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Canine
Lateral Ear Resection
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THE PET HEALTH LIBRARY
Lateral Ear
Resection
Zepp and Lacroix Procedures
The occasional ear infection is a nuisance but at least it can be expected
to resolve in 2 to 4 weeks leaving the patient to resume a normal life.
Chronic ear infection can be recurring or on-going. It can lead to dizzying
middle ear infections, unending headaches and pain, as well as permeating
foul odor. There comes a point when simply managing the infection with cleaning
solutions and oral medications is simply not enough and surgery must be
considered. There are two techniques commonly used to benefit the patient
with chronic otitis: the lateral ear resection and the total ear canal ablation. The lateral
ear resection is the more conservative approach meant for ears not yet at
their end-stage, where it is thought that more efficient cleaning and better
canal ventilation will help.
How The Surgery
Works
As you probably know by now, the ear canal of the dog and cat consists
of both a vertical portion and a horizontal portion, making a “J” shaped
ear canal (darker line in above diagram). This configuration is very different
from the human “horizontal only” canal which goes straight into the head.
Because of the vertical portion that dogs and cats have, it is thought that
infectious debris and wax has a harder time draining and this is an important
factor in why dogs and cats have so many ear infections relative to their
human family members.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get rid of the vertical ear canal? Well,
it turns out that we can.
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normal ear
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The dotted line indicates first set of
incisions, through the skin and cutting the round ear canal in half lengthwise.
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The dissected ear canal is pulled down
and the flap is sewn to the skin. The circle indicates the new opening of
the ear canal.
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The lateral ear resection cuts the vertical canal in half lengthwise
down to where the canal turns horizontal. In the Zepp procedure, one
version of the lateral ear resection, skin is removed from the area on
the outside of, or lateral to, the ear so that the dissected half of the
ear canal can be folded down to form a drain board. In the LaCroix procedure,
the outer (lateral) part of the vertical canal is simply removed and the
new ear opening is formed from the tissue in the area The result either
way creates an ear opening that is more like the human ear opening: straight
in. The ear can be more easily cleaned and since ventilation is now better,
the canal is less suited to incubate bacteria. This procedure is relatively
simple and referral to a specialist is generally unnecessary.
Aftercare
Post-operative care after lateral ear resection includes the use of
an Elizabethan collar to protect the delicate incisions from scratching.
This is worn for 10 to 14 days at which time any external sutures can be
removed.
The ear will still require treatment of its infection so topical and
oral medication will continue to be used.
The Caveats
Before calling up your veterinarian’s office to schedule this procedure
right away, there are a few facts of which you should be aware..
The underlying cause of the ear infection is not addressed by this procedure.
If the pet has allergies, hormonal issues, or problems beyond ear conformation
as the predisposing factors to chronic ear infections, this surgery addresses
none of them and infections are still likely to recur. This surgery simply
makes cleaning the ear easier.
If the patient has developed proliferative ear growths down the canal
(a common occurrence making ear cleaning particularly difficult) and these
growths are present in the horizontal canal as well as the vertical canal,
then this surgery will not be successful. To check for narrowing all the
way down the canal, a radiograph taken under sedation should indicate how
narrow the horizontal canal is. If the horizontal canal is also narrow,
this surgery will not be successful.
One well known study reviewed 60 dogs receiving lateral ear resections.
The procedure was considered a failure in 86.5% of Cocker Spaniels in which
it was used. In other breeds, 63% were found to have acceptable results.
If your dog is a Cocker Spaniel, this is a breed for which the total ear
canal ablation (TECA) is likely more appropriate.
If there is any reason to think a middle ear infection is present (see vestibular disease) a lateral ear
resection will not provide adequate control of the situation.
Some surgery specialists strongly prefer that the lateral ear resection
be performed before they perform a total ear canal ablation in case the
more conservative procedure is successful. If you are leaning towards the
TECA surgery, check with the surgeon to be sure they are willing to do it
without a prior lateral ear resection in your pet’s situation.
One of the chief complications of the lateral ear resection is stricture
at the entrance of the re-shaped ear canal. In other words, the new ear
canal entrance may scar into a hole too narrow for proper ear treatment.
This complication requires a revision of the ear canal entrance and is generally
simple.
The other classical complication of lateral ear resection is called
dehiscence, which means that the stitches do not hold. This happens when
there is too much tension on the tissue or too much infection. If this
occurs, the tissue is left to heal in naturally which takes longer than
healing with stitches. The Elizabethan collar will be needed in this event
until healing is complete.
Copyright 2004 - 2007 by Wendy Brooks,
DVM. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
This work was originally published by Veterinary Information
Network, Inc. (VIN) and is republished with VIN's permission.
The above information is simply informational.
It's intent is not to replace the advice of a veterinarian nor to assist
you in making a diagnosis of your pet. Please consult with your own veterinarian
for confirmation of any diagnosis. Your pets life may depend on it.
