Audiological assessment in 79 patients with tympanosclerosis

Objective To conduct audiological assessment in patients with tympanosclerosis.Methods A retrospective review was conducted in 79 patients with tympanosclerosis(involving 79 ears)with complete records,including 30 patients(30 ears)with fixed Malleus-incus complex,29(29 ears)with fixed stapes,and 20(20 ears)with fixations of both the stapes footplate and the Malleus-incus complex.Audiometry was performed for all the patients one or two days before operation,and the audiological features of the patients were compared between the 3 groups.Results Most of the patients(65.8%)suffered conductive hearing loss,32.9% had mixed deafness,and one patient had sensorineural hearing loss.No statistically significant differences was noted in the speech frequency(0.5,1,and 2 kHz)air conduction pure tone average(PTA)or the air-bone gap(ABG)in the 3 groups(P0.05).Conclusion Most of the patients with tympanosclerosis suffer conductive hearing loss,and the severity of hearing loss is not associated with the site of tympanosclerosis.