Labyrinth Irritation after Otosclerosis Operations

Abstract

The appearance of positional nystagmus was examined in 63 patients during the first postoperative week. In six cases nystagmus was found preoperatively, in 3 cases of these it disappeared in 7 days after the operation. In only 5 cases (7, 9%) nystagmus was not postoperatively registered. In all the others it existed in different forms and types. In 76% of the cases nystagmus decreased during the first 7 days.

Positional nystagmus of Nylén's type II was most frequent. Only in 3 cases nystagmus of Nylén's type III was found. In most cases the type of nystagmus remaind unchanged until its disappearance.

Only 2 patients had cochlear loss in the postoperative hearing, in one of them it confined to 4 000 cps, and in the other the ear became totally deaf. The latter case is reported more accurately, because in this case the patient had both Menière's disease and otosclerosis in the operated ear.

The results show that the operative technique which was used, above all, the fascia interposition, does not lead to more serious labyrinthine disturbances than other techniques.