In my opinion, Ear Institute of Chicago (
www.chicagoear.com) is excellent. Dr. Battista is my doc - and I love him. Not much of a sense of humor, but a great guy who knows his stuff. He's very experienced in treating ANs and is very caring. He's wonderful about answering questions and likes to make sure you're completely informed about your options, the possible side-effects of each one, etc. He spent a lot of time with me at my first visit, where I was still kind of in shock about having an AN. He knew that my diagnosis was a major thing for me and he was very patient and conscious of the fact that I needed time to "digest" my situation.
After my initial visit, I talked to Dr. Battista on the phone a couple of times and even scheduled another appointment prior to surgery so I could make sure I'd covered all my bases. It was important for me to feel that I was well-informed in making my treatment decision and he respected that. He is also willing to talk to family members if you want him to in order to answer any questions they may have. I hope to have BAHA surgery with him very soon; I'm waiting for approval from my insurance company.
From what I understand, Dr. Wiet is excellent also. Both docs have lots of experience with radiation and surgery; I was given the choice, but opted for surgery. Had retrosigmoid with Battista and Dr. Robert Kazan (neurosurgeon) at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital in Hinsdale, IL on 5/31/07. Dr. Kazan is a very confident man who put me at ease right away. He has a reputation of being one of the best neurosurgeons in the Chicago area and I expected him to be arrogant and cocky; I was totally wrong. He's very down-to-earth, practical, and caring. I was very comfortable with him. Hinsdale Hospital has a very good reputation and the nurses were excellent.
Office staff at the Ear Institute of Chicago is fantastic - handled routine problems/questions, insurance glitches, etc. I am extremely satisfied with the care I received and would highly recommend them to anyone.
There are two other forum members that I know of who are patients of "chicago ear". Zjane and Ellenmn - hopefully they'll give you their input.
If you want to email me with any specific questions, please feel free to do so.
Good luck,
Jan
