Dr. Halstead checks a pediatric patient's hearing during a clinic visit.

The Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery links the Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery with MUSC Children’s Hospital, one of the top children’s hospitals in the southeast. The Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery provides outstanding medical care to the children of South Carolina and the surrounding region. Our pediatric otolaryngologists evaluate and treat children with a broad range of medical issues including airway compromise, sleep disorders, speech and swallowing disorders, neck masses, sinus disease, and ear and hearing problems. The division is active in the education of medical students, otolaryngology and pediatric residents, speech/language pathology students, and the lay public. Research interests within the division focus on pediatric airway and swallowing disorders.

The division underwent expansion for the first time in 2005. Lucinda Halstead, MD,  was the only member of the division from 1986 until August 2005. She maintained a busy clinical and surgical practice in pediatric otolaryngology and laryngology while covering the pediatric inpatient consultation service during a period of tremendous growth for the MUSC Children’s Hospital. In August 2005, David R. White, MD, joined the division after completing a fellowship in pediatric otolaryngology with Dr. Robin T. Cotton in Cincinnati, Ohio. Christopher M. Discolo, MD joined in July 2008, after working with the Section of Pediatric Otolaryngology within the Head and Neck Institute of the Cleveland Clinic. Drs. Halstead, White, and Discolo now share the division's clinical duties.

The Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery has a long history of collaboration and cooperation with other pediatric subspecialties within the MUSC Children’s Hospital. Recently, the division has submitted a proposal for the development of the Airway & Aspiration Center for Children, which will incorporate the divisions of pediatric otolaryngology, pediatric pulmonology, pediatric gastroenterology, and pediatric speech/language pathology into a multidisciplinary center for the care of children with complex airway and swallowing disorders.

Key Faculty

Lucinda A. Halstead, MD, is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery and Pediatrics. She graduated from the Combined Tufts University – Boston University Residency Program in 1986 and accepted a faculty position at the Medical University of South Carolina. She teaches actively in the departments of Otolaryngology and Pediatrics. She started the MUSC Voice Center in 1987. In 2000, the Voice Center expanded and she became Medical Director of the MUSC Evelyn Trammell Institute for Voice & Swallowing. She developed and has directed the Spoleto Symposium: Medicine in the Vocal Arts for 17 years and has been the otolaryngologist for Spoleto Festival USA for more than 11 years. She is a member of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology and the Colligium Medicorum Theatri.

David R. White, MD, leads the Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. He joined the Division in August 2005. He completed the world’s premiere fellowship in Pediatric Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in July 2005 under the direction of Robin T. Cotton, M.D., an internationally renowned expert in pediatric otolaryngology, airway reconstruction and aerodigestive disorders. Dr. White is a native of Charleston, S.C., and graduated from Davidson College in 1994. He then received a medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina and completed a residency in Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery at the University of North Carolina. He has published more than 25 chapters and articles in medical textbooks and journals and has won several research awards at national otolaryngology meetings. Dr. White is a member of the Craniofacial Anomalies & Cleft Palate Center, the Velopharyngeal Insufficiency & Speech Team, and the Cochlear Implant Center at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Christopher M. Discolo, MD, joined the Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery in July 2008. Prior to joining MUSC, he worked in the Section of Pediatric Otolaryngology within the Head and Neck Institute of the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Discolo completed his fellowship in Pediatric Otolaryngology at the University of Minnesota in 2006. While in Minnesota, Dr. Discolo trained under James Sidman, M.D., and participated in one of the only pediatric fellowships providing extensive training in cleft lip and palate surgery. Dr. Discolo's practice focuses entirely on the care of children, with particular expertise in cleft lip and palate repair, and other craniofacial anomalies. He has published numerous papers and book chapters on diseases of the head and neck, and has given presentations on local, regional and national levels. Dr. Discolo currently serves on the Infectious Disease Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

Key Equipment/Resources
The Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery utilizes the resources of the otolaryngology clinics, including state-of-the-art digital recording equipment, flexible and rigid laryngoscopes, flexible and rigid bronchoscopes, flexible and rigid esophagoscopes, and a videostroboscopy suite. Additionally, a wide array of equipment for endoscopic and open airway surgery, speech and cleft surgery, pediatric sinus surgery, and ear surgery is available in both the main and ambulatory operating rooms.

Research
Current projects under investigation include:

• Airway complications and dysphagia after Norwood procedure (Drs. Halstead and Bradley)
• Development of epidemiologic database for the Pediatric Airway & Aspiration Center (Drs. White and Harris)
• Establishment of normal parameters for MBSS in children (Drs. Harris, Halstead and White)
• Dysphagia and aspiration in 22q11.2 (Drs. White, Halstead and Stokes)
• Treatment of multiple level airway stenosis with extended cricotracheal resection (Dr. White, in conjunction with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital)
• Laryngotracheal reconstruction in infants under 6 months (Dr. White, in conjunction with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital)