Bone conduction in otosclerosis--operated versus non-operated ears.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether stapes surgery improves long-term bone conduction in patients with otosclerosis.


METHODS
Tertiary university hospital.


METHODS
Thirty patients (52 ears) who underwent stapedectomy between 1988 and 1994. Hearing tests were performed pre-operatively and 5 years postoperatively.


RESULTS
The operated ears showed significant improvement in speech reception threshold and air conduction (250-4,000 Hz). Over the follow-up period, there were no significant differences in bone conduction thresholds between the operated and non-operated ears and no deterioration during follow-up in both bilateral and unilateral disease.


CONCLUSIONS
This series did not provide evidence that the deterioration in bone conduction over the follow-up period in otosclerotic ears exceeds the level that can be explained by presbycusis and the Carhart effect. However, the follow-up time may have been insufficient. Stapedectomy appears to have no effect on bone conduction in this patient group. The similar bone conduction thresholds in the non-operated and operated ears in unilateral otosclerosis at the end of follow-up suggest that the thresholds in the non-operated ears approached those in the operated ones.
Soudry
Ethan
E
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tiqwa, Israel.
Sulkes
Jaqueline
J
Attias
Joseph
J
Nageris
Ben I
BI
D000328:Adult; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D001844:Bone Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010040:Otosclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013201:Stapes Surgery