(0950) Novel Use of Drug-Eluting Stent in Otologic Surgery

Introduction: Postoperative restenosis following canalplasty is common, with a reported range of 10%-25%, often necessitating revision surgeries. Some studies have described using prostheses or packing materials to prevent restenosis, though with limited success. Herein, we demonstrate the off-label use of PROPEL® stents in aural canalplasty, aiming to demonstrate their efficacy in enhancing surgical outcomes and preventing restenosis.

Methods: The four patients in our case series ranged in age from 5 to 67 years. Patients presented with varying degrees of stenosis in the external auditory canal (EAC) due to postoperative wound healing response or scarring caused by prolonged non-infectious chronic otitis externa. In three out of four cases, a PROPEL® stent was placed in-office; in one case, it was placed intraoperatively during a revision atresia repair. The stent remained in place for two weeks to 1 month.

Results: Two patients who had the stent placed in-office had complete reepithelization and resolution of their stenosis. The other two patients had a significantly reduced degree of stenosis after the stent was removed. All patients tolerated the stent well, and follow-up visits showed continued EAC patency in each case.

Conclusions: Use of the PROPEL® stent following canalplasty has yielded promising clinical results in this case series, preventing revision canalplasty for the patients discussed herein and consequently improving post-operative quality of life for patients. Future research is needed in order to determine the effectiveness of the stent in preventing restenosis after canalplasty within a larger cohort as well as the ideal timing and setting for stent placement. Nevertheless, this limited case series suggests a viable, novel approach to limit restenosis.