Otosclerosis – analysis of factors influencing the improvement of hearing after surgical treatment

Abstract

<b>Introduction:</b> Otosclerosis is a disease that occurs only in humans, in the course of which there are foci of pathological ossification in the temporal bone. The etiology of the dise ase is not fully understood. Treatment of the conductive component of hearing loss is surgical. The results of the treatment are influenced by factors related to the surgery, the local condition of the middle ear and the function of the inner ear. </br></br> <b>Aim:</b> The aim of the study is to identify factors influencing the improvement of hearing in patients treated surgically due to otosclerosis. </br></br> <b>Material and methods:</b> The study included patients who underwent otosclerosis for the first middle ear surgery and under-went stapedotomy. Considering the factors that may affect the outcome of surgical treatment, the patients qualified for the analysis were divided into subgroups. All patients underwent a medical history and physical examination of otorhinolaryn-gology and a complete set of audiological examinations. </br></br> <b> Results:</b> A statistically significant reduction in cochlear reserve was observed in all patients after stapedotomy. The be-neficial effect of the performed treatment on the improvement of threshold values of bone conduction in patients with mild sensorineural hearing loss was also confirmed. Intraoperative removal of adhesions present in the tympanic cavity significantly improved hearing in terms of bone conduction values, especially at 500 Hz. </br></br> <b> Conclusions:</b> (1) The conducted study confirmed the influence of factors related to the local condition of the middle ear lining on the final result of otosclerosis surgery; (2) Audiometric markers of cochlear otosclerosis, observed before surgical treat-ment, are an unfavorable factor in the improvement of hearing after the performed treatment.