Otological studies in patients with deafness due to Paget's disease before and after treatment with synthetic human calcitonin.

Audiometric and radiological assessments of 5 patients with deafness due to Paget's disease of the skull are presented. It was found that all patients had a mixed deafness. The conductive element was demonstrated in all ears by both negative Rinne tests and by pure-tone audiometry. A variety of radiological changes was found in the middle ear in all cases, and all ears had abnormal tympanometry. Sensorineural loss was shown to be limited to end organ disease. Four patients were then treated for 18 to 22 months with synthetic human calcitonin with an improvement in those biochemical parameters which reflect skeletal disease. No improvement in the hearing occurred.