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To the Editor.—I wish to add personal experience in using silicone rubber stents in the ear canal as described by Akin and Tobin in their article "Silicone Rubber Stent: An Improved Form of Ear Packing" (Archives 99:462-463, 1974).
I originally began using this exact procedure 4½ years ago on several patients and will advise that the silicone stent expands as it solidifies therefore creating some difficulty in removal in the postoperative patient. This is particularly true if it is inadvertently used in an ear that has had a modified or radical mastoidectomy or any surgical enlargement of the bony canal. Thus, the stent assumes a collar button configuration that prevents its easy removal and, in fact, may require a general anesthetic for subsequent removal from the canal. I caution all ear surgeons regarding this technique.