruz. I have had the honor of working with Tony since we both arrived at the Institute in 1974," said John House, M.D., president, House Ear Institute and associate, House Clinic. "He has given so much to so many people all of over the world. He enjoyed his patients and his teaching. He will be missed by all who have been touched by him."
His love of teaching extended beyond the institute and clinic to USCís Keck School of Medicine, where he served as a Clinical Professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. Furthermore, as often as twice a month, Dr. De la Cruz would present the work of the House Ear Institute and House Ear Clinic at medical conferences in Europe, the South Pacific and North, Central and South America. His impeccable fluency in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and French proved invaluable wherever he traveled.
Dr. De la Cruz was president of the Pan American Congress for 2002 and is a past president of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. He is a fellow and past president of the American Otologic Society, and fellow of the American Laryngological Rhinological and Otological Society and American College of Surgeons. Over the course of his accomplished career, he authored numerous publications, journal articles and presentations