Myringostapediopexy: surgical expectation.

Myringostapediopexy may occur as a result of incus erosion with medialization of the tympanic membrane and is recognized as often producing serviceable hearing. The technique may be used as part of tympanoplasty following either canal wall up or canal wall down surgery for chronic otitis media. The use of this type of reconstruction is influenced by the anatomy of the ear after disease excision. This review of the hearing levels associated with myringostapediopexy shows that there is a similar range of hearing level both for naturally formed as well as surgically fashioned myringostapediopexy. For both 'naturally formed' and following canal wall up surgery about 80 per cent of patients will have an air-bone gap of 20 dB or less compared to 60 per cent of those who undergo canal wall down surgery.