Stapedectomy following tympanoplasty

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the success of stapedectomy in patients who have previously had a tympanoplasty because of chronic otitis media (COM). Fourteen patients from a private otology practice had undergone tympanoplasty for COM and subsequently underwent stapedectomy. Measurements were taken of the air-bone gap (ABG) closure and pure tone average (PTA) which showed hearing improvement. Patients had a mean 36.9 dB PTA hearing gain with 79 per cent closing the ABG to within 20 dB. The need for stapedectomy alone is a rare occurrence for patients with a history of COM requiring a tympanoplasty. Hearing improvement following stapedectomy in these cases was significant, although somewhat less than following traditional stapedectomy in otosclerosis alone.