Stapediolysis Or Stapedectomy: A Comparison based on a 3-years Follow-up Material

Abstract

The material studied consisted of 176 persons operated on for otosclerosis, the majority of whom were treated by stapediolysis, using the Fowler-Holmgren method, and the rest by stapedectomy, using Schuknecht's method. Hearing tests were done both one week and three years after operation and showed that an improvement occurred in about 85% of the patients in each of the two groups. The relatively good results in the stapediolysis cases were ascribed to the meticulous care with which the operation was carried out. Where the intended improvement in hearing was not achieved—e.g., where fracture of the posterior crus occurred—stapedectomy was then performed in the same operation session. Attempts to discover why 12–14% of the cases showed a subsequent deterioration in hearing or no improvement have, in spite of careful analysis, proved fruitless. The reason would appear to be of a temporary or casual nature.