Comparison of various bone cement ossiculoplasty techniques and functional results

Abstract

Objective: In this study, functional results of different bone cement ossiculoplasty techniques are compared.Methods: Retrospective case review at a tertiary referral center. Patients who underwent middle ear surgery and bone cement ossiculoplasty between 2006-2012 were included. A total of 52 patients, including 30 patients with Incus to stapes' (Group 1) and 13 patients with malleus to stapes' (Group 2), five patients with incudoplasty+stapedotomy' (Group 3), and four patients with malleus to incus' (Group 4) ossiculoplasty were enrolled in the study. Pre-operative and post-operative audiological findings of each group were evaluated.Results: The mean hearing gain (the difference between pre-operative and post-operative air bone gap (ABG)) was 13dB for Group 1, 30dB for Group 2, 24dB for Group 3, and 9dB for Group 4. The pre-operative air pure tone averages (PTA) of groups 1, 2, and 3 improved significantly in the post-operative period (p<0.05). Closure of post-operative ABG of patients to less than 20dB and 10dB were as follows: approximate to 70% and 43% in group 1; 86% and 76% in group 2; 100% and 60% in group 3; and 75% and 50% in group 4, respectively.Conclusions: The results showed that glass ionomer cement is a simple and effective method for reconstruction of ossicular discontinuity in various ossicular chain pathologies and can be an alternative to conventional rebridging techniques such as sculpted incus interposition or partial ossicular replacement prosthesis (PORP).