Vertigo Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vertigo, including details on causes, symptoms, treatment, dizziness.

Hearing improvement after stapedotomy using teflon loop prosthesis.

Ahmed S, Raza N, Ali L, Ullah S, Iqbal S

Department of ENT, Combined Military Hospital, Khuzdar.

Objective: To assess hearing improvement after stapedotomy for otosclerosis using teflon loop prosthesis. Design: Quasy experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: January 2001 to May 2003 in the Otorhinolaryngology Department, CMH, Rawalpindi. Patients and Methods: Thirty diagnosed cases of otosclerosis were included in the study. Ear with greater air-bone gap was selected and stapedotomy was done using teflon loop prosthesis (size 4 - 4.5 mm). Mild vertigo occurred during immediate postoperative period, which subsided with Inj. Prochlorperazine. Patients were followed-up postsurgically at one month, two months, four months, six months and one year and postoperative air-bone gap was calculated. Results: Out of 30 cases, there were 24 males and 06 females. The age ranged from 18 to 50 years. Twenty-one (70%) patients had bilateral hearing loss and 09 (30%) had tinnitis also. Pre-operative audiograms showed conductive deafness. Carhart's notch was present in 10 (33.3%) cases. Tympanogram revealed loss of stapedial reflex. Postoperatively good hearing improvement was seen in 56.7% (postoperative air-bone gap closure upto 10 dB), fair improvement in 30% (postoperative air bone gap closure from 11 to 20 dB) and poor results in 10% (postoperative air-bone gap more than 21 dB) cases. One patient developed dead ear. Conclusion: Stapedotomy using teflon loop prosthesis for otosclerosis is an effective method to restore hearing. Complications are uncommon.

Published 29 September 2006 in J Coll Physicians Surg Pak, 16(10): 659-61.
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