[Contribution of data processing in otospongiosis. Part I. Statistics on otospongiosis]

The use of data processing in their otology clinic allowed the authors a better approach to otospongiosis and to its treatment, thus completing the knowledge of the otospongiotic disease according to their enzymatic concept. An important material has been gathered since 1959 to the present (June 1, 1974), based on more than 16 000 stapedectomies and nearly 100 000 otology out-patients. It has been studied both through a conventional method and an informatic one on the computer of their clinic. Statistical data, apparently valuable, could be drawn from this mass of information for each patient, starting from his first consultation and following him through his secondary consultations, operation, immediate postoperative follow-up and various postoperative check-ups performed. It also takes into account the general state of the patient and all the accidents which may happen during a remote postoperative period. First of all, the authors give the data for these statistics established according to the systematization of the parameters for otospongiosis they have previously published in 1973. In the first part, they gather statistical data obtained about the otospongiotic disease itself, some of which differ from the classical notions of frequency or importance. These statistical conclusions confirm some percentages stated by other authors (predominance of the woman and of the white race, severity of the disease in the young, etc.), but differ in relation to the number of deafs, the percentage of unilateral otospongiosis in comparison, to the bilateral ones, the importance of pure cochlear otospongiosis, the separate valuation of audiometric stages and that of anatomic types, the relation between age and anatomic type, finally the respective frequency of pre-and postoperative vertigos. In the second part, which will be presented later, the authors will study the postoperative functional results obtained within a period of 15 years by stapedectomy according to three techniques. But the particularity of this study will be the fact that functional results will not be considered only from the operative point of view, but from the whole of the factors acting upon the functional result, i.e.: operative mechanical factor, otospongiotic cochlear component, finally general state of the patient. We will thus have a better knowledge of this very peculiar disease of the otic capsule, hat is otospongiosis, characterized by its two phases: a first lytic phase provoked by an enzymatic factor, then a second rebuilding phase according to a pseudo haversian process. During the long progression of the disease, these two phases intermingle and juxtapose much more than they follow each other in the course of time.