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

  • Use of Nasopharyngoscopy Severity Classification of Chronic Epipharyngitis and Its Application for Evaluating the Treatment Outcomes of Epipharyngeal Abrasive Therapy February 13, 2024
    Background Chronic epipharyngitis causes postnasal drip, pharyngeal pain, pharyngeal discomfort, headache, and shoulder stiffness. Additionally, autonomic nervous system symptoms such as dizziness, general fatigue, and sleeplessness may occur. It can also contribute to the development of focal diseases. Although epipharyngeal abrasive therapy (EAT) is effective for chronic epipharyngitis involving the abrasion of the epipharynx with […]
    Yoshihiro Ohno
  • Sinonasal Symptom Correlation With the Postoperative Polyp Scale (POPS) February 12, 2024
    CONCLUSION: Previous endoscopic nasal polyp grading scales poorly correlate with symptoms and patient reported outcome measures. The new POPS moderately correlates with the total SNOT-22 score and strongly correlates with the Rhinologic subdomain, indicating that it may have good potential as a tool to evaluate postoperative CRSwNP patients.
    Arthur W Wu
  • Hyoid Bone Fracture Secondary to a Blunt Neck Trauma: A Report of 2 Cases February 8, 2024
    Hyoid bone fracture unrelated to strangulation is a rare occurrence characterized by a subtle presentation. However, it may manifest as a fatal respiratory distress due to airway obstruction. We present 2 cases of hyoid bone fractures that occurred following a traffic accident in 2 male patients. Both patients presented with either a neck pain or […]
    Azer Chebil
  • Incidence of Neoplasm in Patients Referred for Epistaxis February 7, 2024
    Objectives: The primary objective was to identify the incidence of neoplastic disease in patients referred for epistaxis. Secondary objectives included identification of any mass lesion, and the need for further workup with imaging and/or biopsy as well as risk factors associated with identification of a mass lesion. Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Medical records […]
    Nicholas Toomey
  • Characteristic Video Laryngeal Endoscopic "Pharyngeal Rotation" in Unilateral Pharyngeal Constrictor Muscle Paresis: A Case of Herpes Zoster Pharyngitis February 7, 2024
    Herpes zoster pharyngitis (HZP) is a rare condition that should be considered as a differential diagnosis of acute dysphagia secondary to unilateral glossopharyngeal and/or vagal nerve palsy. Although early treatment is important to avoid adverse sequelae, serological diagnosis of varicella zoster virus (VZV) takes over a few days. Therefore, it is important to actively suspect […]
    Megumi Sone
  • The Value of Endoscopic Exposure of Round Window in Cochlear Implant via Facial Recess February 7, 2024
    Introduction Cochlear implantation has been considered as the best treatment in patients with severe to profound hearing loss unaidable with hearing aids. The main value of endoscope-assisted cochlear implantation is improved visibility of the RW Objective to assess the value of endoscopic assisted CI surgery via facial recess approach without elevating tympanic anulus. Methods This […]
    Mena Maher Nassif
  • Endoscopic ear surgery -- Discipline establishment and technological innovation February 1, 2024
    The application of microscope is a milestone in the history of otosurgery, which makes otologists deal with middle ear lesions more clearly and finely, and helps otologists expand the scope of treatment to the lateral skull base area, which greatly promotes the development of otosurgery. In the past 20 years, with the continuous improvement of […]
    Shiming Yang
  • Specialist consensus of continuous irrigating mode of endoscopic ear surgery February 1, 2024
    Continuous irrigating mode of endoscopic ear surgery(CIM-EES) solves some pain points and difficulties in the operation of otoscopic surgery to a certain extent, including easily fogging of the endoscopic tip and hemorrhage during the endoscopic operation. In order to illustrate useful information of CIM-EES, including its core conception,generation background, practical operation specification, indications and contraidictions […]
    Hua Liao
  • Specialist consensus on endoscopic surgery of the middle ear mastoid February 1, 2024
    This article discusses otoscopic middle ear mastoid surgery from multiple perspectives. Firstly, it discusses the indications and contraindications for surgery from the nature of the lesion and the imaging manifestations; secondly, it recommends the applicable equipment and describes the surgical approach in detail; finally, it summarizes the principles of the management of the operative cavity […]
    Youjun Yu
  • The technique and application of individualized tympanic membrane flap in the repair of tympanic membrane under endoscopy ear surgery February 1, 2024
    Objective:To investigate the technique of personalized flap making under otoscopy and its clinical application. Methods:The clinical data of patients who underwent 301 Military Hospital myringoplasty in the Department of otoendoscopic surgery, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, head and neck surgery, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, from October 2022 to 2023 August were analyzed retrospectively, all enrolled patients were performed […]
    Wenjun Ji