Promising clinical results of an innovative self-crimping stapes prosthesis in otosclerosis surgery.
OBJECTIVE
This clinical study was performed to retrospectively analyze the hearing improvement of patients with otosclerosis who underwent stapesplasty with a novel nitinol prosthesis in comparison with the use of already established prostheses (titanium and clip prostheses) and to evaluate the suitability of the nitinol prosthesis for ear surgeons with limited experience in otosclerosis surgery.


METHODS
Retrospective data analysis.


METHODS
Tertiary referral center.


METHODS
Sixty patients who underwent otosclerosis surgery between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2012, in the ENT department of the University of Munich. Two patients were operated on both sides. For four patients, the stapesplasty was a revision surgery.


METHODS
Sixty-two procedures of otosclerosis surgery were performed by 6 ear surgeons, one of whom with profound experience in stapesplasty.


METHODS
1) Postoperative air-bone gap, determined for all surgeons together as well as itemized for the experienced and the nonexperienced stapes surgeons; 2) closure of the air-bone gap in 10 dB bins; and 3) change of high-tone bone-conduction level.


RESULTS
Pure-tone audiometry documented less postoperative air-bone gap and a higher percentage of air-bone gap closure when using the nitinol prosthesis, especially in comparison with the clip prosthesis. Also, nonexperienced stapes surgeons received better audiometric results when using the novel nitinol prosthesis.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical evaluation suggests the novel nitinol prosthesis to be a promising tool in otosclerosis surgery for experienced stapes surgeons as well as for ear surgeons with limited experience in stapes surgery.
*Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde and †Laserforschungslabor, Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Florian
F
Schrötzlmair
Fabian
F
Suchan
Ulrich
U
Kisser
John-Martin
JM
Hempel
Ronald
R
Sroka
Joachim
J
Müller
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D001844:Bone Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006314:Hearing Loss, Conductive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009998:Ossicular Prosthesis; D010040:Otosclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013201:Stapes Surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome