Conditions
Most hearing loss that ear surgery can help lies in the middle ear: the eardrum and the chain of three small bones. These pages explain each condition, how it is diagnosed, and the range of reasonable responses — including doing nothing yet.
Condition Otosclerosis What otosclerosis is, how stapes fixation causes conductive hearing loss, how it is diagnosed, and the balanced choice between observation, hearing aids and stapedotomy. Condition Eardrum perforation Why eardrums perforate, why many heal on their own, how a hole affects hearing, and when tympanoplasty is worth considering. Condition Ossicular disorders How the malleus, incus and stapes can become fixed, eroded or disconnected, what this does to hearing, and how reconstruction is planned. Condition Cholesteatoma What a cholesteatoma is, why it must be removed, why disease control comes before hearing, and what surgery and follow-up involve. Condition Chronic middle-ear disease Chronic otitis media explained: the discharging ear, the difference between safe and unsafe disease, medical treatment, and when surgery is the answer. Condition Complex conductive hearing loss Conductive hearing loss with a normal eardrum, a failed previous operation, a third-window lesion, or a mixed picture — how to reassess before deciding on surgery.