Hereditary isolated ossicular anomalies in two generations of patients.

We present herein a report of an isolated form of ossicular anomaly that affected two generations of patients. Two female patients, a mother and daughter, were admitted with complaints of conductive hearing loss, with no other anomalies and no history of ear infection. Surgical exploration revealed identical ossicular anomalies: the complete absence of the long process of the incus and fixation of the stapes. This anomaly can be considered to have been inherited in an autosomal-dominant or X-linked-dominant manner. To date, two reports have described isolated forms of congenital ossicular anomalies. Our findings suggest that isolated congenital anomalies can be inherited.