Stapedotomy or Stapedectomy: Does It Really Matter?

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Neurosurgery
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Otosclerosis causes conductive hearing loss due to stapes fixation.
• Stapes surgery, specifically stapedotomy and stapedectomy, is the primary treatment.
• Evidence comparing stapedotomy and stapedectomy outcomes is inconclusive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate hearing results and complications of stapes surgery.
• To compare stapedotomy versus stapedectomy in otosclerosis patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 134 ears in 125 otosclerosis patients.
• Comparison of pre- and postoperative audiometric data and complication rates.
• Patients underwent either stapedotomy or stapedectomy.

Main Results:

• Both stapedotomy and stapedectomy significantly improved air-bone gap and speech recognition threshold.
• No significant difference in hearing outcomes between stapedotomy and stapedectomy.
• Comparable complication rates were observed for both surgical techniques.

Conclusions:

• Stapedotomy and stapedectomy provide favorable hearing outcomes for otosclerosis.
• Both procedures demonstrate low complication rates.
• Surgeons can be confident in good hearing results regardless of the chosen stapes surgery technique.