Endoscopic Ear Surgery
The future is already here: A revolution in ear surgery
No incisions, no drilling of the bone, with faster recovery and better outcomes. Endoscopic ear surgery brings a breakthrough in the treatment of ear diseases that patients have been waiting decades for.
This innovative surgical method has taken a leading role in otologic surgery worldwide over the past decade. Thanks to continuous advancements in medical technology, most pathological conditions of the outer and middle ear can now be successfully treated using this minimally invasive approach, providing patients with a significantly more comfortable experience and a quicker return to daily activities.
Why endoscopic ear surgery?
The structures of the middle ear are extremely small and delicate. The three auditory ossicles within the middle ear (malleus, incus, and stapes) are the smallest bones in the human body. Traditionally, ear surgeries were performed under a microscope due to the need for precise magnification.
However, microscopic ear surgery has its limitations. When operating through the ear canal, the surgeon is restricted by its narrow width because the light is brought into the surgical field “externally” through a funnel. For this reason, it was often necessary to make external incisions behind the ear and drill the mastoid (part of the temporal bone) to adequately visualize all anatomical structures and safely remove pathology.
The endoscopic approach represents a significant advancement, where the surgeon uses a thin camera to enter the ear directly through the natural pathway (ear canal), thereby:
- avoiding unnecessary destruction of healthy tissue
- obtaining a better and clearer view of the eardrum and other middle ear structures
- providing high magnification and excellent resolution
- enabling more precise and safer surgeries.
Advantages of endoscopic ear surgery:
- Natural approach – using the ear canal as a natural path to the middle ear
- Minimally invasive – less trauma for the patient and faster recovery
- Superior visualization – wide surgical field with high resolution and magnification
- Better accessibility – easy access to areas considered difficult to reach in traditional microscopic ear surgery
- Tissue preservation – when appropriate, unnecessary mastoidectomy can be avoided in cholesteatoma surgery
- Educational benefit – easier and more discreet knowledge transfer since everyone can view the same surgical image on a large screen
- Excellent outcomes – clinical results equal to or better than traditional microscopic surgery
Scope of Procedures
The endoscopic approach now enables the performance of virtually all surgical procedures on the outer and middle ear:
- insertion of ventilation tubes into the eardrum
- eardrum reconstruction (tympanoplasty)
- treatment of chronic ear infections
- cholesteatoma surgery
- otosclerosis surgery
- removal of exostoses
Expert in endoscopic ear surgery
Endoscopic ear surgeries in our institution are performed by Mislav Malić, M.D., Ph.D., a pioneer of endoscopic ear surgery in Croatia with many years of experience in these sophisticated procedures. Dr. Malić is the organizer of international courses on endoscopic ear surgery and a respected invited speaker at numerous professional conferences both domestically and internationally, with over 1.000 endoscopic surgeries performed.
