Ear Surgery Information

Ear surgery may be performed for a medical condition or it may involve plastic surgery to improve your appearance. Surgical procedures are done to improve or restore hearing, repair an injury or as a preventive measure.

Otologic Surgery

• Otologic surgery is micro-surgery which involves the use of a microscope during the operation in order to see the ear structure. The microscope allows the surgeon to complete delicate procedures. An example of otologic surgery is a stapedectomy, where part of the stapes bone in the middle ear is removed and replaced with a prosthesis (an artificial bone) to improve hearing. Many ear surgeries are performed microscopically.

Laser Surgery

• Laser surgery is performed using a carbon dioxide, KTP or Argon laser. It allows the surgeon to perform an operation on the delicate ear structures without bleeding. Lasers can vaporize tissues and halt bleeding. Lasers are used in such procedures as a stapedectomy and to remove inflamed tissue from the ear.

Mastoidectomy

• Mastoidectomy is the procedure to remove cholesteatomas (tumors) from the ear canal. If the tumor is very small, the surgeon may be able to remove it through the ear canal. However, in many cases of cholesteatomas, the surgeon needs to make an incision behind the ear in order to see the tumor. In some instances the tumor may extend through the bony wall between the mastoid and middle ear. In these situations, it may be necessary to remove the wall, which is a more serious operation.

Tympanoplasty

• Perforations can occur in the eardrum as a result of infections or injury, causing some loss of hearing. In children perforations occur very commonly from ear infections. Adults and children may cause an injury to their ear by inserting a cotton swab or some other object too far into the ear canal. In both cases, these perforations typically will heal by themselves. However, calcium deposits may form within the ear drum which do not allow it to heal. In these cases a micro-surgical procedure called a tympanoplasty must be performed. Tympanoplasty is reconstruction of the tympanic membrane, which is the eardrum.

Cochlear Implants

• Cochlear implants are devices that are surgically implanted into your middle ear, with an external portion that processes the sounds and sends the signals through your auditory nerve to your brain for interpretation. There are several types of these implants that can restore hearing to those who have lost it from trauma or disease, and for individuals who were born deaf. The surgery in most cases involves staying just one night in the hospital following the procedure.

Myringotomy

• A myringotomy is a surgical procedure that is used when children have frequent ear infections. A tympanostomy tube (a tiny tube about the thickness of a thread) is inserted into the eardrum to allow fluid to drain from the middle ear, which reduces chronic infections, and to equalize pressure in the ear. Most tubes typically remain in the ear for six to 18 months, but may be required longer. As the eardrum heals, the tube should eventually fall out on its own. A tube that stays in place for two to three years or longer may need to be surgically removed.

Plastic Surgery

• Other ear surgeries include otoplasty, a corrective procedure for ears that stick out from the head, corrections of deformities and torn earlobes. Insurance companies typically do not cover any type of cosmetic surgery, but they may pay for corrections due to congenital defects or injuries.