Comparison between 2 laser systems, Er-Yag and CO2, in stapes surgery.

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare 2 laser systems, Er-Yag and CO2, in stapes surgery.

Study Design: The study design was retrospective.

Setting: The study was conducted at an academic tertiary referral center.

Patients: There were 88 women and 34 man in the analyzed group. The study was carried out on 142 ears: 52 on the right ear, 50 on the left ear, and 20 bilateral. Forty-seven ears underwent a CO2 laser-assisted stapedotomy, and 95 underwent Er-Yag-assisted stapedotomy; 23 left and 24 right ears were operated on using the CO2 laser. The Er-Yag laser was used in 48 right and 47 left ears. The follow-up time was at least 1 year.

Results: When the postoperative air-bone gap was compared with the preoperative air-bone gap for the 2 laser systems using the Student t test, as well as the Mann-Whitney U test, no statistical differences were found between the 2 groups, that is, with the use of Er-Yag and CO2 lasers. Also, no statistically significant differences were measured over all frequencies by the Student t test between preoperative and postoperative bone conduction in each group.

Conclusion: To sum up, our observations have proven the usefulness of 2 laser systems: CO2 and Er-Yag lasers in stapes surgery. In both groups, a decrease in the hearing threshold was obtained.