Go to a printable page!
| Lasers in Otology | |
| "Lasers in Stapedectomy" Otosclerosis is a disease process in which fixation of the stapes is caused by abnormal bone which is deposited in the oval window of the middle ear. This causes conductive hearing loss because vibrations cannot be transmitted easily from the tympanic membrane across the ossicular chain into the cochlea. Stapedectomy is the best management for the conductive hearing loss caused by otosclerosis. In this surgery, the stapes is replaced with a small piston prosthesis in order to restore the transmission of sound vibrations from the tympanic membrane through the oval window. Microlaser stapedectomy is an atraumatic technique which can be employed to minimize bone removal in the oval window. Because there is less surgical manipulation of the inner ear, superior patient outcomes are achieved and there are fewer postoperative complications such as balance difficulties, nausea, or other problems which are sever enough to require hospitalization. | |