Vertigo Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vertigo, including details on causes, symptoms, treatment, dizziness.

Malleostapedotomy - the marburg experience.

Dalchow CV, Dünne AA, Sesterhenn A, Teymoortash A, Werner JA

Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.

Background: The surgical procedure for patients with otosclerosis routinely is incus stapedotomy. In case of otosclerosis with incus necrosis or a bony fixation of the malleus and incus, malleostapedotomy is performed. Patients and Methods: Between May 2002 and September 2003, malleostapedotomy was performed in 6 out of 34 patients with otosclerosis. In 2 primary cases, a middle ear dysplasia was found. The malleus was fixed in 2 further primary cases. Two revision surgeries were performed with incus necrosis present. A titanium piston was used, which was fixed at the malleus handle and introduced into an opening of the footplate. Results: The preoperative air-bone gap was reduced from 36 dB(A) to 13 dB(A) after surgery for an average checkup time of 3 months. The length of the prostheses varied from 6.3 to 7.5 mm. No patient showed a hearing loss or vertigo after surgery. Conclusion: Malleostapedotomy is the technique of choice in case of an additional pathology of the ossicular chain in patients with otosclerosis. Larger numbers of patients and long-term investigations need to compare the results of malleostapedotomy with those of a conventional incus stapedotomy.

Published 24 January 2007 in Adv Otorhinolaryngol, 65: 215-21.
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