Surgical and Medical Treatment of Hearing Loss in Mixed Otosclerosis

OBJECTIVES: We assessed the effect of using preoperative sodium fluoride (NaF) on the difficulty of working with the footplate during stapedectomy and its effect on the postsurgical hearing gain in patients with mixed otosclerosis (i.e., otosclerosis and/or otospongiosis). METHODS: There were 2 groups of patients with mixed otosclerosis. The experimental group was made up of patients with an active focus of the disease; they received NaF for 6 months and then underwent stapedectomy. The control group was made up of patients with an inactive focus of the disease; they underwent stapedectomy without administration of NaF. RESULTS: The difference between the study groups in the degree of difficulty in extracting the footplate was not found to be statistically significant. Both groups had hearing gains in bone and air conduction. The level of posttreatment hearing gain in the group exposed to NaF was greater than that in the nonexposed group. CONCLUSIONS: Sodium fluoride administered to patients with mixed otosclerosis and an active focus of disease does not increase the difficulty of working with the footplate during stapedectomy, and it increases the hearing gain after the procedure.