Stapedotomy Favorable Outcome on Osteosclerosis Patient's with High Pitch Tinnitus

Otosclerosis is a primary disease of the temporal bone and oticcapsule with autosomal dominant transmission and variable expression. The exact pathogenesisand factors affecting tinnitus in otosclerosis patients are unknown. This study aims to find the effect of stapes surgery on improving tinnitus in otosclerosispatients.

This study aims to find the effect of stapes surgery on improving tinnitus in otosclerosis patients.

Twenty-nine otosclerosis patients with preoperative tinnitus were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into three groups; patients with high pitch tinnitus (>2 kHz), patients with medium pitch frequency (500-2000 Hz), and patients with low pitch frequency (<500 Hz). In addition, a visual analog scale was used to evaluate tinnitus severity.

In our study, 15 (51%) patients' tinnitus showed significant improvement, 5 (17%) patients' tinnitus converted to medium and low frequency, and nine (31%) patients' tinnitus remained unchanged. The majority of subjects (24, 83%) have decreased VAS scores (p= 0.001), and 5 (17%) patients remained unchanged. Results of pre and postoperative ABG showed that 82.3% of subjects (n=27) have postoperative ABG<10, and 18% (n=6) have ABG of 10 to 20. The patient's mean ABG was decreased from 35.9 ± 10.7 dB before surgery to 9.03 ± 7.9 dB after surgery (p= 0.001).

Patients high pitched tinnitus may be a better candidate for stapes surgery, although others can also benefit from surgical intervention.