Changes in Quality of Life Among Patients With Far-Advanced Otosclerosis After Stapes Surgery

BACKGROUND Far-advanced otosclerosis (FAO) is characterized by profound hearing loss or deafness in the course of the disease, with an air conduction threshold of at least 85 decibels hearing level (dB HL) and a bone conduction threshold exceeding the audiometer's capacity. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether, in patients with FAO after stapedotomy, changes in word recognition score (WRS) are correlated with changes in quality of life. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study included 20 patients with FAO who underwent stapedotomy between 2005 and 2020. RESULTS The study investigated the relationship between changes in WRS (26.5% before stapedotomy vs 47.8% at 12 months after surgery), according to speech audiometry, and the subjective benefits of surgical treatment described in the Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI) questionnaire (mean : +48 at 12 months after surgery). In the analyzed group, a positive correlation was observed between changes in WRS and changes in GBI score (r = 0.65, P = 0.003 at 12 months after surgery). The findings indicate that WRS is a useful parameter for assessing quality of life in patients with FAO after ear surgery. CONCLUSIONS The significant improvement in WRS after stapedotomy confirms the usefulness of this surgical procedure in the treatment of patients with FAO. Assessment of the correlation between WRS and GBI in patients with FAO after stapedotomy can be used to evaluate changes in quality of life following treatment.