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 Treatment without surgery Otosclerosis treatment without surgery: watchful waiting, hearing aids, bone-conduction devices, and what trials show for sodium fluoride and bisphosphonates. Condition Otosclerosis and pregnancy Otosclerosis and pregnancy: what studies show about hearing changes, hormones and the pill, timing of stapedotomy, hearing aids and heredity. Condition Otosclerosis in both ears Bilateral otosclerosis: why the worse ear is operated first, how long to wait before the second ear, its results and risks, and surgery plus a hearing aid. Condition Far-advanced otosclerosis Far-advanced otosclerosis: when hearing aids no longer give clear speech, how stapedotomy and a cochlear implant compare, and how the choice is reasoned. 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 Retraction pocket Eardrum retraction pocket explained: pars tensa and attic retraction, Sadé and Tos staging, the real risk of cholesteatoma, monitoring and treatment. 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 Eustachian tube dysfunction Eustachian tube dysfunction treatment: a blocked ear that won't pop, the ETDQ-7, nasal care, balloon dilation trials, grommets and the patulous tube. 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. Condition Surfer's ear Surfer's ear (ear canal exostoses): how cold water and wind cause bone growth, the symptoms, prevention with earplugs, and when canal surgery is reasonable. Condition Superior canal dehiscence Superior canal dehiscence (Minor syndrome): autophony, sound- or pressure-induced vertigo, a hearing loss that mimics otosclerosis, diagnosis and surgery.