Otosclerosis

What is it?

Otosclerosis is a condition in which there’s abnormal bone growth inside the ear.

The condition is caused by abnormal bone remodelling in the middle ear.
Bone remodelling is a lifelong process in which bone tissue renews itself by replacing old tissue with new.
In otosclerosis, abnormal remodeling disrupts the ability of sound to travel from the middle ear to the inner ear
It’s a fairly common cause of hearing loss in young adults.

There are 3 tiny bones deep inside the ear that vibrate when sound waves enter.
They transmit sound waves to the cochlea (inner ear), which converts them into signals that are sent to the brain.
In otosclerosis, the stapes (‘stirrup bone’) begins to fuse with the surrounding bone, eventually becoming fixed so it cannot move.
This means sound is no longer transmitted into the inner ear efficiently.

Diagnosis Tests

Hearing tests that measure hearing sensitivity (audiogram)
Middle-ear sound conduction (tympanogram).
Imaging tests such as a CT scan

Always get a hearing test and do not ignore it

Cause

Cases seem to run in families, and it’s thought they may be the result of inheriting a faulty gene from a parent.
Condition can occasionally get worse more quickly during pregnancy, which may mean changes in hormone levels sometimes play a role.
Previous measles infection
Stress fractures to the bony tissue surrounding the inner ear
Immune disorders

NHS

Source: https://www.newyorkear.com/what-we-treat/otosclerosis-and-stapedectomy/

Symptoms

Hearing loss that gets gradually worse over time?
Particular difficulty hearing low, deep sounds and whispers?
Speaking quietly because your voice sounds loud to you?
Normal volume sounds exceptionally loud/Increase hearing in affected ear?
Finding it easier to hear when there’s background noise (unlike many other types of hearing loss)?
Hearing sounds, such as buzzing or humming, that come from inside your body (tinnitus)?
Balance and dizziness?

Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:

Hearing loss

Otosclerosis can cause mild to severe hearing loss, but it very rarely causes total deafness.

Always get a hearing test and do not ignore it

One’s hearing usually gets worse gradually over months or a few years, and may continue to get worse if ignored and left untreated.
Very occasionally, otosclerosis can spread to the inner ear, resulting in a greater level of hearing loss that cannot be improved with surgery.

Surgery

The hearing loss can normally be treated successfully with either hearing aids or surgery (stapedectomy, a surgeon inserts a prosthetic device into the middle ear to bypass the abnormal bone and permit sound waves to travel to the inner ear and restore hearing).
Hearing is improved or restored in around 80 to 90% of people who have surgery.
Complications include:
- Losing more or all of your hearing (in about 1 in 100 cases)
- Altered sense of taste (usually temporary)
- New or worsened tinnitus
- Vertigo (usually temporary)
- Facial weakness (very rare)

NHS

This condition may show similar symptoms to:

Superior semicircular canal dehiscence

Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice

Detailed Information

Please copy and paste any key words from the title: Otosclerosis in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments).

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References

https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/otosclerosis

NHS