[Tympanoplasty of today (author's transl)].

The author explains why he developed the access to the meso-hypotympanum via the angle between the facial nerve and the chorda tympani in 1953 which he then demonstrated at many occasions. The value of this access--later used by other ear surgeons and named mastoidectomy with intact canal wall technique or posterior tympanotomy--for chronic otitis media was always denied by the author. These methods do not give sufficient way to the main focus of pathology in the epitympanum mainly to the pretympanic recess in front of the head of the malleus; The danger of deep penetrating cholesteatoma in the petrous bone is too great. Only complete opening combined with complete reconstruction serves really eradicating the pathology completely as well as full reconstruction of the middle ear and the external canal; this means osteoplastic epitympanotomy. With the help of this operation it is possible to continue in the same stage with complete mastoidectomy and complete sinus operation.