Congenital bony fixation of the malleus.

Bony fixation of the malleus seems to be one of the most controversial clinical entities among various congenital disorders of the auditory ossicles. According to various theories, it could be caused by trauma, chronic infection of the ear, otosclerosis or even development failures in the tympanic cavity itself. Histological analysis of 1,108 temporal bones showing a normal middle ear structure was performed.

Morphological changes of stria vascularis in congenital hearing impairment due to membranous labyrinth underdevelopment.

Congenital malformations of the inner ear may involve either the bone and membranous labyrinth or the membranous labyrinth alone. The same labyrinth structures can be affected with an acquired disease, toxaemia or viral labyrinthitis, for instance, with the same or very similar histologic findings. So far, there have been no studies examining the possible morphological changes of stria vascularis in different diseases with sensorineural anomalies.

Hearing levels in Pierre Robin syndrome.

Hearing was tested in 18 patients with Pierre Robin syndrome (PRS). These results were compared with those obtained for 243 patients with either cleft lip or cleft palate, or both. None of the PRS group patients had middle ear or inner ear malformations, or sensorineural hearing loss in speech frequencies.

[The cochlear implant in patients with sensorineural hearing defects].

Cochlear implants are at the present time the only possibility for rehabilitation of totally deaf people. In this article the pathophysiology of sensoneural hearing impairments, the way of functioning of cochlear implants and indication for their use are presented. The results as well as the differences in rehabilitation effect in prelingual and postlingual deaf are pointed out.

Histological changes of incus with cholesteatoma in the attic.

In 160 cases of chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma in the epitympanum and intact ossicular chain, histological analysis of the incus was performed. The ossicles were cut in serial sections and every five cuts analysed. The findings were normal in 10.