Early Audiometric Evaluations May Predict Cochlear Damage After Stapes Surgery

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Clinical and surgical records of 91 patients (29 men, 62 women; mean age 48 years; range 18 to 82 years) with otosclerosis were reviewed following stapedotomy with the small fenestra technique without interposition. The same Teflon-platinum piston was used in all the patients. Audiometric tests were performed within a week before the operation, 5 to 7 days (early evaluation) and at least three months after surgery (late evaluation). The air-bone gap and air conduction thresholds were measured at 4 and 8 kHz. The presence or absence of cochlear symptoms (tinnitus, fullness) were evaluated with the use of a questionnaire preoperatively and in the early and late postoperative periods.