Importance of atticotomy in chronic otitis media with fixation of ossicles

Seventy-seven patients with chronic otitis media were reviewed. Of the 77 patients, 42 underwent tympanoplasty with a columella, and 35 underwent myringoplasty and atticotomy. Twenty-five of the latter 35 patients showed less than 10 dB of hearing improvement with a patch test before operation. The ossicular chain was not disconnected in any of the 25 patients, but the mobility was severely restricted. It was interesting that fixation of the malleus was found at surgery in 80% (20/25) of the patients, whereas the stapes was immobilized in only 16% (4/25). Myringoplasty and atticotomy instead of tympanoplasty with a columella was sufficient to achieve hearing improvement in most of such cases. However, conventional atticotomy was not able to achieve improvement in the mobility of the ossicles because the mobility is usually severely restricted at the malleus. Removal of the anterior tympanic spine is the key to recovery of the mobility of the malleus, resulting in hearing improvement. Rate of success was obtained in 24 of 25 ears (96%).