A new optical system in tympanic membrane and middle ear endoscopy.

In cooperation with the firm of Richard Wolf, a new ear telescope has been developed which facilitates the diagnosis and documentation of tympanic membrane lesions. This 6.8 mm telescope of the Lumina type is prevented from misting up by a stream of air directed across the distal viewing window. This 6.8 mm Lumina telescope also formed the basis for a completely newly developed optical system for middle ear endoscopy. This combined optical system comprising a mother and baby scope has been undergoing trials for the past 18 months. The baby scope can be passed through the mother scope, thus permitting inspection of the tympanic cavity, under direct vision and unaffected by involuntary movements of the patients. The particular configuration of this system makes it easy for the endoscopist to apply his eye first to one and then to the other telescope. The 6.8 mm mother scope and the 2.7 mm baby scope can both be connected to a camera which provides high-quality pictures the dimension of which are only a little smaller than those of a slide.