Endoscopic middle ear surgery.

One hundred sixty-five middle ear procedures were performed with an endoscope, a camera, and a video monitor instead of the microscope. The endoscope offers the following advantages: 1) it visualizes the whole tympanic membrane and the ear canal without having to manipulate the patient's head or the microscope, 2) it extends the operative field in transcanal procedures into structures usually hidden from the microscope (anterior tympanic perforation, posterior retraction pocket, facial recess, and hypotympanum), and 3) it visualizes structures from multiple angles as opposed to the microscope's single axis along the ear canal. Disadvantages of the endoscope include the one-handed surgical technique, a loss of depth perception, limited magnification, and the need for training. The endoscope holds the greatest promise in tympanoplasty and cholesteatoma surgery and should increase the utilization of transcanal over postauricular procedures.