Background Hearing loss in otosclerosis is caused due to abnormal bone growth in the otic capsule.
The current standard of care for surgical management of otosclerosis is small fenestra
stapedotomy, which can be done using CO2 lasers or by conventional methods. In this case series, we assessed postoperative
hearing outcomes in patients who underwent LASER stapedotomies and compared them to
patients who underwent the classical method of stapedotomies.
Aim To assess whether laser stapedotomies are superior to classical stapedotomies in
terms of hearing outcome.
Methods The medical charts of four patients who underwent laser stapedotomies were retrospectively
reviewed and compared with four age-matched controls who underwent classical stapedotomies.
Results The postoperative air conduction thresholds and air–bone gaps at 250, 500, 1,000,
2,000, and 4,000 Hz were studied. There was found to be no statistically significant
difference in the postoperative hearing between the two groups.
Conclusion There appears to be no significant difference in the postoperative hearing outcomes
irrespective of the surgical method used.
Clinical Significance Otosclerosis is one of the causes for conductive hearing loss in several Indian patients.
The use of CO2 laser has been rising recently owing to its no touch principle and
high precision. However, the cost for the patient as well as the hospital has increased
greatly by the use of lasers. As the main outcome for a successful stapedotomy is
improvement in hearing, the decision of which method to use should be based on clinical
factors and financial ability of the patients.
