[Stapes revisions: clinical findings and results]

By correlating the intraoperative findings and the postoperative hearing gain it was attempted to determine the recommendable intraoperative management in stapesrevisions in order to obtain the best postoperative hearing. In a retrospective study the findings of 39 stapes revision operations were analyzed. In most of the cases hearing one year postoperatively was compared with preoperative hearing. The prognosis for good hearing was best following replacement of the prosthesis where the prosthesis was too short or dislocated, or in the presence of a loosened wire. Where treatment only entailed retightening the loosened wire at the long process of the incus, postoperative hearing did not improve. Patients with an obliterative otosclerosis or an additional fixed incus had a less favorable prognosis. Overall a postoperative air bone gap of 10 dB or below was obtained in 44% of the patients and a postoperative air bone gap of 20 dB or below in 77% of the patients. Twenty-one percent of the patients remained unchanged, and in one patient postoperative deterioration of the hearing was detected.