title: Long-term hearing outcomes after ossiculoplasty in comparison to short-term outcomes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate long-term hearing outcomes after ossiculoplasty.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary referral center.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred ninety-nine patients who underwent ossiculoplasty between 1989 and 2001 by the same surgeon and were followed for more than 5 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Postoperative hearing outcomes were considered successful if the postoperative air-bone gap was within 20 dB. The outcomes after 6 months and 5 years were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall rate of successful outcomes was 61.3% after 6 months and 54.3% after 5 years. There was a significant difference between 6 months and 5 years (p < 0.05). The significant deterioration of long-term hearing outcomes was found in malleus-present ears, ears with cholesteatoma/atelectasis, adults, and ears treated by one-stage operation. The reasons for long-term unsuccessful outcomes were adhesion or retraction of the ear drum in 13 ears (54.2%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The hearing outcomes after ossiculoplasty showed significant deterioration on long-term follow-up. Innovative approaches to the management of cholesteatoma/atelectasis are necessary to improve and stabilize long-term hearing outcomes.
authors: Department of Otolarngology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan. ymishiro@hyo-med.ac.jp
authors: Yasuo
authors: Y
authors: Mishiro
authors: Masafumi
authors: M
authors: Sakagami
authors: Tadashi
authors: T
authors: Kitahara
authors: Kazumasa
authors: K
authors: Kondoh
authors: Takeshi
authors: T
authors: Kubo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D018424:Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006309:Hearing; D006801:Humans; D007188:Incus / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008307:Malleus / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013199:Stapes / Q000473:pathology; D013201:Stapes Surgery; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome