Tympano-ossicular allografts: morphology and physiology.

The purpose of our work was to analyze the morphology and the physiology of the tympano-ossicular allografts used for reconstruction of the middle ear. The first section of the article concerns the removal and preservation of the allografts. We then describe the results of the morphologic observations concerning the tympanic membrane, the fibrocartilaginous ring, meatal skin, and ossicular chain. The demonstration of some characteristics of the physiology of the allograft supports the results of this study.