Does stapes surgery improve tinnitus in patients with otosclerosis?

The Prevalence of Hearing Impairments in Women with Silicone Breast Implants

Many women with silicone breast implants (SBIs) report non-specific complaints, including hearing impairments. Hearing impairment appears to be associated with a number of autoimmune conditions. The current study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and severity of hearing impairments among women with SBIs and to explore potential improvements in their hearing capability following implant removal. Symptomatic women with SBIs (n = 160) underwent an initial anamnestic interview, and women who reported hearing impairments were selected for the study. These women completed self-report telephone questionnaires regarding their hearing difficulties. Some of these women underwent subjective and objective hearing tests. Out of 159 (50.3%) symptomatic women with SBIs, 80 reported hearing impairments, including hearing loss (44/80; 55%) and tinnitus (45/80; 56.2%). Five out of seven (71.4%) women who underwent an audiologic evaluation exhibited hearing loss. Of women who underwent silicone implant removal, 27 out of 47 (57.4%) reported the improvement or resolution of their hearing complaints. In conclusion, hearing impairment is a frequent complaint among symptomatic women with SBIs, and tinnitus was found to be the most common complaint. A significant reduction in hearing difficulties was observed following silicone implant removal. Further studies using larger populations are needed to verify the occurrence of hearing impairments in these women.

Retrospective Study of 157 Patients with Otosclerosis to Evaluate Association Between Carhart Notch on the Preoperative Bone-Conduction Audiogram and Postoperative Hearing and Balance Evaluated by the Vestibular Disorders Activities of Daily Living Scale

BACKGROUND A Carhart notch in the pure tone audiogram can be an indicator of stapes fixation in otosclerosis. This retrospective study of 157 patients with otosclerosis aimed to evaluate the association between the presence of a Carhart notch on the preoperative bone-conduction audiogram and postoperative hearing and balance evaluated by the Vestibular Disorders Activities of Daily Living scale. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients with suspected otosclerosis based on medical history and audiometric tests were considered. The analysis included 157 consecutive patients who underwent surgery in the years 2016 to 2019, in whom the diagnosis of otosclerosis was confirmed during surgery. Carhart notch was defined as an impairment in the bone conduction threshold of ≥7.5 dB for 2000 Hz frequencies above the mean thresholds at higher and lower adjacent frequencies. The Vestibular Disorders Activities of Daily Living subjective scale was used in the preoperative period and 4 and 12 months after surgery. RESULTS The preoperative presence of Carhart notch and progressive sensorineural hearing loss were statistically significantly correlated with more common onset of tinnitus and then dizziness (P=0.006). Preoperative vertigo was observed in patients who had Carhart notch observed in the preoperative audiometric test. This vertigo more commonly coexisted with profound sensorineural hearing loss and minor or no improvement in average values of bone conduction after surgery (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS Preoperative Carhart notch on audiogram and the severity of sensorineural hearing loss were associated with tinnitus and vertigo. However, preoperative Carhart notch was not associated with persistent postoperative tinnitus in patients with cochlear otosclerosis.

Tinnitus and Otosclerosis: An Exploratory Study about the Prevalence, Features and Impact in Daily Life

Introduction  Tinnitus is experienced by a significant part of the patients suffering from otosclerosis.

Objective  To assess the prevalence of tinnitus in otosclerosis, its main features, and the impact on the daily life.

Methods  Patients diagnosed with otosclerosis in 2019 in a tertiary hospital were enrolled in the study. Demographic data were retrieved and, besides a regular audiometric evaluation, the patients underwent acuphenometry to assess the psychoacoustic measurements (pitch and loudness), and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI).

Results  In total, 66 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria, with a female predominance (63.6%; n = 42), and a mean age of 48.7 years. The mean air-bone gap was of 26.3 dB. A total of 72.7% complained of tinnitus; it was mostly unilateral, identified in the low frequencies, namely 500 Hz, with median loudness of 7.5 dB. The median score on the THI score was of 37; most patients had a mild handicap (33.3%, n = 16), followed by those with a severe handicap (22.9%; n = 11). The female gender had a statistically significant association with the presence of tinnitus. The THI scores were higher in middle-aged patients (age groups: 40 to 49 and 50 to 59 years), which was statistically significant. No correlation was found between audiometry results and the prevalence of tinnitus or score on the THI. On the other hand, high-pitched tinnitus, compared to low pitched-tinnitus, was associated with larger air-bone gaps.

Conclusion  The prevalence of tinnitus in our population was in line with the prevalences reported in the literature. It caused a catastrophic handicap in 22.9% of the patients. High-pitched tinnitus was associated with higher handicap. Nonetheless, the existence of tinnitus and its severity were not associated with the degree of hearing loss.

Whether cochlea involvement on CT in otosclerosis patients impacts the effect of stapedotomy

BACKGROUND

The success rate of stapedotomy in otosclerosis patients with cochlea involvement was unknown.

AIMS/OBJECTIVES

To determine the difference of surgical outcomes and symptomatology in otosclerosis patients with or without cochlea involvement on CT.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

79 otosclerosis patients were included and grouped by HRCT, including cochlear-involved otosclerosis (C-group) or non-cochlear-involved otosclerosis (NC-group, control group). Patients were defined as NC-group in the presence of normal or solely fenestral involvement, or C-group if the hypodensities involve other parts of the labyrinthine bone Patients in the control group were collected at a 2:1 ratio to the C-group with similar follow-up times. Detailed complaints and surgical outcomes were compared between these groups.

RESULTS

Chief complaints were similar in the C-group and NC-group. Although postoperative AC, BC, and ABG decreased significantly in both groups, the success rate was significantly higher in C-group regarding the postoperative ABG ≤10 dB. Furthermore, diffuse lesions may indicate a more severe disease and a poorer prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE

Stapedotomy was effective for clinical otosclerosis. The surgical outcome was inferior favorable for cochlea involvement patients, especially for cases with widely involvement. There was no difference in chief complaints among patients with different CT degree of otosclerosis.

How effect is educational counseling prior to middle ear surgery for patients with both middle ear diseases and consistent tinnitus?

Background: The management of patients with tinnitus who receive middle ear surgery has not been established.Aims: The aim of this study is (1) how many patients who receive middle ear surgery have tinnitus and (2) how educational counselling and middle ear surgery is effective with consistent tinnitus.Subjects and methods: Twenty four cases out of 90 cases accounted for 26.7% of the middle ear diseases scheduled for surgery in the past two years. Of the 42 patients with hearing loss in the second year, 14 had consistent and intermittent tinnitus. Among them we have 6 patients complaining consistent tinnitus and we examined the change in the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) for patients with tinnitus before and after surgery.Results: Ten out of 13 cases (about 76.9%) reported that postoperative tinnitus improved. THI score in two cases showed worse.Conclusions and significance: Two cases showed worse THI in both mixed hearing loss cases with a small hearing improvement. The mechanism of improvement is similar to tinnitus retraining therapy including hearing aid because the increase in external sound input through hearing restoration after surgery to avoid silence.

Prevalence and Severity of Tinnitus in Otosclerosis: Preliminary Findings from Validated Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES

In addition to progressive hearing loss, subjective tinnitus is one of the primary symptoms of the otosclerosis development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and severity of preoperative tinnitus among a group of consecutive adult patients with otosclerosis, using standardized research tools.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included 157 cases of clinical otosclerosis (106 women, 51 men). All patients were tested using pure-tone audiometry. The preoperative prevalence and severity of tinnitus were tested using three validated questionnaires: The Tinnitus and Hearing Survey (THS-POL), Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI-POL), and Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI-Pl).

RESULTS

Preliminary results showed that 107 of 157 patients with otosclerosis (68.2%) had preoperative tinnitus. Of them, 51 (47.7%) had unilateral tinnitus (in the ear that qualified for stapes surgery), and 56 (52.3%) had bilateral tinnitus. The THS results showed that for 23.4% patients, tinnitus was a problem equal to or greater than hearing loss. The average result of the TFI-Pl questionnaire was 31.6 points, and for THI-POL, it was 38.6 points, indicating that preoperative tinnitus was moderately severe. The statistical analysis did not reveal a correlation between the tinnitus severity and audiometric results (p>0.05). The severity of tinnitus did not differ significantly between men and women (p>0.05), although the TFI-Pl and THI-POL questionnaires indicated that the tinnitus severity generally increased with age in women, while it decreased in men.

CONCLUSION

This is a scientific study conducted to evaluate the prevalence and severity of preoperative tinnitus in Polish patients with otosclerosis, using three validated questionnaires.

Clinically important change in tinnitus sensation after stapedotomy

Background

When measuring the treatment effect in tinnitus with multi-item outcome instruments, it is crucial for both clinical and research purposes to take into consideration clinical importance of the outcome scores. The aim of the present study is to determine minimal important change (MIC) in tinnitus which is clinically meaningful to patients with otosclerosis.

Methods

The study population was 95 patients with otosclerosis, suffering from tinnitus. They completed the Tinnitus Functional Index before stapedotomy and 3 months after the surgery. The minimal important change was estimated with the Clinical Global Impression Scale as the external criterion (anchor). The mean change method and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) method were used to determine minimal important change in tinnitus sensation.

Results

The improvement in tinnitus after stapedotomy was reported by 69.4% of the patients with otosclerosis. Minimal important change in tinnitus was estimated as reduction of 8.8 points in the Tinnitus Functional Index.

Conclusions

The anchor-based approach using an external criterion (anchor) allows to determine change in tinnitus sensation which is meaningful to patients after stapedotomy. The value of 8.8 points in Tinnitus Functional Index could be used as benchmark of stapedotomy effectiveness in otosclerosis patients suffering from tinnitus. Hearing difficulties comorbid with tinnitus could affect the perception of tinnitus change.

New chamber stapes prosthesis - A preliminary assessment of the functioning of the prototype

Piston-stapedotomy is the most common method for hearing restoration in patients with otosclerosis. In this study, we have experimentally examined a prototype of a new chamber stapes prosthesis. The prototype was implanted in a human cadaver temporal bone. The round window vibrations before and after implantation were measured for the acoustic signal (90 dB SPL, 0.8–8 kHz) in the external auditory canal. In comparison with a 0.4-mm piston prosthesis, the chamber prosthesis induced significantly higher vibration of the round window, especially for frequencies above 1.5 kHz. Based on the results, it can be surmised that stapedotomy with a chamber stapes prosthesis could provide better hearing results in comparison with the piston-stapedotomy.