[30 years of stapes surgery].

This study reports the results of otosclerosis surgery performed during the past thirty years (1973-2002) in the ENT Clinic in Katowice. The authors present difficult anatomic relationships in the tympanic cavity which might have an influence on stapes surgery. Audiometric evaluation of 100 bilateral stapedotomies performed in 50 patients revealed that a small--hole stapedotomy is a safe technique and could be performed bilaterally. The group of 55 stapedotomies with stapedial tendon preserved was compared to the group of 55 stapedotomies with dissected tendon. SRT was better in the group where the tendon was preserved. In the group of 32 patients ABR before and after stapedotomy was recorded. The latency of V wave after the operation was reduced to the normal values what indicated a correct function of the ossicular chain postoperatively. In the group of 60 patients DPOAE prior and after stapedotomy was evaluated. Prior to the operation no signal of otoacoustic emission was registered, in 37 patients out of 60 the signal was present after the operation. DPOAE obtained postoperatively indicated successful ossicular chain restoration and inner ear function. Audiometric evaluation in reference to the group of 905 stapedotomies performed in years 1992-2001 showed that most of the patients were in group B--443/905 and C--402/905 according, in A group--60/905 according to Shambaugh. A-B gap < or = 10 dB was obtained in 469/905 (51.8%), the mean of the hearing threshold at 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz was 24.3 dB (+/- 8.3, med. 25.0) in A group and 32.0 dB in B and C group. The result of stapedotomy in reference to tinnitus based on the patients' subjective opinion. We may conclude that the key to the stapes surgery lies in the training and skillfulness of the surgeon using save small hole technique with stapedial tendon preservation to obtain the optimal physiologic function of the middle ear and to gain the best hearing results.