Ear, nose and throat treatment abroad

Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is the surgery used to treat chronic sinusitis: the surgeon widens the sinuses, for example by removing some of the blocked tissue. Septoplasty is surgery to correct problems in the nasal septum, the structure inside the nose that separates it into two chambers, and it is listed together with surgery on the turbinates. Sleep apnoea is when your breathing stops and starts while you sleep, and its treatment is listed together with treatment for snoring.

For the ears, the area covers eardrum and middle-ear surgery, vertigo and inner-ear treatment, and cochlear and hearing implants. A cochlear implant is a small electronic device with two parts: one sits on the outside of the body, behind the ear, and the other is placed under the skin in surgery. For the throat, the area covers tonsil and adenoid removal and voice and vocal cord surgery, and it also includes salivary gland surgery. If you are not sure which procedure you need, choose "Not sure yet" under ear, nose and throat when you describe your case. The clinic looks at the details of your case before it makes you an offer.

Turkey offers every ENT procedure on Medbook's list, in Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Adana, Bodrum, Bursa, Eskişehir and Kayseri. Every service on Medbook's list is arranged there: airport and clinic transfers, accommodation, an interpreter, a personal coordinator, visa support, an online consultation before you travel and aftercare.

South Korea offers salivary gland surgery, in Seoul, Busan and Incheon. Accommodation and an online consultation before you travel are arranged there, while an interpreter, a personal coordinator and aftercare are not among the services. If you need salivary gland surgery, you can ask both countries and compare their offers.

You do not have to choose a city first. Each offer shows where your treatment takes place, and your clinic confirms the dates in its offer. Wherever you go, once you confirm an offer, your roadmap lets you book flights and transfers yourself or ask Medbook to arrange them.

Gather the records that show your condition as it is today: letters from your ENT doctor, recent CT or MRI scans with their written reports and, for an ear problem, your latest hearing test results. For snoring or sleep apnoea, add the results of any sleep study you have had. Note any earlier surgery in the same area, the medications you take and any allergies. The assistant asks about chronic conditions, allergies and medications when you describe your case.

An online consultation before you travel is arranged in both countries. Questions worth asking there:

• Which scans or tests do you need, and how recent should they be?
• How long should I plan to stay, and when can I fly home?
• Is there anything to consider about flying after the procedure?
• Which follow-up checks are planned, and can my doctor at home do any of them?

When you compare offers, look at the dates and at whether follow-up is included.