Surgical exposure of the internal auditory canal and is contents through the middle cranial fossa.

House, an otologist, pioneered exploration of the internal auditory canal and removal of acoustic neuromas through the microscope. His success stimulated neurosurgeons to pursue the application of the operating microscope in neurosurgical procedures.  See also House, "Historical review and problem of acoustic neuroma," Arch. Otolaryng., 80 (1964) 601.