Conclusion: Stapes surgery with a nickel titanium prosthesis is a safe and well-tolerated procedure that leads to a significant improvement in hearing outcomes.
Objective: To identify the efficacy and safety of stapedotomy procedures performed with a nickel titanium prosthesis for patients with otosclerosis.
Methods: A review of 431 unique stapedotomies performed over 14 years by a single surgeon at an academic tertiary care center yielded 312 cases with nickel titanium prosthesis that met inclusion criteria of otosclerosis diagnosis, initial surgery in operative ear, and presence of pre-operative and post-operative audiograms. Pure-tone averages (PTA) at baseline and 8 weeks after surgery were calculated over four frequencies; 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz. Average air-bone gaps (ABG) were calculated from pre-operative and post-operative audiograms.
Results: Average pre-operative baseline PTA was 56.7 dB in the affected ear. Post-operative PTA was 30.1 dB, a 26.6 dB improvement. Initial average ABG was 29.7 dB, while post-operative ABG averaged 5.4 dB, a 24.2 dB improvement. Surgical success (closure of ABG within 10 dB) was achieved in 263 (84%) patients. Rate of surgical success was not correlated with age, gender, race, or affected ear. Complications included recurrent conductive hearing loss (14), progressive SNHL (4), and post-operative BPPV (3).
Keywords: Otosclerosis; SNHL; hearing; middle ear; stapedotomy.