Radiological parameters and audiometric findings in otosclerosis: is there any relationship?

OBJECTIVE: The role of high-resolution computed tomography scans in otosclerosis remains uncertain. There is a debate over the relationship between radiological and audiometric findings among patients. METHOD: Pre-operative audiometry and high-resolution computed tomography findings from 40 ears with surgically confirmed otosclerosis were compared. High-resolution computed tomography scan data regarding the characteristics of the disease foci, the endosteal extension and the occurrence of internal auditory canal diverticula were obtained. The influence of each radiological variable on the simple pure tone average, the high-frequency pure tone average and the bone-conduction pure tone average were investigated. RESULTS: Cases with endosteal extension (p = 0.047) and a higher number of affected sites within the otic capsule had a worse bone-conduction pure tone average, although it was only significant for the latter (p = 0.006). Those without concomitant retrofenestral disease (p = 0.019) had better simple pure tone average. CONCLUSION: The number of sites of involvement and concomitant retrofenestral disease seem to significantly impact audiometric findings in otosclerosis.

Estimated Costs Associated With Management of Otosclerosis With Hearing Aids vs Surgery in Europe.

Importance: Surgery and hearing aids have similar outcomes in terms of hearing acuity but differ in terms of cost, aesthetics, and patient quality of life. The cost-effectiveness and budget impact of otosclerosis treatments have never been studied in Europe. Objectives: To compare the estimated mean costs per patient over 10 years of surgery vs hearing aids for the treatment of otosclerosis and to estimate the budget impact of an increase in the proportion of patients receiving surgical treatment. Design, Setting, and Participants: This economic evaluation analyzed French and European epidemiological data on the surgical management of symptomatic otosclerosis and compared them with data from the literature to build economic models. The analysis was conducted in January 2021. Exposures: Two care pathways were considered in the treatment of otosclerosis, either hearing aid or surgery. Main Outcomes and Measures: Costs were studied over 10 years using Markov models of the 2 care pathways (hearing aid vs surgery). The budget impact analysis was performed over 5 and 10 years, assuming a 1-percentage point yearly increase in the proportion of patients receiving surgical treatment. Results: Over 10 years, the estimated mean cost per patient was significantly lower in the surgery group compared with the hearing aid group (€3446.9 vs €6088.4; mean difference, -€2641.5; 95% CI -€4064.8 to -€1379.4 [US $3913.4 vs US $6912.4; mean difference, -US $2999.0; 95% CI, -US $4614.9 to -US $1566.1]). Increasing surgical treatment by 1 percentage point per year for 10 years would lead to overall savings of €1 762 304 (US $2 000 798) in France, with an increase of €1 322 920 (US $1 501 952) at 10 years for the public health insurance system and a decrease of €3 085 224 (US $3 502 750) at 10 years for patients and private health insurers. Sensitivity analyses showed that these results were robust. Conclusions and Relevance: These results suggest that in France, treating otosclerosis surgically is slightly less expensive over 10 years than using hearing aids, when considering all payers. The proposed models developed in this study could be adjusted to perform the same analysis in other countries.

Does pregnancy have an influence on otosclerosis?

OBJECTIVE: Otosclerosis affects women twice as often as men, especially during fertile age. A role of female hormones has been claimed, but controversy still exists regarding the influence of pregnancy. The purpose of this research was to analyse the role of pregnancy on the course of otosclerosis. METHOD: PubMed was searched in May 2019 using the terms 'otosclerosis AND pregnancy', 'otosclerosis AND pregnant', 'otosclerosis AND parous', 'otosclerosis AND parity', and 'otosclerosis AND puerperium'. Age at diagnosis, number of pregnancies and the temporal relationship of the disease with childbearing were considered. RESULTS: From 65 articles, 11 were chosen for review. They described 2323 women affected by otosclerosis: 1805 had at least 1 pregnancy, while 518 did not. During childbearing, otosclerosis began in 1 per cent of pregnant women, worsened in 21 per cent and worsened during puerperium in 4 per cent. Often, the authors reported hearing change with pregnancy without details, so a further group has been considered composed of women belonging to any of the groups just mentioned or to another group of women not further characterised. Overall, hearing change occurred during pregnancy in 44 per cent. A statistically significant correlation emerged between hearing change and number of pregnancies (p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Because of wide data heterogeneity and the difficulty in analysing a single factor, absolute statements could not be formulated. According to this review, pregnancy seems to have a worsening effect on the course of otosclerosis.

Otosclerosis in an Urban Population.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the evolving prevalence of otosclerosis in a large urban population. METHODS: A retrospective review of patients in a large, urban, public health system was conducted from January 2010 to August 2019 to identify subjects with otosclerosis. Diagnostic testing included audiometry and computed tomography scans. Sex, age at diagnosis, treatment received, race, ethnicity, and country of birth were analyzed for each subject and compared with all eligible patients in the reference population. RESULTS: A total of 134 patients from a reference population of 672,839 were diagnosed with otosclerosis and analyzed. The otosclerosis patients were predominantly Hispanic (73%), of which the majority were foreign born (87%). The average age at onset was 46 years and 59% were women. The overall prevalence of otosclerosis was 20 of 100,000 patients. The crude prevalence of otosclerosis by ethnicity was 43 of 100,000 for Hispanics, 12.6 of 100,000 for Caucasians, and 3 of 100,000 for African Americans. Within the Hispanic population, the prevalence of otosclerosis was 60 of 100,000 for foreign-born individuals and 16 of 100,000 for those born in the USA (odds ratio [OR] = 3.69, [95% confidence interval [CI], 2.02-6.76], p < 0.0001). Prevalence was not significantly different among Caucasians and US-born Hispanics. CONCLUSION: Otosclerosis in the studied population was most common among Hispanic patients, though it was strongly influenced by country of birth. The "imported" otosclerosis cases are best explained by environmental influence rather than ethnic susceptibility. This discrepancy is likely due to variance in measles immunization rates among North and Central American countries before 1990.

Aetiology of Ludwig van Beethoven's hearing impairment: hypotheses over the past 100 years - A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: Even 250 years after Beethoven's birth, the irrevocable cause of his hearing impairment remains unclear despite multiple publications by different professional groups. This study aimed to analyse the development of the most likely aetiologies during the last 100 years by a systematic review of the relevant medical literature. METHODS: A systematic review of medical literature in PubMed®, PubMed Central®, and Web of Science® for the period 1920-2020 was conducted. Medical publications between 1920 and 1935 were additionally searched manually by review of reference lists. Studies were eligible when a statement regarding the most likely aetiology of the hearing loss of Beethoven was the aimed objective of the publication. RESULTS: 48 publications were included. The following aetiologies were supposed: otosclerosis (n = 10), syphilis (n = 9), Paget's disease (n = 6), neural deafness (n = 5), immunopathy with inflammatory bowel disease, neural deafness with otosclerosis, sarcoidosis or lead intoxication (n = 2), and systemic lupus erythematosus, trauma, labyrinthitis or inner ear disease (n = 1). There is an ongoing effort with a mean publication frequency in this topic of 0.48/year. From 1920 to 1970, otolaryngologists were the group with the highest interest in this field (67%), whereas since 1971 most authors have belonged to non-otolaryngologic subspecialities (81%). CONCLUSION: Over the past 100 years, otosclerosis and syphilis were predominantly supposed to be the underlying causes. The hypothesis of syphilis-although rejected for a long time-has had a remarkable revival during the past 20 years. Regarding the outcome following therapeutic intervention by cochlear implantation, the differential diagnosis of neural deafness would be relevant today.

Pregnancy, Estrogen Exposure, and the Development of Otosclerosis: A Case-Control Study of 1196 Women.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to determine whether a history of pregnancy or bilateral oophorectomy is associated with subsequent otosclerosis development or disease severity. STUDY DESIGN: Population-based case-control study. SETTING: Olmsted County, Minnesota. METHODS: Women diagnosed with otosclerosis were matched to 3 women without otosclerosis based on age and historical depth of medical records. Associations of prior delivery and bilateral oophorectomy with subsequent development of otosclerosis and with pure-tone average (PTA) at the time of otosclerosis diagnosis were evaluated. RESULTS: We studied 1196 women: 299 cases of otosclerosis and 897 matched controls. The odds ratio for the association of ≥1 delivery with otosclerosis was 1.16 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.85-1.60; P = .35). Odds ratios for the associations of 1, 2, 3, or ≥4 deliveries with otosclerosis were 1.22 (0.83-1.80), 1.09 (0.71-1.68), 1.28 (0.77-2.12), and 1.00 (0.54-1.84), respectively. The odds ratio for the association of prior bilateral oophorectomy with otosclerosis was 1.12 (0.58-2.18; P = .73). In cases with otosclerosis, PTA at diagnosis was not significantly higher for women with ≥1 delivery as compared with those without (median 45 dB hearing loss [HL] [interquartile range {IQR} 36-55] vs 43 [IQR 34-53]; P = 0.18) but was significantly higher for women with bilateral oophorectomy compared with those without (median 54 dB HL [IQR 44-61] vs 44 [IQR 34-53]; P = .03). CONCLUSION: These data do not support a relationship between endogenous estrogen exposure and development of otosclerosis. Women with otosclerosis who had a history of pregnancy did not have significantly worse hearing at the time of diagnosis, suggesting that pregnancy is not associated with disease severity.

The Rise and Fall of Otosclerosis: A Population-based Study of Disease Incidence Spanning 70 Years.

OBJECTIVE: Although it is commonly held that otosclerosis has become increasingly uncommon over recent decades, no population-based data exist to characterize this trend. Moreover, because most large epidemiologic databases within the United States primarily include cancer data, even the modern incidence of otosclerosis is unknown. The chief objective of the current work was to characterize the trend in the incidence of otosclerosis over 70 years using the unique resources of the Rochester Epidemiology Project. STUDY DESIGN: Population-based study. PATIENTS: Residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota diagnosed with otosclerosis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Disease incidence from 1950 to 2017. RESULTS: From 1950 to 2017, 614 incident cases of otosclerosis were identified. The incidence rose from 8.9 per 100,000 person-years in the 1950s to a peak of 18.5 from 1970 to 1974. From this peak, the incidence significantly declined to 6.2 per 100,000 person-years by the early-1990s and reached a nadir of 3.2 from 2015 to 2017 (p<0.001). From 1970 to 2017, age at diagnosis (p = 0.23) and the proportion of bilateral cases (p = 0.16) did not significantly change; pure-tone average at diagnosis did not clinically appreciably change over the study period (median difference <5 dB across decades, p = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of otosclerosis drastically declined since the early-1970s. Historically considered one of the most common causes of acquired hearing loss, the low modern incidence of otosclerosis renders it legally a "rare disease" within the United States. These trends require consideration when determining trainee case requirements and developing practice guidelines.

With the Incidence of Otosclerosis Declining, Should Stapedectomy Remain a Key-Indicator Case for Otolaryngology Residents?

Stapedectomy remains a joint key-indicator case with ossiculoplasty for otolaryngology residents in the United States. Yet, residents consistently report feeling inadequately prepared to perform stapes surgery following graduation. Applying recently described age- and sex-standardized incidence rates of surgically confirmed cases of otosclerosis to the US populace, upper and lower estimates of residents' case exposure to stapedectomy can be approximated. With this, uppermost projections estimate 6484 new cases of stapes surgery are performed annually nationwide. With approximately 1424 otolaryngology residents nationally, the average case exposure is 7.8 stapedectomies throughout their training, with upper and lower estimates of 17.1 and 4.2 cases, respectively. As such, proficiency in stapedectomy is no longer a realistic expectation for US graduating residents. This reality supports the removal of "stapedectomy" from the list of 14 key-indicator case requirements, leaving ossiculoplasty as its own key-indicator case, thereby reinforcing true competence in this fundamental procedure for the graduating otolaryngologist.

Sensitivity of High-Resolution Computed Tomography in Otosclerosis Patients undergoing Primary Stapedotomy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of abnormal otospongiotic or otosclerotic findings on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) as read by local radiologists in patients with surgically-confirmed otosclerosis. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Tertiary-referral private otology-neurotology practice. PATIENTS: Adults (>18 years old) with surgically-confirmed otosclerosis between 2012 and 2017 with a HRCT performed preoperatively. INTERVENTION: Preoperative HRCT then stapedotomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Positive identification and location of radiographic otosclerosis as reported by the local radiologist. We then correlated the CT with surgical location as documented at time of surgery. Audiometry, demographic data, intraoperative findings, and surgical technique were secondarily reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 708 stapes surgeries were performed during the study time frame. Preoperative HRCT scans were available for 68 primary stapedotomy surgeries performed in 54 patients. Otosclerosis was reported in 20/68 (29.4%). Following a negative report by the local radiologist, a re-review by the surgeon and/or collaborating neuroradiologist confirmed otosclerosis in 12/48 additional cases (25.0%). There was an overall sensitivity of 47.1%. Intraoperatively, cases with negative reads tended to have more limited localization at the ligament (8.7%) or anterior crus (39.1%), compared with positive reads, which demonstrated more extensive involvement, with bipolar foci (30.0%) or diffuse footplate manifestations (20.0%) more common. Acoustic reflexes were characteristically absent. CONCLUSIONS: While HRCT may aid in the diagnosis of otosclerosis and rule out concomitant pathology in certain cases of clinical uncertainty or unexplained symptoms, its sensitivity for otosclerosis remains low. HRCT should not be relied upon to diagnose routine fenestral otosclerosis.

Prevalence and Severity of Tinnitus in Otosclerosis: Preliminary Findings from Validated Questionnaires.

OBJECTIVES: In addition to progressive hearing loss, subjective tinnitus is one of the primary symptoms of the otosclerosis development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and severity of preoperative tinnitus among a group of consecutive adult patients with otosclerosis, using standardized research tools. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 157 cases of clinical otosclerosis (106 women, 51 men). All patients were tested using pure-tone audiometry. The preoperative prevalence and severity of tinnitus were tested using three validated questionnaires: The Tinnitus and Hearing Survey (THS-POL), Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI-POL), and Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI-Pl). RESULTS: Preliminary results showed that 107 of 157 patients with otosclerosis (68.2%) had preoperative tinnitus. Of them, 51 (47.7%) had unilateral tinnitus (in the ear that qualified for stapes surgery), and 56 (52.3%) had bilateral tinnitus. The THS results showed that for 23.4% patients, tinnitus was a problem equal to or greater than hearing loss. The average result of the TFI-Pl questionnaire was 31.6 points, and for THI-POL, it was 38.6 points, indicating that preoperative tinnitus was moderately severe. The statistical analysis did not reveal a correlation between the tinnitus severity and audiometric results (p>0.05). The severity of tinnitus did not differ significantly between men and women (p>0.05), although the TFI-Pl and THI-POL questionnaires indicated that the tinnitus severity generally increased with age in women, while it decreased in men. CONCLUSION: This is a scientific study conducted to evaluate the prevalence and severity of preoperative tinnitus in Polish patients with otosclerosis, using three validated questionnaires.

The Epidemiology of Otosclerosis in a British Cohort.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the epidemiology of otosclerosis in a British cohort collected between 2011 and 2017. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Five UK ENT Departments. PATIENTS: Patients with surgically confirmed otosclerosis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Questionnaire data documented family history of otosclerosis, age of onset, medical history, and information on associated risk factors for 657 patients. Pre and post-surgical pure-tone audiometry was collected for 154 of these patients. RESULTS: The age of onset, incidence of bilateral disease, tinnitus and vertigo, a higher prevalence of women (65%) than men (35%) are similar to those reported previously for otosclerosis cohorts. No association with measles infection was detected. Patients with a family history (40%) have an earlier age of onset and a higher incidence of bilateral disease and vertigo than non-familial subjects. Pedigree analysis is consistent with an autosomal dominant inheritance with reduced penetrance being apparent in 44/91 pedigrees studied. Women who associate their hearing loss with pregnancy have an earlier age of onset than those that do not (p = 6 × 10). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that otosclerosis is an early adult onset disease that is more prevalent in women than men with a large minority of patients having a family history of otosclerosis. We report new evidence to support a relationship between pregnancy and otosclerosis progression in a proportion of women. In addition, this is the first study to identify differences in severity between familial and non-familial cases of otosclerosis, highlighting the possibility that more than one etiology may be involved.

[The diagnostics and surgical treatment of the patients presenting with otosclerosis in the Primorye Territory]. / Diagnostika i khirurgicheskoe lechenie patsientov s otosklerozom v Primorskom krae.

The objective of the present study was to characterize the effectiveness of the audiological and radiological diagnostic techniques as well as the results of the surgical treatment of the patients presenting with otosclerosis based at the hospital clinic of the Pacific State Medical University. The analysis included 49 surgical interventions for stapedoplasty carried out on 42 patients during the period from 2015 to 2017. The tympanic form of the disorder was diagnosed in 51.02% of the cases, the mixed form I in 16.28%, and the mixed form II in 32.7%. The excellent results within two months after surgery were obtained in 87.2% of the treated patients, the good and satisfactory results in 8.72% and 4.08% of them respectively.

Management of Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media and Otosclerosis in Developing Countries.

Chronic ear disease is a major cause of acquired hearing loss in the developing world. It is prevalent on every continent, but occurs more commonly in poorer nations owing to a lack of preventative measures. This article outlines the particular challenges in treating this disease in the developing world, including a discussion of surgical management and special situations. Otosclerosis is another surgically treatable cause of hearing loss that is found throughout the developing world. Surgeons working in these environments should be prepared to deal with advanced otosclerotic disease.

Significance of internal auditory canal diverticula in ears with otosclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Diverticula in the internal auditory canal (IAC) have been reported in ears with otosclerosis. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated hearing levels and vascular activity in ears with otosclerosis with and without IAC diverticula and clarify the significance of IAC diverticula. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-one ears from 54 patients who underwent stapes surgery for otosclerosis [fenestral (48 ears) and retrofenestral (13 ears) groups] were included in the present study. Preoperative hearing levels on pure tone audiometry (PTA) and intraoperative measurements of blood flow were compared between the groups. RESULTS: A total of 24 of 61 ears (39.3%) showed IAC diverticula, significantly higher than the frequency in ears without otosclerosis (3.7%). No significant differences in air- and bone-conduction thresholds on PTA were evident between ears with and without IAC diverticula in each group. Ears without IAC diverticula tended to show higher blood flow in the area anterior to the oval window than ears with IAC diverticula, but the difference was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of the IAC diverticula in otosclerosis was significantly higher than in cases without otosclerosis. The existence of IAC diverticula was not evidently related to the severity of the disease from the perspective of hearing level and vascular activity.

Prevalence of Internal Auditory Canal Diverticulum and Its Association with Hearing Loss and Otosclerosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Focal low-attenuation outpouching or diverticulum at the anterolateral internal auditory canal is an uncommon finding on CT of the temporal bone. This finding has been described as cavitary otosclerosis in small case reports and histology series. The purpose of this study was to establish the prevalence of internal auditory canal diverticulum and its association with classic imaging findings of otosclerosis and/or hearing loss. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Temporal bone CT scans of 807 patients, obtained between January 2013 and January 2016, were retrospectively reviewed to identify internal auditory canal diverticula and/or classic imaging findings of otosclerosis. Clinical evaluations for hearing loss were reviewed for patients with internal auditory canal diverticula and/or otosclerosis. RESULTS: Internal auditory canal diverticula were found in 43 patients (5%); classic otosclerosis, in 39 patients (5%); and both findings, in 7 patients (1%). Most temporal bones with only findings of internal auditory canal diverticula (91%) demonstrated hearing loss, with 63% of this group demonstrating sensorineural hearing loss. The hearing loss classification distribution was significantly different (P < .01) from that in the classic otosclerosis group and in the group with both diverticula and otosclerosis. CONCLUSIONS: Internal auditory canal diverticula are not uncommon on CT examinations of the temporal bone and most commonly occur without classic imaging findings of otosclerosis. These lesions are associated with sensorineural hearing loss, and referral for hearing evaluation may be appropriate when present.

An Assessment of the Clinical Acceptability of Direct Acoustic Cochlear Implantation for Adults With Advanced Otosclerosis in the United Kingdom.

HYPOTHESIS: Assess the clinical acceptability of direct acoustic cochlear implantation for patients with advanced otosclerosis and the support for conducting a controlled trial of its effectiveness in the United Kingdom. BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence supports the efficacy of direct acoustic cochlear implantation in patients with advanced otosclerosis whose needs cannot be managed using the combination of stapes surgery and hearing aids. A controlled trial would provide evidence for its effectiveness and cost-effectiveness to healthcare commissioners. METHODS: An online survey of clinical professionals was constructed to characterize current standard of care for patients with advanced otosclerosis and to assess whether clinicians would be willing to refer patients into a trial to evaluate direct acoustic cochlear implantation. A consensus process was conducted to define inclusion criteria for the future trial. RESULTS: No survey respondent considered direct acoustic cochlear implantation to be inappropriate with a majority indicating that they would refer patients into a future trial. The consensus was that there is a lack of available treatment options for those patients with bone conduction thresholds worse than 55 dB HL and who did not meet current criteria for cochlear implantation. CONCLUSION: The present study confirms that a controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of direct acoustic cochlear implantation would have the support of clinicians in the United Kingdom. A feasibility study would be required to determine whether patients who meet the inclusion criteria could be recruited in a timely manner and in sufficient numbers to conduct a formal evaluation of effectiveness.

Stapes surgery in Sweden: evaluation of a national-based register.

The aim of the National Quality Registries is to monitor the outcome of healthcare given to patients. The Swedish Quality register for otosclerosis surgery is one of the nine official national registers for ear, nose and throat diseases in Sweden. Since 2004, surgical and audiological results and patient satisfaction scores have been systematically collected from a majority of the ear, nose and throat clinics performing stapes surgery in Sweden. The results of 1688 patients who underwent primary operations for otosclerosis were evaluated for 24 out of totally 26 clinics performing stapes surgery, between 2004 and 2010. The most common surgical technique reported was stapedotomy accomplished in an overnight stay. A majority of patients experienced improved hearing, and were satisfied with the preoperative counselling. Successful surgery, defined as an ABG closure ≤10 dB HL, was achieved in 69%, improvement in AC by ≥20 dB in 63% and BC not worsened by more than ≥5 dB in 93% of the patients. An overall low incidence of postoperative complications was reported. The outcome for ABG and BC was demonstrated to be independent of the number of operations performed by each clinic. An evaluation of the register and the results from the SQOS revealed that stapes surgery is a safe procedure with good hearing outcomes, low complication rates and a high rate of patient's satisfaction on a national level.

[Conditional probability analysis between tinnitus and comorbidities in patients attending the National Rehabilitation Institute-LGII in the period 2012-2013]. / Análisis de probabilidad condicional entre el acúfeno y comorbilidades asociadas en pacientes que acudieron al Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación-LGII en el periodo 2012-2013.

BACKGROUND: Tinnitus is defined as the conscious perception of a sensation of sound that occurs in the absence of an external stimulus. This audiological symptom affects 7% to 19% of the adult population. The aim of this study is to describe the associated comorbidities present in patients with tinnitus usingjoint and conditional probability analysis. PATIENTS: Patients of both genders, diagnosed with unilateral or bilateral tinnitus, aged between 20 and 45 years, and had a full computerised medical record, were selected. METHODS: Study groups were formed on the basis of the following clinical aspects: 1) audiological findings; 2) vestibular findings; 3) comorbidities such as, temporomandibular dysfunction, tubal dysfunction, otosclerosis and, 4) triggering factors of tinnitus noise exposure, respiratory tract infection, use of ototoxic and/or drugs. RESULTS: Of the patients with tinnitus, 27 (65%) reported hearing loss, 11 (26.19%) temporomandibular dysfunction, and 11 (26.19%) with vestibular disorders. When performing the joint probability analysis, it was found that the probability that a patient with tinnitus having hearing loss was 2742 0.65, and 2042 0.47 for bilateral type. The result for P (A ∩ B)=30%. Bayes' theorem P (AiB) = P(Ai∩B)P(B) was used, and various probabilities were calculated. Therefore, in patients with temporomandibulardysfunction and vestibular disorders, a posterior probability of P (Aі/B)=31.44% was calculated. CONCLUSIONS: Consideration should be given to the joint and conditional probability approach as tools for the study of different pathologies.

Relation of otosclerosis and osteoporosis: A bone mineral density study.

OBJECTIVE: Otosclerosis and osteoporosis are metabolic bone diseases. In this paper, we investigated presence of osteoporosis with bone mineral density test in patients who had surgery for otosclerosis. METHODS: We included 27 patients who had conductive hearing loss and diagnosed with otosclerosis during an exploratory tympanotomy, and 30 healthy controls into this study. Bone mineral densitometry test was used for analysis of osteoporosis. T-scores of the patients and the controls obtained from L1-L4 vertebrae and femur neck were compared. In addition, the relations of duration of the disease, air and bone conduction thresholds, and air-bone gap in the operated ear with 25(OH)D3 levels, T-scores obtained from L1-L4 vertebrae and femur neck were investigated in the otosclerosis group. RESULTS: T-score obtained from L1-L4 region was -1.14±1.05 in the otosclerosis group, and was -0.56±1.10 in the control group; the difference was statistically significant (p=0.045). The T-scores obtained from the femur neck were -0.59±0.82 and 0.03±0.74 in the otosclerosis and the control groups respectively, with a statistically significant difference in between (p=0.004). As the air and bone conduction thresholds and the air-bone gaps of the patients with otosclerosis increased, 25(OH)D3 levels and T-scores decreased, but the differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The relation between otosclerosis and osteoporosis was shown with bone mineral density test in our study. T-scores of the otosclerosis patients were found smaller than the normal population.