[Middle ear ossicular replacement prostheses: cause of failure].

There are various prostheses used for ossiculoplasty in chronic middle ear disease. Plastipores are one of the most commonly used prostheses. We performed ossiculoplasty with plastipores in 237 ear operations in a five years period. The results of the operations were summarized and causes of prosthesis failure were discussed. In 55 (23.2%) patients, tympanic membrane perforation recurred. Cholesteatoma recurrence was encountered in 16 (6.8%) cases. The extrusion of prosthesis was observed in 10 (4.2%) cases. The underlying ear disease was cleaned in 156 (65.8%) patients. An air-bone gap to within 20 dB was achieved in 87 (55.8%) ou of 156 patients. In 69 (44.2%) the gap closure was more than 20 dB. The experience of the surgeon in otologic surgery, severity of the chronic ear disease, status of the eustachian tube, extention of the ossicular chain disruption, type of surgery and characteristics of the prosthesis are critical for ossiculoplasty.