This article is only available in the PDF format. Download the PDF to view the article, as well as its associated figures and tables.
At the annual meeting of the Triological Society in Waikoloa, Hawaii, Gordon B. Hughes, MD, Cleveland, Ohio, presented his perspective on several problems surrounding stapes surgery. The main problem was that fewer stapes operations are available for both resident training and maintaining the skills of practicing surgeons. The average US-trained resident performed only five to 10 procedures before graduating. This resulted in 10-dB closure in 62% to 78% of resident cases, based on six series in the literature. The author noted a similar experience as a practicing surgeon during the last 8 years, as he required 50 operations to achieve a 10-dB or better air-bone gap in 90% of patients, a level he felt to be satisfactory.
Just as fewer cases are available for resident training, the average practicing surgeon is also faced with fewer cases (10 annually for the author). Due to this low number of cases, he was