Objective 

Evaluate the safety and efficacy of exoscope-assisted stapedotomy.

Study Design 

Retrospective chart review.

Setting 

Tertiary care neurotology clinic.

Patients 

Adult patients with otosclerosis undergoing stapedotomy.

Intervention(s) 

Primary stapedotomy.

Main Outcome Measure(s) 

Evaluation of audiologic outcomes, including pure-tone average, bone-conduction thresholds, word recognition score, and air-bone gap. Complications, need for scutum removal, and length of surgery were also evaluated.

Results 

A total of 47 patients were identified, and 24 patients underwent surgery with the microscope and 22 with the exoscope. There were significant improvements in pure-tone average, mean bone-conduction thresholds, and air-bone gap for both groups. There was no difference in preoperative or postoperative audiologic status for either group. There was no difference in rates of dysgeusia, chorda tympani nerve damage, dizziness, or facial paresis in either group.

Conclusions 

This study indicates similar audiologic outcomes, complication profiles, and visualization when comparing exoscopic and microscopic stapedotomy. Demonstrated here, exoscopic stapedotomy can be safely performed in a transcanal manner.