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Alpharetta, GA
Phone: 404-446-2400
Fax: 404-446-2409
Dr. Yanta has trained extensively so that he is equipped to offer comprehensive care to his adult patients. Because he values the ability to treat a broad range of conditions within his specialty, he is one of very few physicians who has attained Board Certification in three specialties - Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and Sleep Medicine. Ongoing training and participation in Continuing Medical Education means that Dr. Yanta is up to date on all of the latest technologies available, while over 15 years of private practice experience in the North Atlanta area insures that he has had the benefit of the best teacher of all - his own patients.
Ear Tube Placement (Tympanostomy). This is a procedure in which a very small opening is made in the eardrum and a small tube is placed in order to drain fluid from the middle ear space. This can be done in order to improve hearing or to relieve pressure in the ear from Eustachian Tube dysfunction. In adults with favorably-shaped ear canals, this can frequently be done in the office, with no need for a general anesthetic.
Ear Drum Repair (Tympanoplasty). This is a procedure in which a hole in the eardrum is repaired. Repairing a hole in the eardrum will frequently improve hearing and will reduce the risk of an ear infection should water get into the ear canal.
Cerumen removal. Dr. Yanta employs suction as well as adult and pediatric-sized instruments in order to clear wax out of the ear canal. Doing this will improve hearing and sometimes relieve pain and pressure caused by excessive ear wax.
Otowick placement. This involves placing a small "wick" into the ear canal in order to "stent open" an ear canal which has become significantly swollen due to otitis externa or "swimmer's ear". Often, this is necessary in order to allow drops to adequately reach the surface of the ear canal and get to the site of this very painful type of ear infection.
Electronystagmography ENG. This is a fairly extensive procedure which is performed at ENT of Georgia's St. Joseph's location. With this procedure, Dr. Yanta and his audiologist are able to further pinpoint the cause of a patient’s dizziness or vertigo. This can often help to tell whether the inner ear is the source of someone's balance problems, or whether a neurologic evaluation or other testing is indicated for their condition.
Dizziness. Dizziness and vertigo are symptoms of imbalance or spinning, and these symptoms can be debilitating or even life-threatening. The brain receives information from the eyes, the inner ears, and from nearly all of the muscles and joints in the body. All of this information must be sent to the brain for processing. Whenever any two pieces of information sent from the body to the brain do not "match up", the brain senses that the either the body or the environment are moving in a dangerous way. This is often accompanied by an unpleasant symptom of nausea. Often, the body's balance information is correct, but the brain is improperly processing all of this information and dizziness results.
Dr. Yanta and his audiologists have extensive experience in evaluating and treating patients with dizziness and vertigo. While a thorough discussion of symptoms and a careful examination including hearing testing can often provide a diagnosis of dizziness or vertigo, Dr. Yanta frequently uses specialized testing including electronystagmography and MRI scanning to accurately pinpoint the source of a patients balance disorder, and decide upon the therapy most likely to improve or eliminate their symptoms.
Sinusitis - As this is one of the most common reasons for patients to see Dr. Yanta, please refer to the section on Sinusitis for a more detailed look at what Dr. Yanta has to offer to the patient who suffers from acute or chronic sinus infections.
Noninvasive treatment for sinusitis - Balloon Sinuplasty- Dr. Yanta is trained in performing this in-office procedure for patients who have more limited sinus disease, or those who are not able to have a sinus surgery done under a general anaesthetic.
FinESS™ balloon sinus dilation procedure - Performed under local anesthesia, balloon sinus dilation offers a new, in-office choice to sinusitis patients. Patients who have received the FinESS™ balloon sinus dilation procedure have experienced significant improvement in sinusitis symptoms, and 90% return to normal activity within 48 hours.
Image Guided Sinus Surgery - In some patients with very extensive sinus disease, or in those with scarring from prior infections or unusual anatomic findings, it may be necessary and appropriate to perform sinus surgery using Image Guidance. This can be likened to the use of intraoperative GPS for the sinuses. Image Guidance is available at all of the hospital and outpatient facilities where Dr. Yanta does surgery, and he has over a decade of experience using image guidance for sinus surgery.
Turbinate Reduction - Turbinates are swellings that run along the entire course of the side walls of the nose. The nasal turbinates consist of an inner bone which is covered by a mucous membrane lining. Their purpose is to control airflow to the nose, and to assist in the functions of warming and humidifying the air prior to its passage into the lungs. Properly functioning turbinates are essential for good breathing, so Dr. Yanta is always careful to try to preserve as much turbinate tissue as is possible.
For many patients, the turbinates can become excessively large, or the lining of the turbinates can swell to an excessive degree. If medications including sprays or allergy treatment are not sufficient to improve nasal airflow, the turbinates can be made smaller as an in-office procedure or during nasal or sinus surgery. A thorough evaluation of your nose along with a trial of conservative therapy will let you and Dr. Yanta know if your turbinates are contributing to your nasal airflow obstruction.
Septoplasty - The septum is the dividing plate which separates the two sides of the nose. While nobody's septum is perfectly straight, many patients have an unusual amount of bend or deviation of the nasal septum. This may be a part of the structural development of a patient's nose, or it may relate to trauma or even previous surgery. A septoplasty is the procedure used to correct a deviated nasal septum.
Nearly always performed under general anesthesia, this involves making an incision inside the lining of the nose and removing or reinforcing any bent portions of the cartilage and/or bone which form the nasal septum. In nearly all cases, this can be done WITHOUT the use of splints or packing in the nose. This provides a much more comfortable postoperative course for Dr. Yanta's patients when compared to patients whose physicians routinely place these in the nose after a nasal septoplasty.
Nasal valve suspension technique - For many patients, the side wall of the nose collapses inwards during deep breathing and will significantly limit the amount of air going through one or both sides of the nose. Often people find that they can breathe perfectly well by putting one or two fingers over their cheek bone and moving the cheek skin outwards. This is the same concept as the use of Breathe-Rite strips. While Dr. Yanta frequently recommends these for patients who only have nighttime symptoms of nasal valve collapse, the Nasal Valve Suspension technique allows a permanent but reversible alternative to Breathe-Rite strips.
Allergies - Sinusitis and nasal obstruction are very commonly the result of underlying allergies, particularly here in Atlanta. In a simplified way, allergies can be thought of as the result of an overactive immune system. A careful discussion of a patient's symptoms, when combined with a thorough examination of the ears, nose, and throat (and sometimes eyes) can provide strong clues that a patient is suffering from allergies.
Dr. Yanta's approach to treating allergies is generally to work from the least to the most aggressive therapy which results in improvement or elimination of allergy symptoms. Fortunately, the modern-day allergy sufferer has multiple options available ranging from avoidance of allergic environments to saline or medicated nasal sprays to oral medications, or allergy drops or shots.
In order to diagnose and treat allergies in our patients, we offer skin testing and blood testing for allergies, and treatments including allergy drops and allergy shots in order to help people with their allergy symptoms. Please notify Dr. Yanta if you would like to pursue this in our office.
Thyroid Surgery - Dr. Yanta is trained in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the thyroid gland - a dumbbell-shaped gland which resides in the lower neck and which controls a patient's metabolism. Dr. Yanta performs Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsies in the office if a distinct growth in the thyroid gland can be felt, and when needed he will arrange a sonogram-guided biopsy at a radiology facility.
For patients who require surgery for the removal of a part or all of the thyroid gland, Dr. Yanta uses intraoperative laryngeal nerve monitoring in order to maximize the chances that a patient will not experience long-term hoarseness after thyroid surgery.
Parotid Surgery - The parotid glands are the largest of the salivary glands, and they sit over the jaw and below the ear. Parotid gland problems which we treat include pain and swelling in the parotid glands, tumors or growths of the parotid glands, and dry mouth which can be a result of diseases affecting the parotid glands.
Dr. Yanta performs Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy in the office in order to determine the cause of tumors or growths in the parotid glands. He performs parotid gland surgery using intraoperative facial nerve monitor to improve the chances that this surgery is done without harming the patient's facial muscle function, and his Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery fellowship help to insure that his patients have an optimal scar as a result of any parotid gland surgery that they may need.
Skin Cancer Removal - Dr. Yanta's fellowship and subsequent Board Certification in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery provided him with advanced training in the removal of skin growths, and the camouflage and treatment of any scars which are the result of the removal of skin cancers or other dermatologic conditions.
Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy - Tonsils and adenoids are really just lymph nodes, responsible for fighting infection, which reside within the nasal and oral cavities. Adenoids are situated at the very back of the nose, where it connects to the air space behind the palate - the nasopharynx. Although the tonsils and adenoids are there to help fight off infections, there are times when they can themselves become a part of the problem either because they are harboring bacteria and serving as the "source" of infection or because they are enlarged and are causing blockage of nasal airflow, sinus drainage, or ear clearing. When medical therapy has failed to improve symptoms, a tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy may be indicated. Please see the sections under Pediatric Ear, Nose, and Throat and Sleep Apnea for further discussions of these conditions.
Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy of Neck or Salivary Gland Masses - This is a procedure frequently performed in our office in order to aid in the diagnosis of a neck or salivary gland mass. In this procedure, Dr. Yanta will anaesthetize the skin with an injection before passing a very thin needle into the growth. The needle obtains microscopic portions of the growth, and the sample is prepared on a slide and sent out to a pathologist for examination. The examining pathologist can very frequently determine the diagnosis, and help to determine if any further treatment is necessary.
Larynx/Vocal Cord Surgery - Hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, and throat clearing are frequent symptoms which can be caused by growths or other abnormalities of the vocal cords. Our office is equipped with both adult and pediatric sized flexible scopes to help pinpoint the source of these symptoms. Our St. Joseph's Hospital location has videostroboscopy available to diagnose and treat very subtle abnormalities of the vocal cords. Dr. Yanta has surgical privileges at facilities which have all of the equipment necessary to treat a wide variety of surgical procedures on the vocal cords and larynx (voice box).
Salivary gland pathology - As a Board Certified Ear, Nose, and Throat physician, Dr. Yanta has had extensive training and in experience in evaluating and treating conditions affecting the salivary glands. The most common conditions of the salivary glands giving patients symptoms are dryness in the mouth, salivary stones which can cause painful infections in the salivary glands, infections of the salivary glands, and tumors of the salivary glands. With regards to tumors of the salivary glands, our office is fully equipped to perform Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsies of growths in the salivary glands. This simple procedure can be done in the office using local anesthesia, and is highly accurate in diagnosing the exact cause of a growth in a patient's neck or salivary gland.
Vocal Cord Paralysis - The vocal cords have three main functions: creation of voice, facilitation of breathing, and protection of the lungs from food and normal secretions during swallowing. A patient with a vocal cord paralysis will experience difficulty with any or all of these functions, although there are patients who have had a complete paralysis of one vocal cord for years without any symptoms. Vocal cord paralysis will typically produce a profoundly weak or "breathy" voice. Vocal cord paralysis can also cause recurring "aspiration" pneumonia and difficulty swallowing, because of interference with the swallowing mechanism.
A careful examination of the larynx with a mirror or a flexible scope will be able to diagnose a vocal cord paralysis, and the first step in treating vocal paralysis is generally therapy with a licensed Speech and Swallowing Therapist. In cases where this therapy is not successful, or where a patient is experiencing aspiration or significant difficulty with swallowing, there are many different procedures which can provide temporary or permanent solutions to the patient who has a vocal cord paralysis or palsy (partial paralysis or weakness).
