Piezosurgery in otologic surgery: four years of experience.
OBJECTIVE
Piezosurgery (Mectron Medical Technology, Genoa, Italy) is a new ultrasound instrument (24.7-29.5 kHz) that is able to cut the bone without necrosis and nonmineralized tissues damage. The aim of this work has been to report our experience with the piezoelectric device in otologic surgery.


METHODS
We have used the piezoelectric device in 50 patients affected by otosclerosis, 50 by chronic otitis media, 20 by posttraumatic facial nerve palsy, 10 by type A glomus tympanicum tumor, and in three patients with a B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.


METHODS
Patients underwent platinotomy, mastoidectomy, antroatticotomy, posterior tympanotomy, facial nerve decompression, and excision of middle ear tumors. Before and 6 months after surgery, all the patients underwent the following instrumental examinations: pure-tone audiometry, tympanometry, transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions, distortion product otoacoustic emissions, auditory brainstem response, and electronystamographic recording.


RESULTS
In each surgical technique, the piezoelectric device provided excellent control without side effects on the adjacent structures of the middle and inner ear.


CONCLUSIONS
The piezoelectric device is a new and revolutionary bony scalpel using the microvibrations at ultrasonic frequency so that soft tissue will not be damaged even on accidental contact with the cutting tip; this renders the piezoelectric device ideal for otologic bone surgery.
Salami
Angelo
A
ENT Department, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
Dellepiane
Massimo
M
Proto
Ernesto
E
Mora
Renzo
R
D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D004428:Ear Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008416:Mastoid / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000601:surgery*; D013506:Otologic Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010040:Otosclerosis / Q000601:surgery*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013201:Stapes Surgery / Q000295:instrumentation; D014465:Ultrasonics; D014732:Vibration