Hearing aids poststapedectomy: incidence and timing.

Ninety-four percent of 508 patients operated on between 1960 and 1975 have been followed-up at yearly intervals. Their status as of 1977 was assessed in order to determine their mean duration of socially adequate hearing levels and to relate the type of surgical procedure to the interval between operation and hearing aid requirement. Postoperative hearing losses due to conduction and sensorineural deficits resulted in preoperative bone/postoperative air gaps greater than 10 dB in up to 40% of large fenestra operations and in 15% of small fenestra operations at 5 years. On average, a large fenestra ear would require amplification at 13 years and a small fenestra ear at 21 years postoperatively.