Otosclerosis Surgery

Total or partial hearing loss is what complicates communication considerably, and makes a person feel handicapped. One-side or bilateral otosclerosis is a common reason for loss of hearing, and though this disease is complicated, it can be treated by various means.

What is Otosclerosis?

As we know an ear consists of three parts: inner ear, middle ear, and external ear. Damage or defects of these parts make up for hearing impairment. Otosclerosis is hardening in the ear of the bones in the middle area. Sometimes hardening spreads to the inner ear and the stapes – combination of impairments is typical of this disease.

Types of Otosclerosis

1. Cochlear (when it spreads to the inner ear and affects nerve function). It may become permanent, and if it affects balance canals, a person may be unsteady.
2. Stapedial (spreads to stirrup or stapes and interferes with the motion of ear fluid). In this case, an otosclerosis ear can be treated with the help of surgery.
3. Fenestral otosclerosis takes place when abnormal bones are entrapped on the stapes plate, and oval windows are involved, too.

Symptoms

First and foremost, a telltale sign of the disease is loss of hearing. Affected people may even be unaware about it, being notified only by friends and family who find it hard to communicate normally. A person suffering from otosclerosis conductive hearing loss may unwittingly start reading lips when talking to people – that helps to compensate loss of information. What else accompanies the disease?

• Noises in ear.
• Tinnitus – a more serious condition that manifests into hearing hissing sound, pulsation or some discreet tones. It can be eradicated with the help of surgery.

Methods of Otosclerosis Treatment

If only one ear is affected, a person may ignore the problem and just adapt to peculiarities of hearing. However, it does not seem to be a reasonable choice: hearing may be still disturbed by blockage of another ear with wax or water. Generally, there is no medication that can decrease the symptoms of disease or cure it. Sometimes, food supplements with fluoride are prescribed to slow down or stop the process of hearing loss. However, their intake has some side-effects, such as digestion disorders, allergy and skin itching, and pains in joints.

Amplification

If a patient is not a subject to operation, or does not want to go through it, he or she may try hearing aids for otosclerosis. This is a good alternative that can make everyday communication simple again. It can also be installed together with temporal bone implant.

Otosclerosis Surgery

This is the most reliable and effective method for treatment of otosclerosis. It is recommended for people with one-side hearing impairment, and necessary for those who face bilateral hearing loss. There are two basic types of surgeries.

Stapedectomy

This procedure is preferable in many cases, and allows correcting early stages of otosclerosis. During such operation, sclerotic stape footstep is cut out and replaced with an implant, what brings improvement of hearing, at least temporary. Usually, it is made under local anesthesia, and it requires a short period of hospitalization. With this operation, sound transmission from eardrum to the inner ear becomes possible again. About 90% of operations bring permanent relief. However, people with conductive hearing loss are likely to experience recurrence.

Stapedotomy

This is a more advanced and modern variant of the mentioned operation. During this procedure, a small hole is drilled in the stapes footplate by a micro-laser, and a piston-like prosthesis is placed instead. The success of the procedure depends mostly on doctor’s skills, and it is preferred under normal conditions.

Recovery after surgery is minimal: a person may get back home the same or next day after operation. A person may get back to work in a week, travel by car soon after, and by air – in two weeks.

Side Effects

People who underwent operation may face various complications or side effects. First, further hearing impairment takes place in 2% of cases as the result of infection, scar, spasms of blood vessels, etc. Tinnitus, dizziness, face weakness and eardrum perforation are among the rest side effects.

Where to Seek for Medical Help?

German Medical Group offers extensive choice of clinic for patients from Europe. Why is it a reasonable choice?

1. Europeans don’t need Visa to enter Germany.
2. Trip within Europe will cost about $90-200, while flying to the USA is worth more than $500-1000.
3. Otosclerosis surgery cost in Germany is about 20-40% less than in other developed countries, for instance, the USA.
4. Patients don’t need entrepreneurs – many German doctors speak English well.
5. Advanced German medicine uses the most effective and reliable methods of treatment.