Efficacy of the mini‐meatoplasty

OBJECTIVES: The lateral meatoplasty is a well-described technique for widening the lateral external auditory meatus. After bony canalplasty, the external auditory meatus may need to be enlarged to accommodate an expanded tympanic ring. In this study, we introduce a novel meatoplasty technique for use during canalplasty and describe its efficacy in widening the external auditory meatus. METHODS: Patients undergoing at least 180-degree bony canalplasty and mini-meatoplasty at a tertiary care facility were enrolled. Meatus diameter was measured before and after mini-meatoplasty using Shea aural speculums and Hegar dilators. RESULTS: Nineteen patients were enrolled. Mean preoperative speculum size was 6.1 mm (range 3.5-7.5 mm). All postoperative speculum sizes were 8 mm (P < .0001). Mean preoperative and postoperative Hegar dilator sizes were 10.6 mm (range 7-14 mm) and 16.2 mm (range 13-19 mm), respectively (P < .0001). The mean increase in aural speculum and Hegar dilator sizes were 1.9 mm (range 0.5-3.5 mm) and 5.7 mm (range 3-10 mm), respectively (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: The mini-meatoplasty is a novel and effective technique for widening the external auditory meatus after bony canalplasty. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 130:1294-1298, 2020.