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Rationale for Endoscopic Ear Surgery

In clear contrast to the impact of the introduction of endoscope in most surgical disciplines, the practice of ear surgery has changed little and it continues to be the domain for the microscope. Depending on the task at hand, there are many distinctions that would make the endoscope a better instrument than the microscope and vice versa. We all need to master working with both instruments to better understand and treat pathologies of the ear. The objective of this group and this web site is to neutralize these longstanding biases toward the microscope and to get all of us to use the best instrument in the best way possible to help our patients.

The ability to place the surgeons eyes within the ear cavity using angled endoscopes, allows the operator a contextual understanding of the anatomy that is difficult to match using the microscope.  The disease/ anatomical interface is better appreciated.  This improved anatomical understanding, in turn provides confidence in surgical procedures both endoscopically and microscopically.

When compared to the microscope, two distinct advantages are present with the endoscope.

  1. The Objective lens is placed within the ear canal or middle ear, which allows for an all-encompassing contextual view of the disease/ anatomy interface.  In contrast, the traditional microscopic method relies on removal of significant amounts of normal bone and soft tissue, often with removal of intact structures to fully observe the disease extent.
  2. The live image used by the surgeon is the same one that everyone else in the operating room is observing. This simultaneous viewing significantly increases engagement, teaching opportunities and interest in the surgical procedure from all present in the OR.
enscopic ear surgery field of view

The use of the endoscope enables the surgeon to visualize past the shaft of larger surgical instruments, such as drills and curettes, and allows better visualization of anatomical structures.

 

To view the up to date research on Endoscopic Ear Surgery, please visit the link below.

RSS endoscopy ear

  • Concealed Peritonitis Due to Stomach Perforation from a Fish Otolith: A Case Report December 24, 2025
    Background and Clinical Significance: Ingestion of foreign bodies may lead to perforation of the gastrointestinal tract in its various segments. This may be accompanied by infections of the mediastinum after esophageal perforations and peritonitis after perforations of the stomach and bowel. Case Presentation: A 64-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of abdominal pain […]
    Matthew E Falagas
  • Transcatheter Embolization of a Rare Pulmonary Arterio-Arterial Malformation in a Nine-Year-Old Boy December 23, 2025
    Pulmonary arterio-arterial malformations exceptionally occur as rare vascular anomalies in the pediatric population, as they often challenge diagnoses because their symptoms are nonspecific. We report a previously healthy nine-year-old boy presenting with acute hematemesis initially suspected to be of gastrointestinal (GI) origin. Upper GI endoscopy and ear, nose, and throat (ENT) evaluation revealed normal findings; […]
    Munazza Khanam
  • Using deep vision-language models improves multi-task performance in assistance applications for endoscopic ENT surgery December 22, 2025
    CONCLUSION: We developed a vision-language model capable of integrating image and text data for endoscopic ENT assistance tasks, that is able to replace three isolated models, delivering multi-task assistance while outperforming prior and general‑purpose baselines. Remaining challenges include the handling of imbalanced class distributions and limited gains on templated structured text.
    Richard Bieck
  • Pill retention in Parkinson's disease presenting as a soft tissue mass December 15, 2025
    Dysphagia in Parkinson's disease (PD) may lead to medication or 'pill retention', compromising drug delivery and mimicking other pathology on imaging. We report an octogenarian with advanced PD who presented after an unwitnessed fall, throat pain, hoarseness and cough when swallowing. A CT of the neck suggested a soft tissue mass in the piriform recess. […]
    Madeleine Jade Wilson
  • Imposter behind the eye: spheno-ethmoidal mucocele mimicking meningocele with compressive optic neuropathy December 12, 2025
    A male patient in his mid-30s presented with progressive right eye proptosis and vision loss, accompanied by retro-orbital and occipital pain. He had a history of skull base trauma and endoscopic repair for cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea 7 years earlier. Imaging revealed a lesion adjacent to a cribriform plate defect, initially suggesting a non-expanding meningocele. However, […]
    Varun Jerath
  • Endoscope for the diagnosis and treatment of ear diseases December 9, 2025
    This review describes the evolving and increasing role of the endoscope in ear examination and treatment of ear diseases, including ear surgery. With the development of affordable and publicly accessible commercial endoscope models, patients may now have the possibility to examine their own ears. While this development opens up new possibilities for patient-involvement, self-monitoring and […]
    Alaa Jady
  • Diagnosis and management of allergic rhinitis: An Indian expert consensus by otorhinolaryngologists December 5, 2025
    CONCLUSION: This expert consensus will help physicians in their clinical practice and complement effective diagnosis and management of AR.
    Mohan Kameswaran
  • Endoscopic staged surgery for stage Ⅲ external auditory canal cholesteatoma: an efficacy analysis December 3, 2025
    Objective:This study aims to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of staged endoscopic surgery for Shin-Ⅲ stage external auditory canal cholesteatoma. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 25 patients diagnosed with Shin-Ⅲ cholesteatoma of the external auditory canal, who were admitted to the Otology Center of the First People's Hospital of Foshan City […]
    Rilei He
  • Diagnostic value of high-resolution temporal bone CT combined with DW-MRI fusion technology in middle ear cholesteatoma December 3, 2025
    Objective:To explore the application value of high-resolution temporal bone CT and DW-MRI fusion technology in achieving precise diagnosis and anatomical localization of middle ear cholesteatoma during endoscopic surgery. Methods:Eighteen patients initially diagnosed with middle ear cholesteatoma in the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital, from January to June 2024 were […]
    Qimei Yang
  • Risk factors of wet ear and its impact on surgical outcomes of endoscopic type tympanoplasty December 3, 2025
    Objective:To investigate the risk factors of wet ear status and its impact on the efficacy of endoscopic type Ⅰ tympanoplasty. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted at the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army（PLA）Air Force Medical University, on 160 ears that underwent endoscopic type Ⅰ tympanoplasty; […]
    Zhengru Zhu