Tinnitus and otosclerosis.

Fifty patients with otosclerosis and tinnitus were studied for the course of the tinnitus after stapes surgery. Tinnitus disappeared in 64% of the cases, improved in 16%, was unchanged in 14%, and worsened in 6%. The reduction in tinnitus was more favorable after a small fenestra stapedotomy than after a partial stapedectomy with removal of the posterior half of the footplate. An unfavorable postoperative course of tinnitus did not appear to be linked to the postoperative audiometric result. In our study the subjective evaluation of pitch and loudness of the tinnitus did not provide significant information regarding its prognosis.