Specialist otology · UK
Meatoplasty of the ear canal, done by a consultant otologist.
Widening or reconstruction of the external ear canal - for post-mastoidectomy cavities, surfer’s ear exostoses, scarred stenosis or congenital atresia. Microsurgical, monitored, and matched to the ear you actually have.
Why patients choose us
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A consultant otologist, in theatre
Meatoplasty is specialist otology - not general ENT. We introduce you to surgeons who do ear canal work every week, in a proper microsurgical theatre.
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The right scope for your ear
Simple meatoplasty, wide Fisch-type widening, exostosis drilling or full canaloplasty for atresia - matched to what the CT scan and audiogram actually show.
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Independent, and free
We are paid by no clinic, so the recommendation is impartial and costs you nothing.
Indicative pricing
What a private meatoplasty costs in the UK.
Indicative ranges across our partner clinics. Send the details and we quote firm figures across two or three options.
In short
A simple meatoplasty in our network: £3,500–£5,000, home the same day.
| Procedure | Indicative range | Typical duration | Stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple meatoplasty (day-case) | £3,500–£5,000 | 45–75 min | Home same day |
| Wide meatoplasty (Fisch-type) | £4,500–£6,000 | 1–2 h | 1 night in |
| Exostosis / osteoma drilling (surfer’s ear) | £4,000–£6,500 | 1.5–2.5 h | Day-case or 1 night |
| Meatoplasty with mastoidectomy revision | £6,500–£10,000 | 2–3 h | 1–2 nights in |
| Complete canaloplasty (congenital atresia) | £7,500–£12,000 | 2.5–3 h | 1–2 nights in |
| Consultation, CT temporal bone and audiogram | £600–£1,200 | Half-day | Reported in days |
Prices vary by clinic, by which otologist does the case, by scope (simple meatoplasty vs. combined with mastoidectomy or canaloplasty) and by imaging or audiology already available. We come back with a firm quote within one working day.
The problem
The right otologist, the right scope, the right ear.
Ear-canal surgery is genuinely specialist. General ENT lists can under-do a meatoplasty or over-scope an atresia. We match the surgeon to what the CT and audiogram actually show - before you commit.
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A mastoid cavity that will not settle?
A wider meatus is often what makes a CWD cavity liveable - see /treatments/mastoidectomy. We say so before you accept endless cleanings.
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Surfer’s ear closing your canal?
Exostosis drilling under a microscope, protecting the eardrum and facial nerve - done by an otologist, not a generalist.
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A child born with no ear canal?
Canaloplasty is a major undertaking. So is a BAHA. We help you weigh both honestly with paediatric ENT.
The journey
From enquiry to audiogram - what happens, in order.
One clinician from first message to the six-week audiogram - including packing removal and the return-to-water conversation.
Phase 1 · Before your procedure
Concierge, off-stage for you
Phase 2 · On the day
A few hours at the clinic
Phase 3 · After
Concierge, back on
- 01
Before
You tell us what is going on
A short, confidential form. Wax build-up, discharge, hearing loss, prior mastoid surgery, surfing history, or a child born with atresia.
- 02
Before
We come back with a recommendation
Within one working day: the right surgeon, whether a CT temporal bone and audiogram are needed first, and an indicative price.
- 03
Before
We arrange scans and appointment
Usually within one to three weeks. Any blood-thinning medication is reviewed with the team and you are told exactly how to prepare.
- 04
On the day
Arrival at the clinic
Arrival, consent and a chat with the otologist and anaesthetist. General anaesthetic is standard; day-case or overnight depending on scope.
- 05
On the day
The procedure itself
One to three hours of microscopic ear surgery via an endaural or postauricular approach. Packing is placed, a mastoid-style dressing is applied.
- 06
On the day
Home the same day or next morning
Simple meatoplasty is day-case. Wide meatoplasty or canaloplasty is usually one night in. You go home with written aftercare and drops.
- 07
After
Packing, drops and audiogram
Packing removed or dissolves over one to two weeks. Antibiotic drops for a fortnight. Audiogram at six to twelve weeks.
Typical end-to-end: 2–4 weeks from enquiry to procedure. Full healing and audiogram: 6–12 weeks.
When it helps
When a meatoplasty is the right step.
The situations we see most, plus the one red flag that means an emergency rather than an appointment.
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Post-mastoidectomy cavity problems
After canal wall down (CWD) mastoidectomy - see /treatments/mastoidectomy - a wider meatus helps the cavity ventilate, wax escape and clinic cleaning stay bearable.
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Exostoses or osteoma - surfer’s ear
Bony outgrowths in the canal from years of cold-water exposure, causing wax trapping, recurrent otitis externa or hearing loss.
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Acquired canal stenosis
Narrowing after repeated otitis externa, trauma, prior surgery, radiation or a treated cholesteatoma.
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Congenital atresia of the ear canal
A child born without a normal external canal - a major reconstructive canaloplasty, often paired with tympanoplasty, at specialist paediatric ENT.
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Chronic otitis externa needing aeration
A canal that will not stay dry because it is too narrow to ventilate - widening the meatus can break the cycle.
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Keratosis obturans
An impacted plug of keratin skin that scars the canal - a wider meatus makes regular cleaning possible.
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Hearing aid fitting problems
A canal too narrow or awkwardly shaped to accept a mould or in-canal aid - sometimes solved surgically, sometimes by BAHA instead.
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Red flag: facial weakness or vertigo
New facial weakness, severe vertigo or sudden hearing loss with ear discharge is not a clinic booking - same-day ENT assessment or A&E.
Procedure options
Meatoplasty is not one operation.
From a soft-tissue widening to a fully reconstructed canal - what each option actually involves, and which fits which ear.
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Simple meatoplasty
Endaural or postauricular skin and cartilage re-approximation to widen the meatus. A local flap - the least invasive option.
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Wide meatoplasty (Fisch)
Extensive widening through a postauricular incision, often done alongside a mastoidectomy or cavity revision.
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Exostosis drilling
High-speed diamond burr under the microscope removes bony outgrowths, protecting the eardrum, ossicles and facial nerve.
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Osteoma removal
A single, larger bony lesion drilled out with the same microscopic technique, usually less extensive than bilateral exostoses.
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Canaloplasty for atresia
A new canal drilled through bone in a child or young adult born without one, lined with a split-thickness skin graft. Very specialist.
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Canaloplasty with tympanoplasty
Combined ear-canal creation and eardrum reconstruction - usually staged over more than one operation.
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BAHA (bone-anchored) alternative
When a canal cannot safely be reconstructed, a bone-anchored hearing aid bypasses the canal entirely - a genuine option, not a defeat.
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Revision meatoplasty
For restenosis after a previous meatoplasty - done via the same approach as the original, or converted to a wider technique.
Our vetted UK network
A small panel of otologists, we picked them.
Consultant otologists across the UK - London, the South, the Midlands and the North. Not listed publicly - introductions are made privately, once we understand your case.
Selection criteria
How we choose every otologist in our network.
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Consultant otologists who do ear-canal microsurgery regularly, not general ENT
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Facial-nerve monitoring available for every case that needs it
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Access to CT temporal bone imaging and specialist audiology on the same site
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BAHA and hearing-rehabilitation options discussed honestly before major canaloplasty
Safety and recovery
What to expect afterwards - honestly.
Meatoplasty is well-tolerated when it is done by an otologist with facial-nerve monitoring. The things worth planning are packing, drops, and staying out of water and off planes for a few weeks.
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General anaesthetic is standard
Meatoplasty and canaloplasty are done asleep with an anaesthetist. Simple cases are day-case; wider or combined cases usually stay one night.
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Packing for one to two weeks
A soft ear pack keeps the new canal shape while it heals. Some packs dissolve, others are removed at the first clinic visit.
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Antibiotic drops afterwards
Topical drops for one to two weeks stop the healing canal getting infected. Keep the ear strictly dry.
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No swimming or diving for six to eight weeks
Water in a healing canal is the commonest cause of trouble. Showers with a plug are fine after a fortnight.
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No flying for four to six weeks
Pressure changes stress the healing canal and any packing. We time your return flight around this.
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Restenosis is the main long-term risk
Around one in ten meatoplasties narrows again over time. A wider technique or revision can fix it - planned, not feared.
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Facial nerve, eardrum and hearing
Facial-nerve injury, eardrum perforation and small hearing shifts are uncommon with modern monitoring, but they are the risks that matter most.
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Dizziness and tinnitus can be transient
Brief vertigo or new tinnitus for a few days after ear-canal drilling is not unusual. Persistent symptoms are reviewed.
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Red flags
Fever, spreading facial redness, new facial weakness or heavy bleeding after surgery are not normal - call the clinic or A&E the same day.
Reading your operation note
Your operation note in four parts. Read the last one first.
Whichever technique was used, the note the otologist sends you keeps to the same shape.
A quiet reminder
Surgical language is precise and can read coldly - we translate it for you.
If you would like us to talk you through the note before your review, just ask.
- 01 Header
Indication and side operated
Why the procedure was done - post-CWD cavity, exostoses, atresia, stenosis - and which ear was operated on.
- 02 Technique
Approach, drilling and grafts
Endaural or postauricular approach, how much bone was drilled, whether cartilage or skin grafts were used to line the new canal.
- 03 Findings
Eardrum, ossicles and facial nerve
Notes on the eardrum, the ossicular chain, the facial nerve monitor readings, and any incidental cholesteatoma or granulation tissue.
- 04 Impression
Packing plan, drops and audiogram date
Read this first: how long the pack stays, which drops to use, when to fly and swim again, and when the follow-up audiogram is booked.
Recognised by major UK insurers
Cover for meatoplasty and canaloplasty varies by insurer and by indication - usually funded when medically indicated (post-mastoidectomy, symptomatic exostoses, atresia), self-pay for aid-fitting reasons. We confirm cover before booking.
Frequently asked
Everything we get asked about meatoplasty.
Quick answers on cost, anaesthetic, recovery, water and flying, and where a BAHA fits in.
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What is a meatoplasty of the ear canal?
A meatoplasty widens or reconstructs the external ear canal (the meatus). It is done to help a mastoid cavity ventilate, to remove bony outgrowths like surfer’s ear exostoses, to open a scarred canal, or - as a major canaloplasty - to build a canal in a child born without one.
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Why is it done after a mastoidectomy?
After a canal wall down mastoidectomy, the mastoid and canal share one open cavity. A wider meatus lets that cavity ventilate, lets wax escape, and lets the ENT clinic clean it without discomfort. Most CWD patients need a proper meatoplasty at the same time.
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Is meatoplasty the same as surgery for surfer’s ear?
They overlap. Removing exostoses - the bony surfer’s-ear lumps - is a canalplasty of the bony canal, often combined with a soft-tissue meatoplasty at the outer end to keep the new width. Cold-water surfers and open-water swimmers are the usual patients.
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How much does a private meatoplasty cost in the UK?
Roughly £3,500–£5,000 for a simple day-case meatoplasty and £4,000–£6,500 for exostosis drilling. A wider Fisch-type meatoplasty is £4,500–£6,000, and a full canaloplasty for congenital atresia is £7,500–£12,000. We confirm a firm quote within one working day.
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Is it done under local or general anaesthetic?
Almost always general anaesthetic. Ear-canal drilling under a microscope is uncomfortable and requires stillness, and facial-nerve monitoring is easier under GA. Simple cases are day-case; wider ones are usually one night in.
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How long is recovery, and when can I swim or fly?
Back to office work in one to two weeks. No swimming, diving or head-under-water for six to eight weeks. No flying for four to six weeks. A follow-up audiogram is usually booked at six to twelve weeks.
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What are the risks of meatoplasty and canaloplasty?
The important ones are restenosis (the canal narrowing again in around 5–15%), eardrum perforation, small changes in hearing, transient dizziness or tinnitus, wound infection, cartilage exposure and - rarely, with modern monitoring - facial nerve injury. Every risk is discussed before you consent.
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Can a child born with atresia get a normal ear canal?
Sometimes. A complete canaloplasty in a specialist paediatric ENT centre can build a canal and eardrum in carefully selected children, often combined with tympanoplasty. Where the anatomy does not allow it, a bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) bypasses the canal and gives excellent hearing without a rebuild.
Related treatments
Looking for something else?
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Mastoidectomy
Surgery for chronic mastoid infection and cholesteatoma.
Learn more -
Ear reconstruction
Reconstructive options for the outer and middle ear.
Learn more -
Earwax removal
Safe microsuction and irrigation for impacted wax.
Learn more -
All tests & procedures
Every test and procedure we arrange.
Learn more