Canalplasty: review of 100 cases

Canalplasty is the surgical procedure whereby the external auditory meatus is widened. The indications include exostoses, stenosing external otitis an d widening for surgical access. One hundred consecutive ears operated on by one surgeon are reported. The surgical technique is described in detail, p aying particular attention to bone removal from the anterior canal wall. In this paper the majority of cases were occasioned by soft tissue rather tha n bony stenosis. The re-stenosis rate was four per cent and in each case th is was associated with the use of a middle temporal artery flap. Partial, t ransient, delayed facial palsy occurred in two per cent, probably relating to thermal injury transmitted from the burr. A full, spontaneous recovery o f facial function occurred in each case. This is a safe and effective techn ique for canal widening.