A micro-innovative method for the treatment of superior hemimelia

  Thanks to the use of CT in otology, Minor reported in 1998 the superior semicircular canal fissure syndrome with sound and pressure-induced vertigo as the main symptom, and achieved a therapeutic result with superior semicircular canal filling through a cranial middle fossa approach . After 15 years of development, the diagnosis of the disease has matured, and high-resolution CT of the temporal bone remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of superior semicircular canal fissure. In 2007, Crovetto et al. reported a good result of superior hallux valgus reconstruction through the mastoid process.  In 2013, Nikkar-Esfahani et al. reported a microinvasive surgical treatment of superior canal cleft by round window closure with good results. This was done by entering the tympanic chamber via the external auditory canal pathway, identifying the round window niche and removing the mucosa from its surface, identifying the round window membrane and performing triple closure with bone wax, muscle and fascia, respectively.  In 2014, Silverstein et al. reported the results of a multicenter study of round window reinforcement surgery for upper semicircular canal cleft, further affirming the therapeutic efficacy of this microinvasive surgical procedure, in which Kartush at Michigan Ear Institute obtained excellent results by reinforcing the round window while placing the fascia around the bottom version of the stapes, and concluded that this is a safer and more effective method .  We first treated patients with traumatic superior hallux cleft in China in 2014 with a modified round window and oval window reinforcement (Figure 1) and obtained excellent results . The procedure can be done under local anesthesia, which significantly reduces the risk of the procedure because it does not enter the inner ear and does not cause any harassment to the inner ear.  Figure 1. Key surgical steps in the treatment of traumatic superior hemimelia with a modified round and oval window reinforcement. Because the patient had an accompanying auditory chain defect, an auditory chain reconstruction was performed simultaneously.