Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 14, 2026

The Microscopic Transcanal Approach in Stapes Surgery Revisited
Published on: February 16, 2022
Crural attachment to promontory case report: implications for stapes development
Kenneth R Whittemore1, Jenna M Dargie, Briana K Dornan
1Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Enhancement, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. Kenneth.whittemore@childrens.harvard.edu
Abstract:
Understanding of the embryologic origin of the stapes remains controversial. Theories diverge upon whether the entirety of the stapes arises from a single source versus the footplate and suprastructure arising from distinct sources. A 12-year-old boy with left-sided conductive hearing loss had computed tomography of the temporal bone, revealing an inferiorly displaced left stapes, and a nonspecific density in the left Prussak's space. Exploratory tympanotomy revealed the crura of the stapes to be attached to the promontory. The stapes footplate was located in the oval window and was mobile.
Related Concept Videos
The Auditory Ossicles
The aptly named stapes look very much like a stirrup. The three ossicles are unique to mammals, and each plays a role in...
Sutures of the Skull
Sutures are immobile joints between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the skull bones are not straight but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines tightly...
Types of Membrane Protrusions
The microvilli, an example of stable protrusions, are finger-like projections with a...

