Can you cut down trees for milling?

While we are not arborists or professional tree sawyers, we can recommend professionals in the area that can cut down your trees. Once removed, we can mill them.

Will you remove fallen trees from our property?

Yes, we can remove wind-fallen trees or trees from constructions clearance if they can be used lumber or slabs etc.

How much do you pay property owners for their trees?

It really depends on the species and size of the tree. Sometimes we just provide tree removal service and other times we would pay a fee. The cost for tree removal can be high so we must factor in the cost to us compared to the value of the finished product.

Ear Clinic

The Carolina Ear and Hearing Clinic treats adult and pediatric patients and is focused exclusively on the diagnosis and treatment of disorders affecting hearing, balance and the facial nerve. Many of these conditions can be treated medically, whereas others require surgical intervention. A discussion of these disorders and their treatments can be accessed, by clicking the following booklets.

Dr. McElveen was fortunate to have been trained by some of the leading ear specialists including, William F. House, M.D., the father of Neurotology and developer of the cochlear implant as well as approaches to remove acoustic tumors, Jim Sheehy, M.D., a renowned cholesteatoma/chronic ear disease surgeon, Howard House, M.D., a master in the delicate art of stapes surgery and Rodney Perkins M.D., an innovator in laser stapes surgery and hearing devices.

Dr. McElveen uses minimally invasive microsurgical techniques that allow him to remove the disease or tumor and preserve or reconstruct the normal anatomical structures. This allows many patients to ultimately preserve/regain hearing and resume their normal day-to-day activities without the need for water precautions.

Although Dr. McElveen personally performs the surgical procedures without the involvement of residents or fellows, he is committed to educating resident otolaryngologists in sophisticated otologic surgical procedures. Consequently, in addition to teaching residents at the Carolina Ear Research Institute’s “William F. House Temporal Bone Dissection Lab”, Dr. McElveen has created educational, minimally edited, surgical videos for some of the otologic procedures. The videos can be accessed by clicking on the links below.

Cholesteatoma Surgery: https://youtu.be/FfRopCcipqM

Stapes Surgery: https://youtu.be/-ckrUp3ocqw

Meniere’s Disease Surgery:

Endolymphatic Mastoid Shunt: https://youtu.be/JiO_dyPm50M
Transmastoid Labyrinthectomy: https://youtu.be/hEeeOyQSWp4

Acoustic Tumor Surgery: https://youtu.be/32Us6UoRUn0

FAQ's

Yes, you do not have to go through life worrying when you will have your next episode of vertigo. The remaining 50% may require surgical intervention ranging from transtympanic injections, an endolymphatic shunt or a selective sectioning of the vestibular nerve (balance nerve).There are a variety of non-surgical and surgical treatments that will stop the episodes. 50% of patients respond to some form of medical therapy.

This condition is referred to as “otosclerosis”. Frequently the stapes bone is fixed, causing some or all of the hearing loss. Often, using a laser or a small microdrill, an opening can be made in the “footplate” of the stapes and a prosthesis can be placed to restore the transmission of sound into the inner ear. This procedure is successful in approximately 97% of patients. The surgery can be performed under local or intravenous sedation, can be done through the ear canal, takes around 30-45 minutes and is out-patient.

As you may know, acoustic neuromas are benign tumors that arise from the covering of the vestibular nerves (balance nerves). They will not spread to other areas of your body, however, they can put pressure on your brain and surrounding nerves if they become quite large. Once diagnosed, there are basically three treatment options: follow with periodic MRIs until they require treatment (60% of the diagnosed tumors may not grow.), surgical removal (translabyrinthine, retrosigmoid or middle fossa approaches.) or treatment with gamma knife or cyber knife radiation therapy.

Although many times a sudden hearing loss can be caused by cerumen blocking the ear canal or fluid behind the ear drum following a cold, in some cases there is sudden disruption of circulation to the hair cells in the inner ear. This should be considered a medical emergency and steroid therapy should be instituted as quickly as possible. In addition to the steroid pills, injection of a steroid into the middle ear may be beneficial. 66% of patients with a sudden sensorineural hearing loss will get an improvement in their hearing. 33% experience no improvement.

You do not need to worry about never being able to hear again. There are several surgical options available. Sometimes the cause is due to “far advanced” stapes fixation. In that cases, a procedure that replaces the stapes bone may restore hearing. In other cases, a cochlear implant that electrically stimulates the nerve endings is very effective. Both are out-patient surgical procedures

This is an otologic emergency. Typically, this is a “Bell’s palsy”. A virus is thought to cause the nerve to swell within its bony channel, resulting in a disruption of nerve function. High dose oral steroids and antivirals should be taken immediately. This combination will decrease nerve swelling and treat the viral infection.

The information contained in this website is intended to provide general information and patient education on certain topics only and are not intended to and do not offer healthcare/medical advice. This information should not be considered complete and should not be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice from your physician. If you have, or suspect you have, a health problem you should never disregard medical advice or delay seeking medical attention because of something you have read on this website. If you have questions about a medical condition or seek advice, see your healthcare professional.