Late hearing results in 627 ears (574 patients) operated on radically for chronic otitis media are presented. Clinically, the ears were followed-up annually for 5–14 years. The results are correlated with the severity of histopathological changes in the tympanic cavity and in the mastoid air-cell system and also with the management of the tympanic mucosa and ossicular chain at operation.

The mean post-operative air-bone gap was significatly better in ears with mild histopathological changes than in ears with sever histopathological changes in the middle ear (17.0 db./33.1 db.; p<0.001) or mastoid (29.0 db./34.2 db.; p<0.01) at operation. The difference in hearing results in favour of the former group was more significant in ears in which the tympanic mucosa had been saved at operation (p<0.01/p<0.001) than in ears in which the mucosa had been removed (p<0.05).

This study investigated the effects of fibrin glue (‘Tissucol’, Immuno Pty. Ltd.) in the middle and inner ear. Small amounts of the adhesive were used in 36 operations performed on 18 rabbits. The light microscopic examination of these ears four, eight and 12 weeks after surgery showed that the adhesive was well tolerated and that it did not have any toxic effecton on the middle ear or membranous labyrinth. The fibrin tissue adhesive can therefore safely be used to facilitate reconstructive middle-ear surgery and, with the aid of fasic, also for the closure of labyrinthine fistulae; or to achieve a definite seal of the oval window niche after stapes surgery.

A case of intraductal carcinoma of the minor salivary gland is reported. It appears to represent the preinvasive phase of infiltrating salivary duct carcinoma. A five-year follow-up showed neither recurrence nor metastasis.