Otosclerosis — Past and Present

Stapes surgery: implications for training

“…The modern era of surgery for otosclerosis began with the introduction by Shea (1958) of his technique for stapedectomy. It is recognized that, following the ascent of this form of surgery in the 1960s, there is now a general decline, at least in patient numbers, if not also in the quality of surgery being performed (Hammond, 1976;Beales, 1979;Bellucci, 1979).…”

The History of Otologic Surgery at Mayo Clinic, 1883 to Present

“…Following the seminal work of Adam Politzer and Joseph Toynbee describing the condition and underlying pathophysiology of otosclerosis, several innovative surgeons began performing procedures of the stapes footplate with the intent of hearing restorationdJohannes Kessel in Gras with stapes mobilization in 1878, and Blake and Jack with stapedectomy in 1892 and 1893, respectively. 22,23 However, at the turn of the century, several eminent leaders in the field of otology, including Politzer, Bacon, Siebenmann, and Denker, denounced stapes footplate surgery given the attendant risks of sensorineural hearing loss and meningitis. In 1924, Harold I. Lillie remarked, "It is quite evident that the treatment of the stapes fixation type deaf person is futile.…”

“…16 In place of stapes footplate surgery, pioneering ear surgeons, including George Jenkins in the United Kingdom, Gunnar Holmgren in Sweden, Maurice Sourdille in France, and Julius Lempert in New York, established and refined the technique of lateral semicircular canal fenestration for the treatment of otosclerosis. 22,23 In 1943, Dr Henry L. Williams attended a 5-week temporal bone course with Julius Lempert to acquire skill in single-stage lateral canal fenestration surgery and address this significant clinical need in Rochester. 17 Because of the implications of inner ear infection, it was not until the following year that Williams began performing this procedure.…”

“…The first stapes mobilization performed at Mayo Clinic was in 1955, 2 years after Samuel Rosen had revisited the stapes mobilization procedure of Kessel. 17,22 After this, the first vein plug "stapedoplasty" (stapedectomy) was performed in 1959, 3 procedure on a 54-year-old housewife on May 1, 1956. 17,23 Although the techniques of stapedectomy varied significantly across the country, initially a tantalum wire (0.005 in, 36 gauge) attached to a vein graft plug taken from the dorsal hand was preferred by otologists at Mayo Clinic.…”

Window on the Ear: Barbara Hepworth and the Fenestration Series of Drawings

“…In the United Kingdom, the fenestration operation was developed by Simson Hall, Terence Cawthorne, and John Angell-James 30,31 but one who showed particular interest in this early work was Garnett Passe. A fellow Melbourne otolaryngologist (Walter Williams) wrote of him, 'I rst met Garnett when I was a house surgeon at the Central London in 1932.…”