Fig. 2

Surgical task setup. The dissection task is simulated by adhesive stickers (yellow), positioned near the cochleariform process and on the jugular bulb. The grasping exercises are simulated by two small plastic rings (violet) positioned in the round window niche and in the protympanic space. The position of the foreign bodies was chosen for equal visibility and accessibility for both techniques. st: stapedial tendon; cp: cochleariform process; tt:tensor tympani