Surgery for otosclerosis in children

Abstract Although otosclerosis in childhood is not common in the United States, we have done 62 stapes procedures in 43 patients who were under age 20 at the time of their initial surgery. There were 16 males and 27 females who developed a conductive hearing loss due to otosclerosis between age 6 and 17. The most common age at onset was 12 and 13 years, perhaps suggesting a relationship to puberty. Of these children and teenagers, 42% had severe oval window otosclerosis. Teflon wire prostheses were used in 33% of the operations and wire loop prostheses in most of the remainder; 27% had preoperative bone conduction of 25 dB or worse, indicating the presence of cochlear otosclerosis. The results of stapedectomy were good and approximately equal to that of adult patients.