Canalplasty: review of 100 cases

Canalplasty is the surgical procedure whereby the external auditory meatus is widened. The indications include exostoses, stenosing external otitis and widening for surgical access. One hundred consecutive ears operated on by one surgeon are reported. The surgical technique is described in detail, paying particular attention to bone removal from the anterior canal wall. In this paper the majority of cases were occasioned by soft tissue rather than bony stenosis. The re-stenosis rate was four per cent and in each case this was associated with the use of a middle temporal artery flap. Partial, transient, delayed facial palsy occurred in two per cent, probably relating to thermal injury transmitted from the burr. A full, spontaneous recovery of facial function occurred in each case. This is a safe and effective technique for canal widening.