Purpose: Corrects congenital absence or closure of the ear canal (atresia) to improve hearing and ear function.
Procedure: Involves creating an ear canal and reconstructing the eardrum and middle ear structures if necessary.
Bone Conduction Implantation
Purpose: Helps individuals with conductive or mixed hearing loss by bypassing the outer and middle ear to directly stimulate the cochlea.
Procedure: Involves implanting a device that converts sound into vibrations transmitted through the bone to the inner ear.
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Leak Repair
Purpose: Seals leaks of cerebrospinal fluid, which can lead to infections and other complications.
Procedure: Often involves using a patient’s own tissue (like a fat graft) or synthetic materials to close the leak, typically performed endoscopically.
Eustachian Tube Balloon Dilation
Purpose: Treats Eustachian tube dysfunction by improving ventilation of the middle ear.
Procedure: Involves inserting a balloon catheter into the Eustachian tube and inflating it to widen the tube.
Exostosis Repair
Purpose: Removes bony growths (exostoses) in the ear canal, often caused by repeated cold water exposure.
Procedure: Involves surgically removing the bony growths to prevent obstruction and infections.
Labyrinthectomy
Purpose: Treats severe, disabling vertigo by destroying the balance function of the inner ear.
Procedure: Involves removal or destruction of the inner ear structures, usually performed when hearing is already significantly impaired.
Laser Myringoplasty
Purpose: Repairs perforations in the tympanic membrane (eardrum).
Procedure: Utilizes a laser to precisely close the perforation and stimulate healing.
Mastoidectomy
Purpose: Removes infected or diseased mastoid air cells to treat chronic ear infections or cholesteatoma.
Procedure: Involves surgically opening the mastoid bone and removing the diseased tissue.
Myringotomy (with or without Tube Placement)
Purpose: Drains fluid from the middle ear to relieve pressure and treat infections.
Procedure: Involves making a small incision in the eardrum, sometimes placing a tube to keep the incision open for continuous drainage.
Middle Fossa Craniotomy
Purpose: Accesses and repairs structures in the middle fossa of the skull, often used for acoustic neuroma removal.
Procedure: Involves making an incision in the skull to access the area above the ear canal.
Ossicular Chain Reconstruction
Purpose: Restores the function of the bones in the middle ear to improve hearing.
Procedure: Involves repairing or replacing the ossicles (malleus, incus, stapes) with prosthetic devices or the patient’s own tissue.
Petrous Apex Surgery
Purpose: Treats lesions or infections located in the petrous apex, a part of the temporal bone.
Procedure: Involves surgical removal of the lesion or drainage of the infection through various approaches depending on the location and nature of the problem.
Paper Patch of Tympanic Membrane
Purpose: Temporarily repairs small perforations in the eardrum.
Procedure: Involves placing a small paper patch over the perforation to promote natural healing.
Retrosigmoid Craniotomy
Purpose: Provides access to the cerebellopontine angle to remove tumors like acoustic neuromas.
Procedure: Involves making an incision behind the ear and removing a portion of the skull to access the tumor.
Stapedotomy
Purpose: Treats otosclerosis by improving the mobility of the stapes bone in the middle ear.
Procedure: Involves creating a small hole in the stapes footplate and inserting a prosthesis to improve sound conduction.
Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence Plugging (Transmastoid or Middle Fossa)
Purpose: Treats superior semicircular canal dehiscence syndrome by plugging the dehiscent canal.
Procedure: Can be approached via transmastoid (behind the ear) or middle fossa (above the ear) to access and plug the dehiscent canal.
Tympanoplasty
Purpose: Repairs a perforated eardrum and reconstructs the middle ear.
Procedure: Involves grafting tissue to close the perforation and, if needed, repairing or replacing the ossicles.
Transtympanic Membrane Injection
Purpose: Delivers medication directly into the middle ear to treat various conditions like Meniere’s disease.
Procedure: Involves injecting medication through the eardrum into the middle ear space.
Translabyrinthine Craniotomy
Purpose: Provides access to the cerebellopontine angle for tumor removal, typically acoustic neuromas.
Procedure: Involves removing the inner ear structures to create a pathway to the tumor, often resulting in hearing loss on the affected side.
Vestibular Nerve Section
Purpose: Treats intractable vertigo by severing the vestibular nerve to prevent abnormal signals from reaching the brain.
Procedure: Involves cutting the vestibular nerve through an incision in the skull base.
