Loss of stapes prosthesis into vestibule during stapedectomy: a case report.

We present a unique case of intraoperative loss of a piston prosthesis into the right vestibule of a 47-year-old man during stapedectomy. Despite the fact that the prosthesis remains unfixed in the scala vestibuli at the basal turn of the cochlea, the patient has remained nearly asymptomatic in his right ear for approximately 2 years. We discuss the patient's presenting condition, operative course, and our diagnostic and management strategy in this case.