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 scutum on oval window (OW) accessibility during stapedotomy operation. Radio-clinical correlation was done to illustrate this purpose. Methods: It was a prospective observational case-series study. We included 127 candidates for stapedotomy operation. According to the accessibility of the stapes footplate, we classified the oval fossa into two types. Results: Both groups showed a statistically significant difference in preoperative radiological length as the P-value < 0.001. The Spearman correlation coefficient revealed that the intraoperative oval window fossa related significantly only to the radiological scutum length, as the P-value was <0.001. Conclusions: Our results revealed that preoperative radiological length can predict the intraoperative oval fossa type with high sensitivity and specificity. Patients with a preoperative scutum length of less than 2.35 mm were predicted to have an easily accessible oval window without requiring intraoperative scutum curettage.