[The solitary ear].

An unique ear refers to those cases of individuals with an air and/or bone conduction allowing a serviceable hearing in one ear, being the other one totally lost, owing to any disease. So it is relatively frequent patients presenting only one ear normal, being the other one deaf. The puzzle rises when the sole running good ear must be operated, for whichever pathology. It may be that these various circumstances were: double cholesteatoma, cholesteatoma with extreme loss of hearing, otosclerosis with total deafness and even patients with chronic middle ear otitis and progressive impairment of bilateral hearing. Before to take the final decision on behalf of surgery we must consider: the ear condition, the age and physical state, the job and the social activity and finally the desire and resolution of the patient himself as well. The paper explain our experience in dealing with 10 solitary ears seen in the last 6 years.