Adenoidectomy
Allergy Tests and Shots
Blepharoplasty
Botox Injections
Direct Laryngoscopy
Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
Inner Ear Perfusion
Laser Hair Removal
Laser Skin Resurfacing
Mastoidectomy
Microdermabrasion
Myringotomy Tubes
Ossicular Reconstruction
Removal of Tumors of the Temporal Bone
Repair of Inner Ear Fistula
Rhinoplasty
Rhytidectomy
Salivary Gland Surgery
Septoplasty
Somnoplasty Procedure for Snoring
Stapedectomy
Tonsillectomy
Tympanoplasty
Voice Restoration
ENT Associates Home Page
Adenoidectomy
The adenoids are removed due
to chronic infection, or in children with recurring ear infections.
Adenoidectomy is commonly done in conjunction with Myringotomy Tube
placement. This is done as an outpatient, and the child can
generally return to school the next day.
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Allergy Tests and Shots
Allergy is diagnosed
by history and physical examination and confirmed by allergy
testing. We do this allergy testing by skin testing on the arms or
by tests done on blood drawn from your arm. Inhalant allergies can
cause multiple symptoms but will mainly affect the respiratory
system. Persistent and recurrent "colds". "hay fever", and "sinus"
are examples of allergic symptoms. Any substance that can be inhaled
or absorbed into the body may provoke allergic reactions. The most
common inhalant allergens that trigger symptoms are pollens, molds
and environmental agents such as animal dander and dust mites.
Allergy treatment is based on avoidance of offending allergens
through environmental control, medications to control symptoms, and
immunotherapy (allergy shots). Treatment is generally begun with
avoidance and medications. Dramatic symptomatic improvement may
occur by environmental control, such as removing a pet from the
household. Should avoidance therapy and medications fail to gain
adequate control, immunotherapy is begun. If immunotherapy is
recommended, a solution is mixed specifically for you based on your
allergy testing results and will be administered in your arm. The
need for allergy medication may decrease or disappear as
immunotherapy is advanced. Overwhelming antigen exposure may provoke
symptoms even after symptom control with immunotherapy. Allergy
injections are usually given three to five years, but some patients
require immunotherapy indefinitely.
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Blepharoplasty
Blepharoplasty is the removal of excess skin and tissue from the eye lids.
This procedure results in a more youthful appearance to the eyes and in cases
where upper lid skin is particularly excessive, can improve peripheral vision.
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Botox Injections
Botox is a purified protein
which has safely been used for over six years to weaken facial
muscles responsible for wrinkles. The most commonly treated areas
are frown lines, forehead lines, and crow’s feet. The effects
usually last three to five months and treatments should be repeated
for maximum effectiveness.
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Direct Laryngoscopy
With this procedure, the
larynx (voice box) is visualized directly through a lighted tube, so
that various lesions and disorders of the larynx can be diagnosed
and treated. This is done in the operating room, under local or
general anesthesia, and the patient can usually be discharged on the
day of surgery, or the first postoperative day. After some
laryngoscopies, the patient may be required to rest his voice for
several days.
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Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
This is a way of
doing sinus surgery using telescopes to aid the visualization of the
sinuses. This makes sinus surgery safer, more precise, and less
invasive. Sinus surgery is indicated for patients with chronic sinus
infection that has not responded to intensive antibiotic therapy.
This is generally done as outpatient surgery, and the patient may
return to work after four or five days.
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Inner Ear Perfusion
A relatively new
approach to inner ear disease which allows the exposure of either
cortisone or an antibiotic to the inner ear by placing the substance
in the middle ear space and allowing it to diffuse to the inner ear
through the natural membrane called the round window. This is done
in refractory cases of Meniere’s disease and in some cases of sudden
or progressive hearing loss or in refractory vertigo, which is a
spinning type of dizziness.
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Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal is the
most accurate, comfortable, and rapid method of eliminating unwanted
hair. The laser energy is absorbed by the hair follicle and regrowth
is thereby prevented. Depending on the area, two to four treatments
are required. Most patients return to normal activity immediately.
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Laser Skin Resurfacing
Laser skin
resurfacing is the most precise technique for removing facial
imperfections such as wrinkles and scarring. The laser removes the
superficial layers of skin and tightens the deeper ones. The
procedure can often be done in an office setting under local
anesthesia. Healing occurs within one week and the associated
redness fades within three months.
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Mastoidectomy
An operation that requires
drilling out the bone just behind and above the ear canal for
exposure and removal of disease in the mastoid cavity. In some
cases, the ear canal wall is removed resulting in a larger than
normal ear canal for the sake of prevention of further mastoid
disease. In most cases, however, the canal wall can be preserved and
the surgery done through incision behind the ear.
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Microdermabrasion
This is a new procedure
using a Delphia II System from Edge Systems Corporation. The
Microdermabrasion is performed in the office and only takes 15-20
minutes. A few treatments will dramatically improve appearance of
the skin. It is now a widely accepted skin care technique and has
the ability to improve imperfections on the skin caused by aging and
sun exposure.
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Myringotomy Tubes
Myringotomy tubes are
placed in the ears of children who either have recurring ear
infections, or persistent fluid build-up behind the eardrums. The
procedure is done in the operating room with the child asleep. The
child can resume normal activities the next day. The amount of time
the tube stays in varies depending on the type of tube used, and the
patient.
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Ossicular Reconstruction
Most typically,
this is done in conjunction with tympanoplasty for the treatment of
chronic ear disease. One or more bones of hearing may have become
eroded or stiffened. The faulty portion of the hearing mechanism is
replaced with a prosthesis with or without additional tissue from
the patient’s own body.
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Removal of Tumors of the Temporal Bone
Rarely benign and malignant tumors can develop in the bone housing
the ear and require removal and repair of the defect the tumor has
caused. In some cases, a neoplasm is found just beyond the temporal
bone between the brain and the bone, such as an acoustic neuroma,
which requires removal by the joint effort of the neurosurgeon and
the otologist.
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Repair of Inner Ear Fistula
In some cases of
head injury, significant strain or more rarely, with relatively
simple stresses to the ear, if there is some type of congenital
weakness of the ear, a leak of fluid can develop coming from the
inner ear into the middle ear. These lesions can be repaired by
exploring the middle ear and sealing the leaks.
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Rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty is the surgical
re-shaping of the nasal bones and cartilage to achieve an
improvement in external appearance. It may be performed in
conjunction with other nasal procedures including septoplasty to
improve the nasal air passages.
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Rhytidectomy
Face lift surgery is performed
to remove excess skin and tissue from the lower 2/3rds of the face.
This results in a more youthful appearance. The surgery is
accomplished via well hidden skin incisions designed to camouflage
and limit scarring. This procedure is frequently performed in
conjunction with eye lid surgery. (Blepharoplasty)
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Salivary Gland Surgery
1. The Parotid
Gland The parotid gland is the large salivary gland on both sides of
the face. Tumors of the parotid gland require surgical removal.
While this is a major surgery with some risk to the facial nerve, it
may often require no more than an overnight stay in the hospital.
The doctors of ENT Associates of Alabama are skilled at removal of
these tumors with preservation of the facial nerve and avoidance of
injury to it. These tumors are frequently benign and surgery is
usually corrective.
2. Submandibular Gland The submandibular
gland is the large salivary gland located just below the mandible or
jaw on each side of the neck. Most commonly this gland requires
surgery only when it becomes irreversibly swollen from persisting
infection resulting from a stone within the gland. Less frequently a
tumor may arise in the gland and require surgical removal. The
doctors of ENT Associates of Alabama are very experienced in surgery
of the submandibular gland.
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Septoplasty
Also called nasoseptal
reconstruction. This is a procedure to straighten the nasal septum
(the midline partition of the nose) in patients who are having
chronic nasal congestion due to a deviated septum. The procedure is
done in the operating room with the patient asleep, and generally
does not cause any bruising, or change the appearance of the nose.
The patient can return to work in four or five days.
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Somnoplasty Procedure for Snoring
This procedure is a new way to treat snoring in an office setting. Using
local anesthesia, the Somnoplasty instrument is inserted onto the
soft palate. Computer-controlled radio-frequency energy is then used
diminish the length and thickness of the soft palate, thereby
increasing the size of the air passages in the throat, which
improves the snoring. The procedure takes about 30 minutes, and the
patient can return to work the next day.
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Stapedectomy
In this procedure, the third
bone of hearing called the stapes which has become stiffened by
either hereditary, congenital or inflammatory processes is removed
and replaced by a prosthesis to restore the hearing mechanism.
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Tonsillectomy
Tonsillectomy is done for
problems such as chronic infection, tonsil enlargement causing
symptoms, and obstructive sleep apnea. The tonsils are removed under
general anesthesia, and this is usually done as outpatient surgery.
The patient can generally return to school or work after one week.
In children, the adenoids are frequently removed as well.
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Tympanoplasty
Repair of perforations of the
eardrum sometimes accompanied by repair of the bones of hearing or
surgery of the mastoid. This typically requires the use of some of
the patient’s own tissue to use as a graft for the perforation.
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Voice Restoration
ENT Associates of Alabama
offers prosthetic voice restoration for those patients who have
undergone laryngectomy or removal of the voice box because of
cancer. Using the Blom-Singer and/or Bivona prosthetic voice
restoration systems, a nearly normal voice with normal fluency can
be achieved for the patient by the voice restoration team.
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