The authors present their initial experience of a new sterile medical grade cyanoacrylate adhesive (Indermil) in otolaryngeal and head and neck surgery.

Thirty-three patients who underwent a variety of head and neck operations consented to have their skin incisions closed using the adhesive and 10 of those also underwent repair of the tympanic membrane, either as part of tympanoplasty or mastoid surgery. The history of the use of this class of adhesive is presented with an explanation of the chemical properties of these compounds. Advantages of using cyanoacrylate adhesives and future possible applications in otolaryngology and head and neck surgery are discussed.

The ability of superglue preparations (cyanoacrylate) to bond instantly to skin as well as inanimate objects presents a special problem when instilled into the external ear canal. We present two cases of patients who had it successfully removed under the microscope with the help of acetone BP to debond it from the skin, without any damage to the meatus or the tympanic membrane. The third patient had the superglue removed without the help of acetone but sustained damage to the tympanic membrane. A literature review of similar cases is included.