user warning: Unknown column 'sid' in 'where clause' query: SELECT * FROM flag_content WHERE content_type = 'node' AND content_id = 183 AND (uid = 0 OR uid = 0) AND sid = 0 in /var/www/earsite/drupal/sites/all/modules/flag/flag.module on line 1536.

Otosclerosis

Otosclerosis is a condition in which the bones in the middle ear become fixed and immobile, leading to hearing loss (usually one-sided).

Outcomes for Otosclerosis

POSTOPERATIVE

After stapedectomy surgery, the hearing may be muffled because of blood accumulation around the prosthesis. A light packing against the eardrum is removed one week after surgery. During the two to three weeks following the operation, patients usually hear pops and crackles when they yawn or swallow. The Eustachian tube opens with these events, and the fluid in the middle ear usually clears thereafter. As the fluid clears, the hearing becomes clearer.

Some patients experience some disequilibrium after the operation, which can last from 24 to 48 hours.

RESULTS

The results for hearing are astonishing. 95% of patients who have a stapedectomy done for the first time have near-normal hearing after the operation. The improved hearing usually lasts for 20 years. However, surgery does not alter the genetics. Otosclerosis can recur and cause displacement of the prosthesis. This might require revision surgery. The results for hearing after a revision operation are much less at 50%. Most patients after having a revision operation do report improvement in their hearing.