ENTtoday
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

A Closer Look at Endoscopic Ear Surgery

by Thomas R. Collins • May 11, 2020

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

Mary Ashmead, MD, uses an endoscope every day as a general otolaryngologist in north Texas, but almost exclusively for sinus cases. When she heard about a course on endoscopic ear surgery (EES) being offered at nearby University of Texas Southwestern, she decided it was time to learn some new skills and put her experience to wider use.

You Might Also Like

  • Endoscopic Ear Surgery
  • Debating the Value of Using Endoscope During Ear Surgery
  • Endoscopic Approach Reduces the Need for ‘Second-Look’ Mastoid Surgery
  • Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Rates Increase Since 2000
Explore This Issue
May 2020

Over two days, she learned about endoscopic tympanoplasty, endoscopic ear surgery in children, endoscopic procedures for cholesteatoma, and many other EES procedures. She said it was well worth the time: She’s now performing procedures using EES that she might have previously performed with a microscope or referred to someone else.

“I feel very confident with use of endoscopes—more so than the microscope—and wanted to be able to use those skills in a different way,” she said. “While I’m not going to do something out of my scope of practice, it gives me new tools to use within my current scope of practice.”

Dr. Ashmead has performed several endoscopic ear procedures, mostly tympanoplasties and debridements, and a simple cholesteatoma case was on the schedule at the time of the interview. “Patients in general are very accepting of less invasive procedures,” she said. “I’ve had patients who would have needed a retroauricular approach to their perforation using a microscope who did not want surgery. But when they found that endoscopic tympanoplasty was an option, they were much more amenable to proceeding.”

Dr. Ashmead is part of a movement toward increased use of the endoscope for performing ear surgeries that have traditionally been performed using microscopes. With an endoscope, surgeons have wider visualization of the surgical area, are able to see around anatomical corners, and can perform procedures through the ear canal without having to create an incision behind the ear—making it an attractive option for patients.

One drawback is that EES is a one-handed surgery; the other hand has to hold the scope. Another hurdle is that suctioning away blood is more difficult, and even experienced endoscopic ear surgeons say they shy away from cases with excessive inflammation because of the potential for a lot of bleeding.

Still, interest in EES continues to grow. A 2019 paper—one of the most recent attempts to quantify interest in EES out of the United Arab Emirates—found that there were 57 articles published on the use of the endoscope in ear surgery between 2001 and 2010, rising to 351 between 2011 and 2018. From 2001 to 2010, 20 of the publications were on the diagnostic use of the endoscope related to ear surgery, and 27 were on endoscopic ear surgery specifically. That has changed: Of the 351 papers published from 2011 to 2018, 283 were on endoscopic ear surgery, and just 44 were on use of the endoscope for diagnostic purposes. The other few were on endoscope-assisted ear surgery (Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol. 2019;4:365-373).

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 | Single Page

Filed Under: Features Tagged With: clinical best practices, endoscopic ear surgeryIssue: May 2020

You Might Also Like:

  • Endoscopic Ear Surgery
  • Debating the Value of Using Endoscope During Ear Surgery
  • Endoscopic Approach Reduces the Need for ‘Second-Look’ Mastoid Surgery
  • Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Rates Increase Since 2000

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Experts Delve into Treatment Options for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Weaning Patients Off of PPIs
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Potential New Option for Chronic Tube Dysfunction and Patulous Disease
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Podcasts Becoming More Popular Method of Education for Otolaryngologists
    • How to Embrace Optimism in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic
    • Tips on How to Approach Conversations with Patients about the COVID-19 Vaccine
    • Steps You Should Take to Protect Your Voice and Hearing During Telemedicine Sessions
    • Routine Postoperative Adjunct Treatments Unnecessary for Idiopathic Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks

Polls

Have you spoken with your patients about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2021 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.