Effect of stapedectomy on subjective tinnitus

A series of 149 patients, who had tinnitus associated with otosclerosis, and who underwent stapedectomy by a single operator were questioned about their tinnitus one to 19 years after surgery. Of these, 73 per cent reported that their tinnitus had ceased following surgery, 17 per cent that it had improved and only 10 per cent that it was unchanged. No pre-operative audiometric or patient data were associated with a favourable outcome in terms of tinnitus improvement. Patients who had poor hearing outcomes reported abolition of their tinnitus, suggesting that this was due to the improvement in the fluid mechanics of the cochlea resulting from stapedectomy. The tinnitus status was unrelated to the length of follow-up time.