OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS The performance of an ossicular replacement prosthesis (ORP) is influenced by its alignment and appropriate tension between the tympanic membrane and the stapes footplate. A novel ORP with a flexible element that potentially allows for length adjustment in situ is presented and tested for acoustic performance. STUDY DESIGN Laser Doppler vibrometry in fresh human cadaveri...

OBJECTIVE To introduce the endoscopic acoustic stapedial reflex (EASR) as a technique for assessing stapedial mobility in ears with chronic otitis media (COM). METHODS This prospective study was performed from February 2008 to February 2009, patients with COM presented to the Otology Clinic, King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were examined with a rigid ear en...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To investigate whether endoscopic stapes surgery is safer and less invasive than conventional stapes surgery using an operating microscope. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective study. METHODS The subjects were 15 patients (15 ears) who underwent endoscopic stapes surgery for otosclerosis or congenital stapedial fixation. Another 35 patients (41 ears) in whom microscopic stapes s...

UNLABELLED Otosclerosis causes the fixation of the stapes and conductive hearing loss, usually corrected with the use of hearing aids or through stapedotomy and the replacement of the involved stapes with a prosthesis. Titanium has been the most recently used material of choice in stapedotomy prostheses. Only two prostheses are commercially available in Brazil. There are no reports in the liter...

We surveyed the stapedial anatomy of Thrinaxodon liorhinus Seeley, 1894 and Galesaurus planiceps Owen, 1859, two iconic Early Triassic basal cynodonts. The complete characterization this bone analysis its morphological variability along ontogeny within each taxon were possible through study eleven elements nine 1859. Our results highlight notable qualitative quantitative differences among speci...

Stapes fractures without other ossicle problems are rare and ossicle problems due to explosion pressure are also rare. We describe a very rare case of stapes anterior crural fracture resulting from a land mine explosion. As this case suggests, a close examination of the ossicles is necessary during an exploration tympanotomy.

Background & objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two stapes prostheses in hearing improvement of patients undergoing stapes surgery for otosclerosis.   Materials & Methods: In this retrospective and descriptive study, the charts of 291 stapedectomies performed by one surgeon (first author) from 1997 to 2011 in Imam Khomeini and Apadana hospitals of Ahvaz were...

Scientists have marveled at the middle ear for centuries. The importance of the middle ear to hearing and the ease which with it may be damaged make an understanding of this system relevant to clinicians. The middle ear functions as a transformer, in which the motion of the stapes is the output and the sound pressure at the tympanic membrane is the input. Though much studied, the relationship b...

Abstract Purpose of Review To summarize and critically review recent literature on the relative cost-effectiveness hearing augmentation versus stapes surgery for treatment otosclerosis. Recent Findings Otosclerosis leads to reduced patient quality life, which can be ameliorated by either surgery, or aid usage. The success is high, risks serious postoperative complications are low. Hearing aids ...