Fenestration of the horizontal semicircular canal in congenital conductive deafness

Fenestration of the horizontal semicircular canal enables the otologic surgeon to restore hearing in those patients with congenital conductive deafness who are not candidates for stapedectomy, ossicular reconstruction, or tympanoplasty. Since the development of stapedectomy, much of the finesse technique of fenestration surgery has been lost, and many otologic surgeons today are unfamiliar with the fenestration operation. The surgical technique for creating a permanently patent fenestra in the horizontal semicircular canal is described. The causes of failure in fenestration surgery are reviewed. Thirty-three patients who have undergone fenestration for congenital conductive deafness over a 30-year period, and 100 patients who underwent fenestration for otosclerosis in 1950, are reviewed to demonstrate patient selection and the efficacy of this operation in establishing long-term hearing improvement.