Scott Elledge, MD

ENT Associates of Alabama, P.C. added two partners in 2009, Drs. Scott Elledge and Stephen Favrot, and acquired two new locations in the process. The group of twelve physicians offers otolaryngology services in eight locations, focusing on general ear, nose and throat treatment, head and neck diseases and surgeries, voice disorders, allergies, and cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. While all of the physicians are board certified and qualified to practice all aspects of otolaryngology, some are more interested in certain sub-specialties than others.

Stephen Favrot, MD enjoys treating otologic and general otolaryngologic disorders in adults and children. He also specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss, tumors of the skull base and balance disorders. In treating hearing loss, he uses a variety of procedures including cochlear implantation and Bone Anchor Hearing Aids (BAHA). “The improvements made in audiology technology over the last 15 years are amazing,” he says. “From analog hearing aids to the smaller, better, less obtrusive digital devices now in use, patients have significantly better quality of life.”

While citing Rush Limbaugh and Heather Whitestone McCallum as famous examples, he states, “In just a few short years, recipients of Cochlear implants have gone from being deaf to two-thirds of them being able to talk on the phone.” Bone anchor hearing aids (BAHA) are the latest technology being used in patients who have chronic ear infections or congenital external auditory canal atresia and cannot wear a standard hearing aid. Other optimum candidates are patients who are deaf in one ear and do not benefit from conventional hearing aids.

A titanium post is surgically implanted into the skull bone behind the deaf ear. Together with an external abutment and processor, vibrations are felt through direct bone conduction to the inner ear. The external canal and middle ear are bypassed, with vibrations traveling through the skull, stimulating the nerve fibers in the inner ear to allow hearing.

“New minimally invasive procedures to treat vertigo and ear infections and diseases include injecting high dose steroids directly into the inner ear to combat inflammation and swelling. We can also inject antibiotics into the middle ear to be absorbed into the inner ear,” Favrot says. “The ear has the most tight anatomy and important facial nerves, as well as the brain right behind it. Minimally invasive procedures are optimum in many cases because in such a tight space, millimeters matter.”

Elledge also strives to incorporate minimally invasive procedures. “Image-guided endoscopy has become the standard of care for nasal and sinus surgery over the last five years,” he says. “We can copy the CT scan to a disc, boot it up on a separate machine and use the scan to help locate polyps, distorted anatomy and cancers of the sinus. I think of it as an individualized GPS for a patient’s sinuses.”

To echo Favrot, given the fact that thin vascular tissue is the only barrier between the brain and the sinus cavity, accuracy is of utmost importance. In fact, Elledge reports, “At some of the large research centers, some surgeons are experimenting with intracranial surgery through the nose with image-guided endoscopy to see if it could be applied.”

While Peyton Colvin, MD routinely operates on common ear, nose and throat cases involving sinuses, head and neck procedures, and tubes, adenoids and tonsils for children, his major interest is voice restoration and cancers of the throat and neck. “We use injections of collagen filler and silicon custom prostheses to restore or reposition vocal chords to improve the speech or speaking ability of patients,” he says.

“Patients may have paralyzed, atrophied or bowed vocal chords, or weak and thin voices due to previous surgeries, infections, injury or chest tumors. We perform some procedures under local anesthesia while patients are speaking to us, so we can be as accurate as possible, with optimum results.” He also works on voice restoration for patients who’ve had laryngectomies due to cancer. These patients usually have permanent tracheotomies, but through better technology, their voices sound more realistic and less mechanized.

Favrot, Elledge and Colvin all work out of Trinity Medical Center and with their partners, treat patients in Shelby County, Oneonta and Sylacauga. ENT Associates also has offices at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Cullman Regional Medical Center, Baptist Health Center-Trussville and Walker Regional Medical Center.

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