The use of allograft stapes.

Since 1981, we have used the stapes allograft, singly or in combination with homograft incus, in 20 cases of tympanoplasty and in 7 cases of fixed stapes. All of the allograft stapes discussed were procured, processed and stored in 1980 by the Hyogo Ear Bank, the first to be established in Japan. The stapes allograft was used in three situations: an intact posterior canal wall, an open mastoidectomy cavity, or a fixed stapes (postinflammatory, congenital or otosclerotic). Two modalities of positioning of the donor stapes were attempted: (1) the allograft stapes was placed in the normal position and a shaped incus or cortical bone or tragal cartilage was placed on the top of the stapedial head and connected and (2) the allograft stapes was placed in the upside-down position and the columella was placed on the stapes footplate. Better results were obtained with the allograft stapes placed in the normal position. A two-stage operation, first to place an allograft stapes in the normal position with myringoplasty and then ossiculoplasty, was preferable to one-stage middle ear surgery.