Canalotymapnoplasty: Nomenclature of the Surgical Procedure for Correcting Congenital Aural Atresia

In the article, the authors use the word "canaloplasty" to denote the surgical procedure of 1) removing the atretic plate, 2) liberating the ossicular chain, 3) reconstructing the tympanic membrane, and 4) skin grafting to make a new canal.11 have also recently published a pa per analyzing the hearing outcomes of this surgical procedure using the same term ("canaloplasty").2 However, after a careful review of the medical terminology used in various ear operations and reconstructive operations for other parts of the body, I have noticed that "canaloplasty" is not appropriate. [...]tympanomastoidectomy is the combination of tympanoplasty (reconstruction of the tympanic membrane and middle ear ossicular chain) and mastoidectomy (exenteration of the inflamed bony air cells of the mastoid cavity and attic).5 Canaloplasty may refer to the reconstruction of the external auditory canal, which is composed of the cartilaginous canal (including soft tissue) and the bony canal. Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea 5ENT-Centre-Luebeck & University of Luebeck, Germany 6St Thomas' Hospital, UK 'University of Virginia School of Medicine, U.S.A "Prosper-Hospital, Ruhr University, Recklinghausen, Germany 'LaTimone Children's Hospital, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France