Head and Neck Surgery is one of the subcategories of the ENT specialty.  When discussing Head and Neck Surgery, we are usually describing operations aimed at removing soft tissue tumors in the head and neck region.  These can be a minor procedures such as removal of a small cyst, or a major operation such as partial tongue resection and lymph node dissection for an aggressive tongue cancer. While the list of sites covered by the specialty is extensive, the following is a break down of the major categories of tumors dealt with:  Mouth (oral cavity), throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx), saliva glands (parotid and submandibular), and the thyroid and parathyroid glands.

In addition to providing the initial assessment for abnormal masses in the head and neck region, the Head and Neck surgeon will also make the appropriate recommendation for either a minor or major surgical procedure.  The head and neck region is home to many critical structures that provide many of the basic functions of daily life.  These include speech, eating, swallowing, and the senses of hearing, taste and smell.  The need to preserve these vital structures and functions while operating in the head and neck makes head and neck surgery extremely difficult and technically demanding.  Care must taken to preserve many important nerves, arteries, veins, and the organs that they innervate, as one removes abnormal masses and tumors.