Hereditary isolated ossicular anomalies in two generations of patients

We present herein a report of an isolated form of ossicular anomaly that affected two generations of patients. Two female patients, a mother and daughter, were admitted with complaints of conductive hearing loss, with no other anomalies and no history of ear infection. Surgical exploration revealed identical ossicular anomalies: the complete absence of the long process of the incus and fixation of the stapes. This anomaly can be considered to have been inherited in an autosomal-dominant or X-linked-dominant manner. To date, two reports have described isolated forms of congenital ossicular anomalies. Our findings suggest that isolated congenital anomalies can be inherited. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.