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of bone around the footplate, causing the stapes bone to be fixed and unable to vibrate. Stapedotomy is
performed by bypassing the immobile stapes with an artificial piston prosthesis. A very small hole (<
0.8 mm) is created with a laser in the stapes footplate to allow for placement of the prosthesis. If you
have otosclerosis in both ears, only one ear will be operated on at a time, starting with the poorer one.
The second ear, if affected, can have the surgery performed a minimum of one year later, if desired.
Two weeks before surgery: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s) should be strictly avoided
for 2 weeks prior to surgery. Medications in this family include: aspirin, ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin,
Alleve, and naproxen plus others. These medicines may increase the risk of bleeding. Also, discontinue
all homeopathic or alternative medicines such as gingko biloba or ginseng. These too, may increase
bleeding.
Night before surgery: No solid foods (that includes milk, cream, etc.) for 8 hours prior to surgery.
Typically this means no solid foods after midnight before the surgery. Small volumes of clear liquids
may be taken up to 4 hours prior to surgery. This includes water, tea, Gatorade and coffee (with NO
milk or cream).
Hospital stay: Stapedotomy is usually done as an outpatient and does not require an overnight hospital
stay. On occasion, a patient may need to stay overnight. Check with your insurance company to see if
this hospitalization is covered by your policy. A decision to admit overnight may be made after surgery
if necessary.
Lab work: If lab work is needed, it is done prior to surgery. If surgery is done as an out-patient, labs may
be obtained just after the preoperative examination. Your insurance carrier may dictate the lab where the
blood is drawn.
The indications and risks of surgery must be understood prior to proceeding with your surgery. The
alternative to this surgery is no surgery at all, which would leave your ear in its current condition.
Another option is to wear a hearing aid.
SURGICAL RISKS AND COMPLICATIONS
This type of ear surgery has very few serious risks. Complications from stapedotomy are infrequent and
typically related to the presence of uncommon variations in anatomy. Usually the surgical procedure is
performed without difficulty, with a high rate of success.
Excessive bleeding during this surgery is rare.
Post-operative infection is also rare. If this was to occur you could lose the hearing in the operated
ear. Once healed, it is unlikely that a middle ear infection would harm you.
Hearing loss: The incidence of total hearing loss reported is about one in 200 cases. Generally 90% of
patients find a significant improvement in their hearing after surgery. 5 to 10% of patients may not
experience an improvement in their hearing or a reduction in their hearing. If your hearing is not