8 Best Otolaryngology Textbooks (2024 Review)

For residents, students, and other health professionals, there are very few books to look up to when it comes to the field of otolaryngology.

Some books go deep but are unable to do away with difficult terminologies. These books end up being bulky with little or no valuable text and no way to remember what has been read. Other books are too compact, deleting important information and barely scratching the surface of the major concepts of otolaryngology.

best otolaryngology textbooks

Best Otolaryngology Textbooks: Our Top Recommendations

The best textbook on otolaryngology should cover all major aspects while providing updated procedures and new approaches that have become commonplace in the field today. It should also contain images and illustrations to promote easy learning. Right here, we have carefully handpicked and reviewed the best otolaryngology textbooks that you can never go wrong with.

1. Cummings Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery

 

With over 3,500 pages of text, illustration, and photographs, Cummings Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery stands as the most comprehensive, multi-disciplinary material in the field of Otolaryngology. The latest edition provides detailed information that can be applied in real-life situations as well as practical answers to the complex issues faced by otolaryngologists at all levels.

The entire book is designed to act as a reference that will bring you up-to-date with the latest minimally invasive procedures and brush you up on the recent changes in rhinology. The chapters cover all aspects of the main subjects as well as new procedures and 70 key indicators and surgical videos.

The book supports its textual information with 4,000 high-quality images that ensure a satisfying visual learning experience. There are also hundreds of quick-reference tables and boxes to get more information.

For the regular student and otolaryngologist at all levels, this book provides you with all the information you need on the subject matter.

  • Authors: Paul W. Flint MD, Bruce H. Haughey MD FACS, Valerie J. Lund CBE MS FRCS FRCSEd, K. Thomas Robbins MD FACS, J. Regan Thomas MD FACS, Marci M. Lesperance MD, Howard W. Francis
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • Current edition: 7th edition (May 2020)
  • Pages: 3568 pages

2. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery: Clinical Reference Guide

 

Though not the most extensive textbook, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery: Clinical Reference Guide is a worthwhile reference for students and otolaryngologists at the beginning stages of their careers.  The book could also serve as a helpful guide to health professionals serving otolaryngologist patients in clinics.

The content of the book focuses on areas such as rhinology, laryngology, endocrinology, general otolaryngology, and more while placing emphasis on other concepts like pathologies, diagnostic methods, and treatment recommendations that will come in handy to health professionals. The book follows an approach that is targeted to residents allowing them to quickly pick out relevant points. Thanks to the concise, outline format, this book comes in handy in clinical situations. It could also help with board reviews as well as recertification exams.

  • Author: Ed. Pasha, Raza
  • Publisher: Plural Publishing, Inc.
  • Current edition: 5th edition (August 2017)
  • Pages: 762 pages

3. Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery: Rapid Clinical and Board Review

 

For otolaryngologists and other health professionals searching for a book written to reflect the latest modern practices and come in handy for board reviews, Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery: Rapid Clinical and Board Review is the right pick. This book is packed with high-yield facts and uses a simple Q&A format to provide all the relevant information you will need to know about the subject.

Going through its pages, you will find clinically relevant facts that have been broken down and laid out in an easy-to-follow layout allowing clinicians to easily review larger amounts of information in a short time.

The entire text contains more than 9,000 high-yield questions and answers, however, not all are contained in the book. Half of the questions run through the entire sections of the book while the other half can be found online.

The book is quite compact making it a more suitable reference for professionals. It should be easy to take with you and consult during rounds or while traveling.

  • Authors: Matthew L Carlson, Kathryn M Van Abel, David J. Archibald, Daniel L Price
  • Publisher: Thieme
  • Current edition: 1st edition (January 2015)
  • Pages: 458 pages

4. Cummings Review of Otolaryngology (CummingsOtolaryngology)

 

Cummings Review of Otolaryngology (CummingsOtolaryngology) is an in-depth guide on otolaryngology that covers every aspect of the subject but comes in a compact size allowing you to take it around and consult when in need. This text will act as your go-to resource for efficient preparation for in-service exams, oral and written boards, and recertification exams.

Using a logical, systematic approach, the material covers the most essential clinical information in an easy-to-remember list format that will allow you to recollect with ease and respond to questions in a clinical and testing situation. It will also be helpful for teaching other residents and medical students.

Several sections feature guides on how to achieve success on the oral exams and provide practical information on the important pathology and radiology slides that could be required for in-service and board examination.

  • Authors: Harrison W. Lin, Daniel S. Roberts, Jeffrey P. Harris MD
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • Current edition: 1st edition (October 2016)
  • Pages: 448 pages

5. CURRENT Diagnosis & Treatment Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery

 

Considered one of the best book series in the medical field, CURRENT Diagnosis & Treatment Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery is placed above many other textbooks due to its concise and in-depth reviews on the concepts of otolaryngology. The book provides a complete review of the concepts and clinical practice of otolaryngology without being bulky, allowing you to take it wherever you want to go and check at the needed time.

The book prides itself as a one-stop clinician’s guide to treating all major diseases of the ear, nose, throat, and neck. Taking a look at the pages, you could agree with it. The material emphasizes the practical features of clinical diagnosis and patient management in an easy-to-follow format.

The latest edition comes with four new chapters that cover the latest topics like aural rehabilitation and hearing aids, and endoscopic skull base surgery. It also offers a comprehensive radiology chapter that contains more than 150 pictures allowing you to see and understand what you read.

The visual aids don’t stop there as the text offers more than 500 color illustrations that cover the entire breadth of ENT topics including the latest development in basic science, head and neck surgery, rhinology, laryngology, otology, neurotology, and more.

  • Author: Anil Lalwani
  • Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education / Medical
  • Current edition: 4th edition (January 2020)
  • Pages: 1264 pages

6. Quick Reference for Otolaryngology

 

For practicing clinicians, this quick reference guide to ear, nose, and throat questions allows you to easily navigate the pages and get relevant information on specific diseases. The book covers all branches of the specialty of otolaryngology and breaks them down to enable readers to find the parts they are interested in. Thanks to this format, readers can quickly search a page for the information they need and get it in the nick of time.

While it is useful as a pithy reference guide for clinicians, medical students and other health professionals will find the information quite useful. The book will also provide useful for written boards and ENT certifications.

Within each chapter are easy-to-follow tables, charts, diagrams, and algorithms to guide readers in the work-up, differential diagnosis, diagnostic methods, medical therapy, and treatment alternative of otolaryngology conditions.

The book also includes procedure protocols in other areas such as the staging criteria for common cancer diagnoses and the overview of surgical management for specific conditions.

The icing on the cake is the provision of six videos illustrating actual procedures including flexible laryngoscopy, nasal endoscopy, and others.

  • Author: Kim Scott MSN FNP AE-C
  • Contributors: Richard Debo MD FACS, Alan Keyes MD FACS, David W. Leonard MD FACS FAAOHNS
  • Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
  • Current edition: 1st edition (April 2014)
  • Pages: 496 pages

7. KJ Lee’s Essential Otolaryngology

 

Every concept and branch in the field of otolaryngology is unearthed in KJ Lee’s Essential Otolaryngology. The material is designed to serve as a practical and concise reference for clinicians and students as well as board-eligible and board-certified otolaryngologists. The book offers a complete review that spans the entire specialty of the subject yet delivers an easy, at-a-glance review and summary of key information in otolaryngology that makes it very easy to comprehend.

The quick-access bulleted text means you should be able to retrieve relevant information from the book. You will also find over 300 board review questions to help get a good grasp of must-know concepts. Much of the pages in the book are covered in illustrations and photographs to enhance visual learning with more than 100 tables that allow for quick referencing.

  • Authors: Yvonne Chan, John Goddard
  • Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education / Medical
  • Current edition: 12th edition (July 2019)
  • Pages: 1344 pages

8. Operative Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery

 

Operative Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery is a clinicians’ guide to the latest surgical techniques, post-operative management, and outcomes that will come in handy in the modern medical field. The text is well presented by experts in otolaryngology, plastic surgery, neurological surgery, and other relevant fields.

This new edition comes with more than 150 videos that show step-by-step techniques and procedures and new full-color clinical photographs that cover most pages of the text.

  • Authors: Eugene N. Myers MD FACS FRCS Edin (Hon), Carl H. Snyderman MD
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • Current edition: 3rd edition (October 2017)
  • Pages: 1690 pages