[Change in otosclerosis presentation over two decades].

Presentation of otosclerosis in eighties and nineties was compared on the basis of analysis of patients' documentation. A group I of 80 patients treated in 1980-1990 and a group II of 148 patients treated in 1991-2000 were compared with regard to sex, age, incidence of oval window obliteration and bilateral disease. Bone conduction and air conduction threshold and air-bone gap were also compared. There was no difference between two groups regarding sex, age and bone conduction threshold. Oval window obliteration was found in 8 (10%) patients of group I and in 7 (4.7%) patients of group II and the difference was not significant. Bilateral otosclerosis was diagnosed in 77 (96.3%) patients of group I and in 121 (81.8%) patients of group II and the difference was significant (p < 0.01). Air conduction threshold and air-bone gap in patients treated in nineties were significantly smaller than in eighties (p < 0.001). In the last decade patients with otosclerosis presented with smaller hearing loss, smaller air-bone gap and had bilateral disease less frequently than patients in eighties.