Otolaryngologic clinics of North America
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Otolaryngol. Clin. North Am. · Apr 2018
ReviewClinical Evaluation of the Patient with Otosclerosis.
Otosclerosis is a disorder presenting most commonly with unilateral conductive hearing loss. It can present as a mixed hearing loss also. Evaluation for otosclerosis relies on a specific history and physical examination, including tuning fork assessment and audiometric testing. Otosclerosis differs from other etiologies in that symptoms of imbalance are rare, and the ear most commonly appears normal on otoscopy.
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The use of imaging in otosclerosis for diagnosis, preoperative assessment, and follow-up has the potential to give the clinician an additional tier of patient evaluation and validation of diagnosis. Before stapes surgery, imaging may help avoid unnecessary middle ear explorations in nonotosclerotic cases, prevent potential complications, and assist in appropriate patient counseling regarding management expectations. Postoperatively, following unsuccessful air-bone gap closure in stapes surgery or conductive hearing deterioration following initial successful closure of the air bone gap, imaging can be used to determine the prosthesis position in the middle ear.
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Otosclerosis is pathologically characterized by abnormal bony remodeling, which includes bone resorption, new bone deposition, and vascular proliferation in the temporal bone. Sensorineural hearing loss in otosclerosis is associated with extension of otosclerosis to the cochlear endosteum and deposition of collagen throughout the spiral ligament. Persistent or recurrent conductive hearing loss after stapedectomy has been associated with incomplete footplate fenestration, poor incus-prosthesis connection, and incus resorption in temporal bone specimens. Human temporal bone pathology has helped to define the role of computed tomography imaging for otosclerosis, confirming that computed tomography is highly sensitive for diagnosis, yet limited in assessing cochlear endosteal involvement.
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Otolaryngol. Clin. North Am. · Apr 2018
ReviewControversies in the Evaluation and Management of Otosclerosis.
Controversies have been associated with the etiology, diagnosis, evaluation, and management of otosclerosis since Valsalva first described stapes fixation as a cause of hearing loss. Although the exact mechanism of the bone remodeling associated with otosclerosis remains uncertain, stapedotomy has been accepted as the surgical treatment of most patients with stapedial otosclerosis. There remains a disparity of opinion, however, regarding the role of preoperative imaging, surgical technique, implant selection, and medical therapy for cochlear otosclerosis. In addition, opinions vary regarding the optimal postoperative care of patients undergoing stapedotomy and a patient's ability to participate in activities that may result in barotrauma.