How can otosclerosis be treated?

Question

Hello doctor,

I was diagnosed with otosclerosis of left ear at age 42. Thirty years later, I am now 72 and wonder if the condition has likely progressed and/or if surgical correction is still possible or advisable. I have good hearing in my right ear. I recently had a wax impaction in the right significantly reducing hearing and it got me thinking perhaps I should have had the surgery.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Otosclerosis often causes mixed hearing loss and can cause a maximum hearing loss of 60 to 70 db hearing loss which can be serviced to a good degree by doing stapedotomy. However, aging often causes presbyacusis that is an age-induced hearing loss which is neural and not salvageable by surgery. Since stapedotomy is a procedure done under local anesthesia, it may be still considered. However, it is possible if there is no significant SNHL (sensorineural hearing loss).