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The micro-electronic revolution of the last decade has brought the computer and its software into our society as a common tool. Also in medicine, the computer is far integrated, not only in information and communication systems, but also in diagnostic and therapeutic investigations. In our department, we apply the possibilities of the microprocessor by setting up a program of data base: data collecting, data proceeding and statistics. The aim of this program consists of gathering and preserving data, so that this information can be used at any time and for all purposes, at any time and for all purposes, e.g. in studies, test or investigations about a special topic.

Faced with numerous and various combinations in the surgical use of tympanic and ossicular allografts, a tympano-ossicular formula based on an ossicular code has been conceived. The use of such a formula makes any discussion on the subject easier and morecomprehensive.

When hypotensive anaesthetic techniques are discussed in the literature, the authors nearly always mean arterial hypotension. However, arterial hypotension, even at low levels, as a complement to classic curarisation — artificial ventilation anaesthesia does not always result in a sufficient bloodless surgical field, as can be seen especially in microsurgery of the ear, septorhino-plasty or other types of head and neck surgery.

Since there are a great number of otosurgical procedures, including the so-called “closed techniques”, a postoperative control and follow-up by otoscopic examination only is insufficient. Radiology, polytomography, and the more recent highly performing computerized tomography with special bone review, are therefore very useful to control the postoperative status and to detect early or late complications.

Although an apparently limited subject, bone tissue in the middle ear, its structure and development, is a relatively vast one and there is no question of discussing it in detail here. On the other hand, many points still remain obscure and research workers find it sometimes difficult to understand each other clearly. We shall therefore dwell on a few points which deserve both emphasis and clarification.

The mucosal folds of the middle ear cleft are generally considered to play a major role in middle ear ventilation, the formation of effusions, cholesterol granulomata and cholesteatomata.1,2 together with thesse folds however, many of the other normal structures of the middle ear also have great influence on the development of the pathology. Besides the folds, the ossicles, the muscle tendons and the compartments of the middle ear, some of the ossicular ligaments also have great importance in this matter.