Cholesteatoma is a destructive and expanding growth consisting of keratinizing squamous epithelium in the middle ear and/or mastoid process. Cholesteatomas are not cancerous as the name may suggest, but can cause significant problems because of their erosive and expansile properties. This can result in the destruction of the bones of the middle ear (ossicles), as well as growth through the base of the skull into the brain. They often become infected and can result in chronically draining ears. Treatment almost always consists of surgical removal.
In the anatomy of humans and various other tetrapods, the eardrum, also called the tympanic membrane or myringa, is a thin, cone-shaped membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear. Its function is to transmit sound from the air to the ossicles inside the middle ear, and thence to the oval window in the fluid-filled cochlea. The ear thereby converts and amplifies vibration in the air to vibration in cochlear fluid. The malleus bone bridges the gap between the eardrum and the other ossicles.
An endoscopy is a procedure used in medicine to look inside the body. The endoscopy procedure uses an endoscope to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike many other medical imaging techniques, endoscopes are inserted directly into the organ.
The Eustachian tube, also called the auditory tube or pharyngotympanic tube, is a tube that links the nasopharynx to the middle ear, of which it is also a part. In adult humans, the Eustachian tube is approximately 35 mm (1.4 in) long and 3 mm (0.12 in) in diameter. It is named after the sixteenth-century Italian anatomist Bartolomeo Eustachi.
Stapedectomy is a surgical procedure in which the stapes bone is removed from the middle ear and replaced with a prosthesis.
A myringotomy is a surgical procedure in which an incision is created in the eardrum to relieve pressure caused by excessive buildup of fluid, or to drain pus from the middle ear. A tympanostomy tube may be inserted through the eardrum to keep the middle ear aerated for a prolonged time and to prevent reaccumulation of fluid. Without the insertion of a tube, the incision usually heals spontaneously within two to three weeks. Depending on the type, the tube is either naturally extruded in 6 to 12 months or removed during a minor procedure.
A perforated eardrum is a prick in the eardrum. It can be caused by infection, trauma, overpressure, inappropriate ear clearing, and changes in middle ear pressure. An otoscope can be used to view the eardrum to diagnose a perforation. Perforations may heal naturally or require surgery.
Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is a procedure that is used to treat sinusitis and other conditions that affect the sinuses. Sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinuses that can cause symptoms such as congestion, headaches, and difficulty breathing through the nose.
A mastoidectomy is a procedure performed to remove the mastoid air cells, air bubbles in the skull, near the inner ears. This can be done as part of treatment for mastoiditis, chronic suppurative otitis media or cholesteatoma. In addition, it is sometimes performed as part of other procedures or for access to the middle ear. There are classically 5 different types of mastoidectomy:
Myringoplasty is the closure of the perforation of pars tensa of the tympanic membrane. When myringoplasty is combined with removal of scar tissue, it is called tympanoplasty. The operation is performed with the patient supine and face turned to one side. The graft material most commonly used for the surgery is temporalis fascia. The tragal cartilage and tragal perichondrium are also used as the graft by some surgeons.
Tympanic membrane retraction describes a condition in which a part of the eardrum lies deeper within the ear than its normal position.
An otic polyp is a benign proliferation of chronic inflammatory cells associated with granulation tissue, in response to a longstanding inflammatory process of the middle ear.
Endoscopic endonasal surgery is a minimally invasive technique used mainly in neurosurgery and otolaryngology. A neurosurgeon or an otolaryngologist, using an endoscope that is entered through the nose, fixes or removes brain defects or tumors in the anterior skull base. Normally an otolaryngologist performs the initial stage of surgery through the nasal cavity and sphenoid bone; a neurosurgeon performs the rest of the surgery involving drilling into any cavities containing a neural organ such as the pituitary gland. The use of endoscope was first introduced in Transsphenoidal Pituitary Surgery by R Jankowsky, J Auque, C Simon et al. in 1992 G.
Endoscopic laser cordectomy, also known as Kashima operation, is an endoscopic laser surgical procedure performed for treating the respiratory difficulty caused as a result of bilateral abductor vocal fold paralysis. Bilateral vocal fold paralysis is basically a result of abnormal nerve input to the laryngeal muscles, resulting in weak or total loss of movement of the laryngeal muscles. Most commonly associated nerve is the vagus nerve or in some cases its distal branch, the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Paralysis of the vocal fold may also result from mechanical breakdown of the cricoarytenoid joint. It was first described in by Kashima in 1989.
Frontal sinus trephination is a surgical procedure wherein a small opening is made in the floor of the frontal sinus to facilitate drainage of its contents. Drainage of the frontal sinus is done through the floor of frontal sinus above the inner canthus.
Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) is a disorder where pressure abnormalities in the middle ear result in symptoms.
Muaaz Tarabichi is a Syrian otolaryngologist, lecturer, researcher, and author. He is recognized around the world as the father of endoscopic ear surgery. He is the co-founder of Tarabichi Stammberger Ear and Sinus Institute. He was elected as the chairman of the International Advisory Board of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.
Heinz Stammberger (1946-2018) was a German-Austrian teacher, and researcher in the field of sinus surgery and otolaryngology. He was an Emeritus Professor and Head of the Department of General ORL, H&NS of the Medical University of Graz.
The balloon Eustachian tuboplasty (BET) is a minimally invasive procedure for the causal treatment of Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD), an often-chronic disorder in which the regulation of middle ear pressure and the removal of secretions are impaired. The dysfunction often causes significant discomfort in affected patients and can trigger additional pathologies.
David William Kennedy is an American academician, surgeon, and otolaryngologist. He is currently serving as an emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
