Abstract
An earpick can be a cause not only for a perforation of the tympanic membrane but also for injuries of the ossicular chain, in a rare case, involving the inner ear.
The authors report two cases of ossicular injuries caused by an earpick ; in one case the stapes was fractured and in the other disruption of the incudostapedial joint and dislocation of the stapes footplate incurred associated with vestibular symptoms. The disrupted chain was reconstructed by interpositioning a Y-shaped homogeneous cartilage (septal cartilage) between the long process of the incus and the footplate resulting in an improvement of hearing in both cases. The authors reviewed 19 such cases appearing, during the past 10 years, in Japanese literature.
