Ambulatory vs. in-patient stapedectomy: a randomized twenty-patient pilot study

A prospective study was undertaken to determine whether stapedectomy can safely be performed in an outpatient setting. Twenty patients with otosclerosis amenable to surgical treatment were divided into two groups; those in the hospitalized group were admitted the day before surgery and discharged 24 hours after the procedure. The patients in the ambulatory group were admitted on the day surgery was scheduled and released 1 or 2 hours after the procedure. We analyzed the intensity and duration of postoperative vertigo, and the hearing gain obtained, studying the speech frequencies(500 to 2000 Hz) separately from the high frequencies (4000 to 8000 Hz). No significant difference was found at 1, 3, and 6 months of follow-up in any of the parameters studied, concluding that small-fenestra stapedectomy can safely be performed as an outpatient procedure.