Stapes surgery in the United States.

OBJECTIVE

A contemporary analysis of trends in the surgical management of otosclerosis in the United States is presented.

DATA SOURCES: U.S. population demographics were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau. Surgical case data was obtained from publications of the National Center for Health Statistics. Physician population statistics are published by the American Medical Association.

DATA EXTRACTION: Available estimates for otologic operations are interpreted according to clinical setting used for data acquisition and surgical practice patterns. Linear regression of included data defines trends in operations performed. Population statistics are used to define changes in the incidence of surgical cases.

CONCLUSIONS

The number of stapedectomy cases has declined over the past 30 years. During this same interval, the U.S. population (including the white population) and the number of surgeons has increased. This indicates that the incidence of surgical otosclerosis is declining. Although the true etiology of the decline is uncertain, widespread immunization for measles is a plausible hypothesis.