The Impact of the Frequency-Specific Preoperative Sensorineural Hearing Loss to Postoperative Overclosure of Bone Conduction in Stapedotomy.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the frequency-specific relationships between the preoperative sensorineural hearing loss and postoperative overclosure of bone conduction (BC) threshold after stapedotomy. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 207 otosclerosis patients who underwent stapedotomy in our hospital. Pre- and postoperative audiometry were collected between patients with or without preoperative sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) component (i.e., SNHL group and non-SNHL group, respectively). Overclosure rate (OR), deterioration rate (DR), and their significant values (i.e., SOR or SDR) were compared between the sub-groups at each frequency to access the frequency-specific outcomes. RESULTS: There were 69 patients in non-SNHL group and 138 patients in SNHL group. Postoperative success rate was similar in non-SNHL group and SNHL group. For frequency-specific outcomes, both the OR and SOR were significantly obvious in all SNHL subgroups than those in non-SNHL subgroups (p < 0.001), except at 4 kHz for SOR. Extent of overclosure and significant overclosure were more obvious in SNHL subgroups than those in non-SNHL subgroups (p < 0.01). The DR and SDR of BC were significantly obvious at 1k to 4 kHz in non-SNHL subgroups than those in SNHL subgroups (p < 0.01), however, not so for the extent of deterioration (p > 0.05). Frequency-specific success rate was similar at each frequency. CONCLUSION: Stapedotomy was efficient and safe in patients with or without SNHL component preoperatively. Frequency-specific overclosure effect was more obvious in all tone frequencies in SNHL subgroups than those in non-SNHL subgroups. For frequency-specific outcomes, about 50% BC with preoperative SNHL component at tone frequency meet postoperative significant overclosure effect, which was most obvious at low frequencies.