[What should the (abdominal) surgeon know about ORL/ENT aspects in general (abdominal) surgery]

The separation of laryngology and rhinology from the medical field and of otology from the surgical field in the 1850s led to the development of an independent field: the ear, nose and throat diseases, head and neck surgery. Therefore, oto-rhino-laryngology (ORL) has its roots in surgery. Concerning this and considering common anatomic circumstances, ORL medical aspects should be relevant to the surgeon. This concerns traumatological cases, the problem of difficult intubation and the common treatment of a series of illnesses of the upper aerodigestive tract, in particular problems of the major tumour surgery.