Otolaryngologic emergencies in the outpatient setting.

Disease processes involving the ear, nose, and throat account for millions of office visits to primary care physicians per year. Because of their proximity to the airway as well as critical neurologic and vascular structures, the disease process in each individual case carries the potential for significant complications. Fortunately, improvements in medical care have significantly reduced the prevalence of these complications. As a result of their relative rarity, most physicians may be unfamiliar with the clinical presentation of these entities. This article familiarizes the physician with the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of the more commonly encountered otolaryngologic complications. The physician should seek to rule out the presence of the aforementioned complications in each patient who presents with an otolaryngologic complaint. Any suggestion of their presence should prompt an immediate referral to a subspecialist or an emergency department. It is hoped that continued familiarization with these' disease processes will maintain them as rare entities of medical practice.