The Er:YAG laser in ear surgery: first clinical results.
OBJECTIVE
The goal of this study was to gain experiences about the possibilities and limits of the Er:YAG laser for ear operations.


METHODS
Eighty-three ear operations were performed with the aid of an Er:YAG laser: 32 stapedotomies, 15 tympanoplasties type III, 10 tympanoplasties type I, 18 ear operations in cholesteatoma, and 8 removals of hyperostosis in the outer ear canal.


RESULTS
The Er:YAG laser facilitated stapedotomies and removal of hyperostosis from the outer ear canal. In cases of beginning cholesteatoma, the Er:YAG laser allowed matrix removal of the ear ossicles left in situ. Furthermore, in tympanoplasty it was possible to achieve an osteosynthesis of the auditory ossicles, which was done for the first time during this study. No hearing loss attributable to laser dose was found during postoperative hearing tests.


CONCLUSIONS
The Er:YAG laser seems to become a useful tool in middle ear surgery.
Nagel
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Kuranstalten und Forschungsinstitute Bad Lippspringe GmbH, Germany.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D018424:Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear / Q000601:surgery*; D004424:Ear Canal / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D015576:Hyperostosis / Q000601:surgery*; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013201:Stapes Surgery / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014433:Tympanoplasty / Q000379:methods*