[Vestibular function after a reconstructive surgery improving hearing in patients after radical operation on the...

The study included 62 patients who had undergone radical surgery (RS) on the middle ear. The patients were later operated to improve hearing according to the original reconstructive technique. Before the reconstructive surgery and 1-2, 3-6, 12 and 36 months after it combined vestibulometric examination, otomicroscopy, audiometry assessed the treatment efficiency. Perception of live speech was also investigated. Vestibular dysfunction occurred in 87.1% of the examinees with the history of RS. One of the main causes of the dysfunction was micropathological foci in the trepanation cavity located primarily on the medial wall. Surgical reconstruction creates a closed ventilated neotympanic cavity lined with mucosa. This promotes correction of vestibular dysfunction. Vestibular dysfunction late after radical surgery on the middle ear should be, along with hypoacusis, an indication for reconstructive hearing-improving surgery because the latter relieves or eradicates subjective and objective manifestations of the vestibular dysfunction in many previously operated patients.