A recent publication by researchers from UCSF Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) assessed the feasibility of endoscopic transcanal treatment for inflammatory external auditory canal (EAC) stenosis as an alternative to postauricular canalplasty.
Findings by the research team, led by senior author Aaron Tward, MD, PhD, are shared in the article "Endoscopic Medial Reepithelization for Inflammatory Canal Stenosis." The article was published in Otology & Neurotology. Sonia Scaria, an MD/PhD student in the Tward Lab, was the first author on the paper.
The authors conducted a retrospective case review of four patients who had bilateral conductive hearing loss and inflammatory canal stenosis. Those patients underwent endoscopic removal of obstructive tissue and reepithelization with split-thickness skin grafting.
"Endoscopic treatment of inflammatory EAC stenosis obviates the need for postauricular incision and results in clinical improvement with a favorable recurrence rate," concluded the authors.
All of the patients reported significant improvement in hearing in both ears and no recurrence has been observed.
Read more about research and news at UCSF OHNS.
