[Endoscopic ear surgery in Germany : Survey on the current situation and an international comparison]

Endoscopic ear surgery (EES) has become firmly established internationally. In Germany this technology is controversially discussed and used very differently. Therefore, a survey was carried out on the availability, indications, contraindications, and future significance of EES.

A questionnaire with 20 questions was sent to 141 German university and central departments of otorhinolaryngology, head and neck surgery. The results are discussed on the basis of current literature retrieved in a search of PubMed and Google Scholar.

The response rate was 32% (45 clinics). Of these respondents, 27 clinics (60%) stated that EES was usually carried out as an accompanying measure. Only one clinic performed ear surgery endoscopically alone. In cases of intraoperative bleeding, mastoid drilling, or if bimanual work was required, the surgeons switched to microscopic ear surgery (MES). The most common indications for EES were tympanoscopy, cholesteatoma, retraction pockets, and interventions on the tympanic membrane and external auditory canal. The necessary resources for EES were estimated to be higher than for MES in 49-50% of the responding clinics. Tragus cartilage dominated as the graft material for reconstruction in EES clinics, at 78%. Only 4 of 45 responding clinics rated the future significance of ESS in Germany as high.

Although EES is used in Germany, only few ENT clinics use it extensively. Reservations relate to one-handed working, drilling, management of bleeding, and the expected high resource demand. Thus, EES in Germany is often performed as an accompanying procedure, with switching between EES and MES.