Stapedectomy is the removal of the middle ear to improve hearing. There are three bones in the middle ear - the incus, the malleus and the stapes. The stapes bone gets removes for better hearing, with an instrument called otoscope. Online medical videos can help to understand the procedure better.
After this procedure, if severe dizziness and vertigo occurs, it indicates the incomplete seal between the fluids of the middle ear and the inner ear. If this is the case, it calls for immediate bed rest and examination by the ear surgeon. Experiencing dizziness and headache is common for the first two days after surgery. There is a swelling and as it subsides, and the ear drum dries up and the packing absorbed or removed, the hearing improves within two weeks and continuously gets better over next 3 months. The patients suffering from tinnitus before the surgery will get good relief within a month and half of the procedure. And almost 90% patients have significant improvement in hearing while only about 8% experience minor improvements.
The percentage of risks and complications is very low in the stapedectomy procedure as it is very safe. Only 2% of patients may have added hearing loss in the operated ear while 1% may lose hearing completely. While 9% patients may have disturbances in their sense of taste, only negligible 0.1% patients can experience rare complications like damaged eardrum, infection and facial nerve palsy.
The other alternatives to medical procedure are medications, stapedetomy, hearing aids or just waiting for good results. While some with mild hearing loss may support watchful waiting and postpone the surgery, some may go for hearing aids. Though medications are not specific that cure otosclerosis, fluoride or calcium contents are effective to prevent hearing loss by slowing down abnormal bone growth. But such medications are not used during pregnancy and doctors consultation happens.
Another alternative is the stapedotomy surgical procedure similar to stapedectomy. The only difference is that the surgeon uses the laser to cut a hole in the stapes to insert the prosthesis rather than removing the stapes. In addition, some ear surgeons use the laser to free the stapes bone without inserting prosthesis. This variation, however, works best in patients with only mild otosclerosis.
It is important to have awareness about the consequences of chosen surgical procedures and its alternatives for safety and alertness. Alertness becomes important during the spread about detailed information on every medical ailment for a better and healthy living.
A stapedectomy is a surgical procedure of the middle ear performed to improve hearing. Find out about Stapedectomy surgery and other online medical videos from our website.
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