[Functional surgery of major aplasia of the ear. Apropos of 109 patients].

Based on data from 109 patients operated upon for 125 major aplasias of ear, clinical and operative aspects and results of surgery are analysed. Functional prognosis is related essentially to the nature of the stapes, normal in 66% of cases, and the quality of healing of the newly formed canal. One auditive result out of four in cases of unilateral aplasia and one out of two in bilateral cases constituted the proportion of patients obtaining socially valuable postoperative auditive gain. Functional surgery for aplasia of ear should therefore be reserved mainly for bilateral forms because of the lack of any alternative to apparatus wearing.