Local Anesthesia for Middle Ear Surgery

The adequacy of anesthesia and comfort during surgery was assessed for 100 consecutive patients undergoing middle ear surgery using local anesthesia, both by the patients themselves and by the surgeon. The possibility of inducing an iatrogenic facial weakness was also evaluated. Both the surgeon and the majority of patients were pleased with the quality of anesthesia and little adverse effects occured as a consequence of local anesthesia itself.