Does the scutum of the external auditory canal have a role in the stapedotomy operation? A radio-clinical evaluation.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of the scutum on oval window accessibility during stapedotomy surgery. Radio-clinical correlation was applied to determine the impact.

Methods: This was a prospective observational case-series study that included 127 candidates for stapedotomy surgery. The oval fossa was classified into two types according to the accessibility of the stapes footplate.

Results: Both study groups showed a statistically significant difference in pre-operative radiological length as the p value was less than 0.001. The Spearman correlation coefficient revealed that the intra-operative oval window fossa was only significantly related to the radiological scutum length because the p value was less than 0.001.

Conclusion: Our results revealed that the pre-operative radiological length can predict the intra-operative oval fossa type with high sensitivity and specificity. Patients with a pre-operative scutum length of less than 2.35 mm were predicted to have an easily accessible oval window without requiring intra-operative scutum curettage.