Dr. Hegarty is a board-certified, fellowship-trained ear surgeon.

Otosclerosis Surgery

Otosclerosis affects roughly 1% of the population by causing a hardening of the middle ear bones.  Typical symptoms include ear fullness, ear ringing and progressive hearing loss.  Surgery is performed entirely through the ear canal.  A hand held laser is used to perform a stapedotomy to replace part of the stapes (stirrup) bone.  This procedure bypasses the blockage of sound from the middle ear bones to the inner ear, greatly improving hearing and reducing tinnitus.

Cholesteatoma

A cholesteatoma is a piece of the normal eardrum that gets stuck underneath itself, causing many problems.  Patients who develop cholesteatoma will often have a history of problems with ear infections in the past or difficulty popping their ears.  Left untreated, cholesteatomas will cause pain, drainage, continued hearing loss, ear ringing, dizziness, facial paralysis and intracranial (brain) complications.  Surgery is usually necessary to restore ear health and hearing.

Ossiculoplasty (Middle ear reconstruction)

The three bones (malleus, incus and stapes) of the middle ear are critical to hearing and may often become eroded or dysfunctional from previous ear disease or surgeries.  Fortunately, these bones may be replaced with prostheses (usually made from titanium) to effectively reconstruct the hearing mechanism. 

Tympanoplasty (Ear drum perforation repair)

A hole (perforation) in the ear drum risks infection and causes a significant hearing loss.  A tympanoplasty uses a patient's own tissue to repair the tympanic membrane, which typically improves hearing to near normal levels.

Ear tube insertion can be performed comfortably in the office in adults and older children.  Under the surgical microscope, a small incision is made in the ear drum and a tiny silicone tube is placed to ventilate the middle ear.  This procedure typically improves hearing and reduces ear pressure.

Acoustic Neuromas are benign tumors of the inner ear, usually arising from the balance nerve.  Symptoms include ear ringing, hearing loss and unsteadiness.  Treatment options include:  observation with serial MRI's, stereotactic radiotherapy, and surgical removal.  The Cyberknife is currently being used at Penrose Hospital to treat appropriate tumors.