Ossicular chain reconstruction: endoscopic or microscopic?

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Surgical Innovation
• Audiology

Background:

• Ossicular chain reconstruction surgery aims to restore hearing by repairing or replacing damaged middle ear bones.
• Both microscopic and endoscopic techniques are utilized, each with potential advantages and disadvantages.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the surgical and audiological outcomes of endoscopic versus microscopic ossicular chain reconstruction surgery.
• To evaluate the efficacy and efficiency of the endoscopic approach in otologic procedures.

Main Methods:

• A comparative analysis of patients undergoing endoscopic (n=31) or microscopic (n=34) ossicular chain reconstruction.
• Evaluation of audiological parameters including air conduction, air-bone gap, and word recognition scores.
• Assessment of surgical parameters such as operation duration and post-operative follow-up.

Main Results:

• Both endoscopic and microscopic techniques demonstrated significant improvements in post-operative air conduction, air-bone gap, and word recognition scores.
• No significant differences were observed between the groups in audiological outcomes.
• Endoscopic surgery was associated with a significantly shorter operation duration compared to the microscopic approach.

Conclusions:

• Endoscopic ossicular chain reconstruction surgery achieves comparable audiological results to microscopic surgery.
• The endoscopic technique offers a potentially more time-efficient surgical option for ossicular chain reconstruction.