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Updated: Jul 16, 2026
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Published on: March 5, 2022
Sacculo-collic response in otosclerosis and following successful stapes surgery
E Stapleton1, R Mills, J C Tham
1Otolaryngology Unit, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. emmastapleton@doctors.org.uk
Introduction:
The sacculo-collic reflex is believed to be a short latency, otolith-mediated myogenic response to sound. With the application of air-conducted sound, one would expect an absent response in stapes fixation, as a fixed stapes footplate will not transmit a pressure wave to the saccule.
Methods:
Fifty patients (70 stapes surgery ears, 26 otosclerotic ears and four normal ears) and 40 controls underwent repeated sacculo-collic tests.
Results:
The results support the proposed mechanism for the sacculo-collic response. The study also suggests that, whilst stapedotomy piston prostheses are effective in the reversal of conductive hearing loss, they produce an insufficient pressure wave to elicit a myogenic response to sound.
Conclusion:
The sacculo-collic test could be a useful tool for screening otolith function and inferior vestibular nerve integrity, but further work is needed to determine the effect of stapes surgery on saccular function.
