THE CAT is a valuable animal for most otological research procedures, but in order to examine and operate on the tympanic membrane or middle ear, a minor surgical procedure is necessary. The auriculectomy described by Paparella and Hohmann1 is a widely used method of exposing the tympanic membrane; it involves the complete removal of the pinna or auricle followed by a shortening of the external canal cartilage which is then sutured to the skin. This procedure involves the removal of considerable normal tissue which increases the severity of postoperative trauma and also increases the chances of canal stenosis. Zepp2 has described a corrective procedure for dogs with chronic otitis media which entails a cutdown of the vertical portion of the ear canal and leaves exposed the entrance to the horizontal portion, facilitating drainage.
In the past six months our laboratory has attempted 15 bilateral procedures (30 ears). In