Introduction
Mobilization of the ankylosed stapedial footplate in otosclerosis continues to be perhaps the most widely discussed problem in present-day otology. Although the precise techniques used by various otologists differ widely from each other and still are undergoing rapid changes, the general trend in which stapes surgery moves is clearly recognizable. The indirect mobilization has been largely replaced by direct mobilization of the footplate. Although the results achieved with these methods are very remarkable, they are still far from satisfactory. Anterior or posterior crurotomy with separation of the uninvolved part from the otosclerotic portion of the footplate is feasible in a limited number of cases only. In the majority of them, the mobilization is achieved by fracturing the otosclerotic bone which has grown through the annular ligament. More and more clinical evidence is accumulating to show that the theoretically expected callus formation within the otosclerotic bone is actually taking place