--- title: "Ear care | Services & treatments | Sutter Health" description: "Sutter's ear (otology) services offer advanced diagnostics and treatments for hearing loss, ear infections and balance disorders to restore ear health." url: "https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/ear-care" --- 1. [Home](https://www.sutterhealth.org/) / 2. [Services](https://www.sutterhealth.org/services) / 3. Ear care otology # Ear care (otology) When your ears are causing problems, our ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists are ready with the latest treatments to ease your pain, restore your hearing or improve your appearance with care and precision. [Find an ENT](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider-results?facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_providerSpecialties.specialty.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Otolaryngology+%E2%80%93+Head+and+Neck+Surgery%22%5D%7D%5D&limit=10&staticFilters=%5B%7B%22displayName%22%3A%22Sutter+Health+Provider%22%2C%22selected%22%3Atrue%2C%22filter%22%3A%7B%22kind%22%3A%22fieldValue%22%2C%22fieldId%22%3A%22c_providerIsSutterHealth%22%2C%22matcher%22%3A%22%24eq%22%2C%22value%22%3Atrue%7D%7D%5D&verticalKey=healthcare_professionals) [Request a referral](https://www.sutterhealth.org/referrals) Why choose Sutter? When ear issues affect you or your child, our team of over 140 ENT specialists is ready to offer you specialty care to restore your ear health. Whether you have an infection, tinnitus or ear damage, we provide comprehensive treatment options to reduce pain and improve hearing. If you’re dealing with a balance disorder like vertigo, we’ll work with you to determine the cause of your dizziness and improve balance in your daily life. In Santa Cruz, you also have access to leading care for surfer’s ear. While the city is known for its surfing, it’s also a top destination for treating surfer's ear, thanks to a minimally invasive procedure pioneered by our own Dr. Douglas Hetzler. This technique allows for quick recovery and pain relief, so you can get back to the water sooner. ## By the numbers ### 140+ ENT Doctors provide accessible care close to home. ### 20+ Years leading California in a minimally invasive surfer’s ear surgery techniques. ### 10 Sutter Hospitals honored as America's best for 2024 by Healthgrades. ### 1 in 100 Americans receive their healthcare from Sutter. ## Need a referral? Chat live with our team Monday through Friday, 8:00 am — 5:00 pm, or call us at [888-834-1788](tel:+18888341788). [Request a referral](https://www.sutterhealth.org/referrals) ## Conditions - Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo - Chronic ear infection - Dizziness - Otosclerosis - Ringing in the ears ## Diagnostics - CT scan - Hearing test ## Treatments - Cochlear implant - Eardrum repair - Electric Stimulation Therapy - Mastoidectomy - Medication management - [Occupational therapy](https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/occupational-therapy) - [Physical therapy](https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/physical-therapy) - Surfer's ear surgery - Tympanoplasty Dr. Doug Hetzler in Santa Cruz performs surgery to treat a hearing condition called surfer’s ear. ![Ear exam](https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/sutterhealt962c-sutterhealt8fce-production57cc-4860/media/Project/SutterHealth/SutterHealth/Images/health-topics/ear-nose-throat/ear-exam-600x300.jpg?h=300&iar=0&w=600) ## Learn about surfer's ear surgery If you’d like to know more about our pioneering surfer’s ear procedure, call [831-458-6272](tel:831-458-6272) or complete this form. [View form](https://feedback.sutterhealth.org/f/153791/152f/) ## Sutter spotlight Health & wellness ### [Treating Ear Infections](https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/treating-ear-infections) Ear infections are most common in kids aged 3 months to 4 years. Learn about symptoms, causes and treatment of ear infections.   Health & wellness ### [Tinnitus: How To Manage Ringing in Your Ears](https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/tinnitus) Learn about therapies that can help relieve tinnitus. Health & wellness ### [New Reasons to Use Hearing Aids](https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/hearing-aids) Learn about today’s digital hearing aids, and get tips on buying and using them. ## Ear care for infections, hearing loss and balance concerns Get treatment at Sutter for infections, hearing loss and balance disorders. [Find an ENT](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider-results?facets=%7B%22c_providerSpecialties.specialty.name%22%3A%7B%220%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3A%22Otolaryngology+ENT+-+Head+and+Neck+Surgery%22%2C%22matcher%22%3A%22%24eq%22%7D%7D%2C%22acceptingNewPatients%22%3A%7B%220%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Atrue%2C%22matcher%22%3A%22%24eq%22%7D%7D%7D&query=%22Otolaryngology%22&verticalKey=healthcare_professionals) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalWebPage","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/ear-care#medicalwebpage","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/ear-care","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/ear-care#breadcrumblist"},"name":"Ear care at Sutter Health","description":"Sutter's ear (otology) services offer advanced diagnostics and treatments for hearing loss, ear infections and balance disorders to restore ear health.","inLanguage":"en-US","medicalAudience":{"@type":"MedicalAudience","audienceType":"Patient"},"mainEntity":{"@type":"MedicalSpecialty","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/ear-care#medicalspecialty","name":"Ear care","alternateName":["Ear Disorders","Ear Infections","Otitis Media","Swimmer's Ear","Surfer's Ear"],"url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/ear-care"},"about":[{"@type":"MedicalCondition","name":"Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo"},{"@type":"MedicalCondition","name":"Chronic ear infection"},{"@type":"MedicalCondition","name":"Dizziness"},{"@type":"MedicalCondition","name":"Otosclerosis"},{"@type":"MedicalCondition","name":"Ringing in the ears"},{"@type":"MedicalTest","name":"CT scan"},{"@type":"MedicalTest","name":"Hearing test"},{"@type":"MedicalProcedure","name":"Cochlear implant"},{"@type":"MedicalProcedure","name":"Eardrum repair"},{"@type":"MedicalProcedure","name":"Electric Stimulation Therapy"},{"@type":"MedicalProcedure","name":"Mastoidectomy"},{"@type":"MedicalProcedure","name":"Medication management"},{"@type":"MedicalProcedure","name":"Occupational therapy","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/occupational-therapy"},{"@type":"MedicalProcedure","name":"Physical therapy","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/physical-therapy"},{"@type":"MedicalProcedure","name":"Surfer's ear surgery"},{"@type":"MedicalProcedure","name":"Tympanoplasty"}],"publisher":{"@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org"},"datePublished":"2026-10-27T13:50:33-07:00","dateModified":"2026-10-27T13:50:33-07:00"} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/ear-care#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Services","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/services"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Ear care otology"}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Surfer's Ear Surgery | Doug Hetzler, M.D. | Santa Cruz","thumbnailUrl":"https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/817826402001/85d2318e-2d3c-40ce-8820-8eab25f52c73/6150c35a-fc4e-44f6-a150-c1d23a6251c4/1280x720/match/image.jpg","uploadDate":"2016-09-09T16:28:29.919Z","embedUrl":"https://players.brightcove.net/817826402001/79bcaa57-54d7-453c-9f1f-8ab3ef7b15de/index.html?videoId=5118432012001","description":"Santa Cruz doctor, Doug Hetzler performs \"surfer's ear\" surgery, a serious condition that affects hearing. Medically known as \"exostosis of the external auditory canal.\"\n","duration":"PT3M24S","transcript":"[MUSIC PLAYING]\nSurfer's ear is basically a condition\nwhere you experience bone growths in the ear canal.\nAnd as those bone growths enlarge and narrow\nthe ear canal, people can experience\nwater trapping, infections, hearing loss.\nAnd the reason it's been called surfer's ear\nis because the surfing population\nseems to have it at a very, very high proportion.\nIn fact, when Jack O'Neill invented the wetsuit.\nHe really set this off.\nBecause part of that-- people weren't\nspending a lot of time in cold water.\nPer capita, we have one of the highest\nrates in the world in this area.\nIf we wanted to make this happen in somebody,\nwe would just repeatedly dip them in and out of cold water.\nAnd the nature of the sport of surfing\nis that's exactly what that involves.\nThe techniques I was using to address it\ninitially were those that I was taught in residency\nand learned from textbooks of ear surgery.\nAnd those typically involve using a drill in some fashion.\nMy original motivation was concern\nabout the noise of the drill, which in some cases\nhad been measured up to 130 decibels.\nAnd that's where I thought the chisel technique would\nbe so effective.\nBut what I also found was it was far easier to protect the skin\nonce you knew the technique.\nAnd people healed faster and they\nexperienced less post-operative pain.\nSo there were a number of factors\nthat made it real advantageous for the patient.\nBut from a surgeon's standpoint, knowing what I know now,\nif someone took my chisels away and said I had to drill,\nI wouldn't do the operation.\nSome of these guys seem to be able to fill up their whole ear\ncanal with bone.\nThe biggest single piece I ever took out\nwas about the size of the tip of my little finger.\nI think we're up to about 1,307 ears.\nAnd that's roughly 747 patients.\nAnd those patients have come from 25 states in the United\nStates, eight foreign countries.\nI've had email inquiries from really all over the world.\nThere was a surgeon that came from Miyazaki, Japan\nearlier this year to see me do it.\nThere was something that came from Bordeaux, France\na couple of years ago to learn the technique.\nSo it's gradually finding its way\ninto further and further parts of the world.\nBut it's not as readily available outside of this area.\nSo patients are still willing to travel to have this done.\nWe basically started from scratch\nin terms of trying to figure out OK,\nwhat instruments are going to let us do this operation?\nAnd every step of the way is there\nsomething that could be done better?\nThere are a number of prototypes that\nhad to be modified in a variety of ways,\nredesigning our instruments and modifying instruments\nto work better in the operating room.\nWorked with the Bausch & Lomb Storz medtronic company,\nKarl Storz USA at developing some of these things.\nSo we worked with prototypes and modifications\nof those prototypes to get it to where it is today.\n\nThere's no moral ambiguity about this operation.\nThere's certain things where you can say, OK,\nwe may try to do something for someone.\nAre we really accomplishing something?\nDid they get better on their own or is our intervention\nmaking a difference?\nIn these it's a very, very tangible thing\nfor me and the patient.\nWe can see what the problem is.\nWe can see the obstruction.\nYou can see why they're having problems.\nI'm somewhat of an athlete myself,\nalthough not really a surfer.\nBut I know what it's like to be on the sidelines\nand be sidelined from something you really love to do.\nSo to help these people get back to what they love doing\nhas been very gratifying.\nA number of years ago one of my patients\nwas quoted in a local newspaper as calling me\nthe Michelangelo of ear surgery, which\nI guess I consider a very favorable comparison-- using\nchisels but I've not created any tremendous works of art,\nother some good looking ear canals.\n[MUSIC PLAYING]"} ```