The establishment of an ear bank.

Tympanic membrane and ossicle homografts have been successfully used in reconstructive ear surgery during the last 12 years. Ear banks have proven to be practical to insure a regular supply of high quality homografts for the otologic surgeon. The most important aspects in establishing an ear bank include the procurement of temporal bone cores, the establishment of homograft dissection technique, and attention to preservation and distribution procedures and the problems of maintenance.