Bilateral stapedotomy in patients with otosclerosis: a disability-orientated evaluation of the benefit of second ear surgery.

This study reports the evaluation of the results of 80 stapedotomies in patients with bilateral otosclerosis. All pre- and postoperative audiological data, together with all relevant information of the operations, were stored in a database and analysed retrospectively. A new approach has been developed in order to evaluate the benefit of second ear stapes surgery in a more disability-orientated way using the AMA-criteria in the Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment. In all patients the percentage of Binaural Hearing Impairment (BHI) and the percentage of Impairment of the Whole Person (IWP) were determined according to the AMA-criteria. In patients who had both operations at the Academic Medical Centre it was found after the first operation that there was an important decrease in the BHI-percentage (from 26% to 10%) as well as for the IWP-percentage (from 9% to 4%). In addition, the percentages dropped significantly after the second operation (from 11% to 7% and from 4% to 2%, respectively). During follow-up there were no serious complications. It is concluded that bilateral stapedotomy is a safe procedure with good results.