Surgical treatment of otosclerosis using a unique stapes prosthesis without a hook

Abstract

Background During stapes surgery, the Teflon wire piston prosthesis is prone to postoperative ‘slips’ and subsequent necrosis and fracture of the long process of the incus. Aims/Objective We invented and used a novel cup-shaped apatite prosthesis to reduce the incidence of necrosis of the long process of the incus and analysed the postoperative results. Material and methods Thirty-one ears in 25 patients with otosclerosis who underwent stapes surgery with our apatite prosthesis were evaluated. Results The air conduction improved by 24.0 dB (the average) from pre- to post-operation. Additionally, 84.8% of patients achieved an air–bone gap of ≤10 dB for the 4-frequency measurements (p < .01). Conclusions Our findings indicate that our new prosthesis was associated with a good postoperative prognosis in patients with otosclerosis. Significance Our unique prosthesis yielded good outcomes for the treatment of otosclerosis even in the short term.