Manubrio-incudo-stapedioplasty for reconstruction of Austin-Kartush type B ossicular defects.

Objective: Manubrio-incudo-stapedioplasty functional outcomes were compared to those of other methods for reconstructing Austin-Kartush type B ossicular defects.

Methods: Forty-two patients underwent Austin-Kartush type B ossicular defect reconstruction using: manubrio-incudo-stapedioplasty (13 patients), an autologous incus (19 patients) or a titanium ossicular replacement prosthesis (10 patients). For manubrio-incudo-stapedioplasty reconstruction, the malleus head was removed, the manubrium was relocated posteriorly and the incus short process was placed on the mobile footplate. The manubrium was placed on the incus body groove and bone cement was applied to stabilise the manubrium-incus junction. Pre- and post-operative hearing thresholds were assessed.

Results: The air-bone gap decreased from 25.9 ± 6.0 dB to 12.3 ± 5.0 dB (p < 0.05) in the manubrio-incudo-stapedioplasty group. The hearing gain was 13.6 ± 5.2 dB for manubrio-incudo-stapedioplasty, 3.4 ± 14.2 dB with the autologous incus, and 3.3 ± 11.07 dB with the titanium ossicular replacement prosthesis. Hearing improvement was greater for manubrio-incudo-stapedioplasty compared to the other reconstruction methods (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Manubrio-incudo-stapedioplasty resulted in satisfactory hearing outcomes in patients with Austin-Kartush type B ossicular defects. This technique can be considered a stable, inexpensive and effective method to reconstruct Austin-Kartush type B ossicular defects.