Small fenestra stapedectomy technique: reducing risk and improving hearing.

During the past 25 years many variations have emerged in stapedectomy, most of which centered around either a change in the prosthesis itself or in the type of oval window seal. The small fenestra stapedectomy technique (SFT) represents a change in surgical procedure rather than in prosthetic design. This technique offers the opportunity to improve hearing results while reducing risks in stapedectomy surgery. Four areas of significant improvement are seen in patients in whom the SFT was used: (1) improved hearing in the high frequencies of 2000, 4000, and 8000 Hz, (2) improved speech discrimination scores, (3) a significant reduction in the number of reported vestibular complaints, and (4) a reduction in the number of serious postoperative sensorineural hearing losses.