Audiological long-term results following stapedotomy with stapedial tendon preservation.

Various functions are attributed to the stapedial reflex: as a low-frequency filter, it improves hearing in noise and serves in the protection against acoustic trauma. Our study analyzed 25 patients who had undergone argon laser stapedotomy with preservation of the stapedial tendon compared to patients without tendon preservation. Long-term audiological results are presented. Seventy-six percent of the patients had a residual postoperative air-bone gap of 10 dB or better and 97% of the patients 20 dB or better following stapedotomy with preservation of the stapedial tendon; these results are equal to those of patients without tendon preservation. The comparison of the uncomfortable threshold level showed no statistical difference between patients with and without tendon preservation, but patients with tendon preservation showed a tendency to better results in the sound-noise ratio. These favorable results remained constant in long-term controls.