News Release

October 13, 2005

Contact: Maureen McGuire, 860-679-4523
e-mail: mmcguire@nso.uchc.edu

ENT Specialist Dr. Kourosh Parham Joins UConn Health Center

FARMINGTON, CONN. – Kourosh Parham, M.D., Ph.D., an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist, has joined the University of Connecticut Health Center offering patients complete ENT care as well as expertise in new techniques such as transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE) and vagal nerve stimulator (VNS) implantation.

TNE is a new technique to fully examine the esophagus without the need for sedation or general anesthesia. This procedure is performed in the office and is used to check for possible abnormalities in the throat, airway and esophagus. It can also help to visualize signs associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or its complications, and to evaluate swallowing difficulties.

“TNE is intended as a screening tool to evaluate patients with long-standing reflux or reflux-related complaints, such as voice disturbance, chronic cough and the feeling of something stuck in the throat. This in-office procedure requires little preparation and is performed in minutes, and appeals to those who don’t want to set aside a day for a screening exam under sedation,” Dr. Parham said.

VNS therapy is an established, FDA-approved treatment for medication-resistant epilepsy. It has received FDA approval for treatment of chronic or recurrent depression. “We will be offering this surgical service in coordination with our colleagues in the department of psychiatry,” he said.

Dr. Parham is a graduate of the UConn School of Medicine where he also completed his residency in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery. He received his Ph.D. in experimental psychology and neuroscience from Northern Illinois University and worked at UConn Health Center’s surgical research center before attending medical school. Dr. Parham has contributed a tremendous amount of research in age-related hearing loss funded by several sources, including the National Institutes of Health. He is now the director of research in the Division of Otolaryngology at UConn Health Center.

Dr. Parham sees patients at the main Health Center campus in Farmington and at the West Hartford office of UConn Health Partners on 65 Kane Street. For more information or to make an appointment, call 800-535-6232 or 860-679-7692.

UConn Health includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, the UConn Medical Group, University Dentists, and John Dempsey Hospital. Home to Bioscience Connecticut, UConn Health pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. More information about UConn Health is available at www.uchc.edu.

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