Ear surgery has been through important changes on the last 1-2 decades. The more widespread availability of hearing implants (although far from sufficient) is problably the best icon of this new era.
On the other hand, optic technology has put on surgeons endoscopes and cameras that provide unprecedented resolution and color capabilities. Once the ultimate viewing tool, now the microscope must share the operating room with video-surgery sets that have invaded almost all the surgical domains.
Otolaryngology had first experienced the use of endoscopes in nasal and sinus surgery back in the 80’s. This has created new generations of surgeons who begun their careers with an endoscope in hands, developing growing expertise and awareness on it’s powerful capabilities.
Adding the use of the endoscopes inside the ears was a natural evolution of both previous processes (surgeons and technology improvements).
It happens in almost all paradigmatic changes: now, we face a moment that it, at the same time, so exciting and controversial. Many of us are willing to push the boundaries of the endoscope use in the ear surgery to its limits, while others still don’t see advantages over the microscope.
This page is a selection of my personal Endoscopic Ear Surgery videos.
Retraction Pocket Cholesteatoma with dura defect and PORP placement
