Prognostic factors influencing postoperative air-bone gap in stapes surgery.

Objective: Otosclerosis is an osteodystrophic disease of the otic capsule, determining conductive or mixed hearing loss, which can be successfully treated with stapedotomy. The aim of the present multicentric retrospective study was to identify prognostic factors related to better auditory outcomes in stapes surgery.

Methods: 581 patients affected by otosclerosis were submitted to stapedotomy under local anaesthesia in two different hospitals.