Abstract
The stapedial footplate including its joint with the oval window in 43 ears (29 cases) was studied histopathologically after being embedded in celloidine and cut into serial sections of 20 to 30 micron thick.
The thickness of the cartilage around the footplate was found to reduce with the increase in age without totally disappearing in any advanced age group.
The stapedial footplate was found to be supported by the annular ligament, which is more like an extension of the periosteum rather than a joint.
Such anatomical features simulate the ones between the vomer and the septal cartilage in the nose.
No footplate with otosclerotic changes was found in the present series.
