Hearing levels of patients with otosclerosis 10 years after stapedectomy.

Hearing levels of 174 patients (213 ears operated on) with otosclerosis undergoing stapedectomy were analyzed. All patients had followup of 10 years or more, the mean follow-up period being 13.4 years. Eighty-seven ears (41%) underwent posterior crus stapedectomy, and in the remaining 126 ears (59%) a prosthesis was inserted. Large fenestra technique was used in all cases. In the long run, both air conduction and bone conduction thresholds of ears operated on showed remarkable deterioration from the best values obtained 6 to 12 months postoperatively. Ten years after surgery both air conduction and bone conduction thresholds of ears operated on were significantly worse than those of normal controls. At 10 years, 70 percent of the ears operated on had hearing levels (at 0.5 to 2.0 kHz) of 30 dB or better and 88 percent had 40 dB or better. At the last follow-up examination, in 90% of the patients the better hearing ear had a hearing level of 40 dB or better. In 90% of patients with bilateral otosclerosis who had operations in only one ear, the ear operated on had better hearing function than the opposite ear that had not been operated on.