Myringotomy could be relieved by myringotomy, which equalized the pressure on each side of the tympanic membrane. Widespread inappropriate use of the procedure later led to it falling out of use. However, it was reintroduced by Hermann Schwartze in the 19th century. An inherent problem became recognized, namely the tendency of the tympanic membrane to heal spontaneously and rapidly, reversing the beneficial effects of the perforation. In order to prevent this, a tympanostomy tube, initially made of gold foil, was placed through the incision to prevent it from closing. Ádám Politzer, a Hungarian-born otologist practicing in Vienna, experimented with rubber in
Pfannenstiel incision Hermann Johannes Pfannenstiel (1862–1909), a German gynecologist who invented the technique, in 1900. In the United Kingdom, the incision was popularised by Dr. Monroe Kerr, who first used it in 1911, so in English speaking countries it is sometimes called the Kerr incision or the Pfannenstiel–Kerr incision. Kerr published the results in 1920, proposing that this method would cause less damage to the vascularized areas of uterus than the classical operation. He claimed that it was better than the longitudinal uterine incision in terms of chances for scar rupture and injury to vessels. Pfannenstiel incision A Pfannenstiel incision , Kerr