OBJECTIVE To determine the feasibility of measuring tympanic membrane (TM) vibrations at multiple locations on the TM to differentiate normal eardrums from those with associated ossicular pathologies. DESIGN Cadaveric human temporal bone study. SETTING Basic science laboratory. METHODS A mastoidectomy and facial recess approach was performed on four cadaveric temporal bones to obtain acce...

BACKGROUND Recently, a model of the ossicular chain for finite element analysis has been developed. However, the natural vibration characteristics of human ossicles have never been studied. Herein, we investigated the dynamic characteristics of the coupling of in-vivo ossicles using finite element analysis. METHODS The geometry of the ossicular chain was obtained by high-resolution computed t...

OBJECTIVE To investigate and analyze the relationship between individual ossicular erosion and air-bone gap (ABG) among patients with cholesteatoma. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective case review. SETTING Tertiary referral center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Data from all patients undergoing an initial surgery for cholesteatoma were retrospectively reviewed to evaluate the relationships between preopera...

BACKGROUND Middle ear surgery aims to eliminate pathology from the middle ear, improve drainage and ventilation of the postoperative cavity, and reconstruct the tympanic membrane and ossicles. The aim of this work is to define the factors that affect ABG (air-bone gap) and bone conduction in the patients operated on due to chronic otitis media. MATERIAL AND METHODS A prospective analysis of p...

OBJECTIVES Despite the increasing number of research concerning the applications of the Laser Doppler Vibrometry (LDV) in medicine, its usefulness is still under discussion. The aim of this study is to present a methodology developed in our Department for the LDV intraoperative assessment of ossicular chain reconstruction. METHODS Ten patients who underwent "second look" tympanoplasty were in...

BACKGROUND Total ossicular replacement prostheses (TORP) are often used to re-establish ossicular coupling of sound in an ear lacking a stapes supra-structure. The use of TORPs, however, is associated with a 2/3 five year failure rate due to their anatomic instability over time in the middle ear. The use of autologous fat to try and stabilize TORPs may improve long-term results with this challe...

The ossicular chain has been known for 500 years and yet there are a small number of morphometrical studies. We reviewed the whole literature that is available online regarding the human ossicular chain from an anatomist perspective and correlated the data from all the papers that showed any relevance. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed a priori. A thorough description of all ossic...