title: Otosclerosis: The effect of stapes surgery on the bone conduction audiogram.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study defines the extent of bone conduction loss that can be accounted for by stapes fixation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective clinical evaluation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred consecutively operated cases. All patients have been operated by the first author.
  
  
  METHODS
  Posterior partial stapedectomy with a platinum-Teflon piston over a perichondral graft.
  
  
  METHODS
  The bone conduction is studied preoperatively, 1 week, 1 month, and 1 year after surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There are at least 3 postoperative gain patterns that change with time, from 1 week to 1 year after surgery. These are patients with maximum gain at 1, 2, and 4 kHz.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that these changes are due to the relation of the preoperative and postoperative oval window transfer functions. The gain in the 3 postoperative audiometric thresholds can be approximated by looking at the characteristics of the preoperative bone conduction audiogram.
authors.affiliation: Instituto ORL Antoli Candela, University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, Spain. iac@antolicandela.com
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Antoli-Candela
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gomez-Molinero
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Busturia-Berrade