management of otosclerosis

Background. Otosclerosis is a progressive osteo-destructive disorder ofthe bony laby-rinth in which the fixation of the stapes causes the hearing loss. The aim of this study IVas the postoperative determination ofparameters of the effect ofsurgical intervention on hearing and the incidence of complications and, on the basis of the differences in the examined parameters of the study, the estimation of the eficacy of the two men-tioned surgical thechniques in the treatment of otosclerosis. Methods. In our research 40 patients with conductive hearing loss caused by otosclerosis underwent surgery with CO2 laser. Functional results were compared postoperatively with the results of 40 patients operated by the classical technique without the use of CO2 laser. The re-search was accomplished as a prospective comparative study. Results. The air-bone interval (gap) as the difference between the rim of air and bone conductivity for sepa-rate frequencies did not significantly differ between the control and the experimental group. Both methods were effective in closing the air-bone gap with the rates of clo-sure to within 10 dB in 82.6 % and 75.3%for the laser and drill, respectively. The inci-dence of tinnitus was significantly lower in patients who underwent surgery with CO!. Laser. The frequency of intraoperative and postoperative complications was signifi-cantly lower in the laser group. Differences were statistically significant for all pa-rameters (p<0.05). Conclusion. On the basis of the degree of postoperative hearing improvement, tinnitus and the incidence of complications it can be concluded that the use of CO2 Laser during inverse stapedoplasty represents an effective and safe method, justifying the promotion of irs use in rhe surgicaL management ofotosclerosis. Key words: otosclerosis: otologic surgical procedures; stapes, surgery; laser surgery; treatment outcome