title: Tympanosclerosis: long-term hearing results after ossicular reconstruction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study goal was to analyze long-term hearing results and factors likely to affect outcome after ossicular reconstruction in patients with tympanosclerosis, particularly tympanosclerotic stapes fixation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective chart review of the past 10 years. The short- and long-term (up to 9(1/2) years) hearing results of first-stage and second-stage operations for middle ear tympanosclerosis in 203 consecutive patients, performed in a tertiary referral otologic private practice, are presented. There were 160 tympanoplasties and 43 tympanoplasties with mastoidectomy performed, with ossicular fixation secondary to tympanosclerosis in 135 cases. Of these 203, 42.9% were primary cases, with the majority being planned second-stage or revision procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average preoperative air-bone gap (ABG) was 30.9 dB. The average short-term postoperative ABG was 17.4 dB with closure of the ABG within 20 dB in 64.6%. The success rate (ABG < or = 20 dB) for patients with ossicular fixation was 65.3%. Partial sensorineural hearing loss occurred in 1.0% of the patients, and none experienced profound sensorineural hearing loss (dead ears). There was no statistically significant change from short-term to long-term follow-up in either ABG or air PTA, with mean differences of only 0.3 and 2.0 dB, respectively. The mean time to the last follow-up was 1.6 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ossicular reconstruction in individuals with tympanosclerosis can yield satisfactory, lasting hearing results with a low incidence of complications and no dead ears.
authors.affiliation: House Ear Institute and University of Southern California, School of Medicine, Los Angeles 90057, USA.
authors.forename: Karen Borne
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Teufert
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De La Cruz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001299:Audiometry; D002648:Child; D004429:Ear Ossicles / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012598:Sclerosis; D013201:Stapes Surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014432:Tympanic Membrane / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D014433:Tympanoplasty / Q000379:methods