OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe our results of ossicular reconstruction using bone cement. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective review of 264 patients with chronic suppurative otitis media operated on since 1999. SETTING: Academic tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: : Two hundred sixty-four patients with chronic suppurative otitis media underwent mastoidectomy with tympanoplasty. Eighty patients had incudostapedial disarticulation secondary to infection and or cholesteatoma and were reconstructed using an incus interposition graft (n = 31), a partial ossicular prosthesis (POP; n = 31), or more recently, bone source (n = 18). This study evaluates the results of the ossiculoplasties using bone source. INTERVENTION: Ossicular discontinuity was repaired using bone cement. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Audiometric studies pre- and postintervention were compared. One to 3 years of follow up are provided. RESULTS: Preoperative air-bone gaps ranged from 18 dB to 60 dB and averaged 33 dB. Postoperative air-bone gaps ranged from 1 to 24 dB and averaged 10 dB. No patients have experienced any increase in their persistent conductive hearing loss. The pre-/postoperative hearing loss comparisons showed statistically significant hearing improvement. There were no complications. CONCLUSION: The use of POPs and incus interposition grafts is fraught with the possibility of migration and resultant recurrent conductive hearing loss. Using bone cement to reconstruct the ossicular chain restores the integrity of the ossicular chain in the most natural of ways. This reconstruction technique provides an excellent alternative to currently accepted methods and should be considered for incus-stapes disarticulation. There has been no dissolution of the bone source and the results have persisted thus far.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe our results of ossicular reconstruction using bone cement. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective review of 264 patients with chronic suppurative otitis media operated on since 1999. SETTING: Academic tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: : Two hundred sixty-four patients with chronic suppurative otitis media underwent mastoidectomy with tympanoplasty. Eighty patients had incudostapedial disarticulation secondary to infection and or cholesteatoma and were reconstructed using an incus interposition graft (n = 31), a partial ossicular prosthesis (POP; n = 31), or more recently, bone source (n = 18). This study evaluates the results of the ossiculoplasties using bone source. INTERVENTION: Ossicular discontinuity was repaired using bone cement. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Audiometric studies pre- and postintervention were compared. One to 3 years of follow up are provided. RESULTS: Preoperative air-bone gaps ranged from 18 dB to 60 dB and averaged 33 dB. Postoperative air-bone gaps ranged from 1 to 24 dB and averaged 10 dB. No patients have experienced any increase in their persistent conductive hearing loss. The pre-/postoperative hearing loss comparisons showed statistically significant hearing improvement. There were no complications. CONCLUSION: The use of POPs and incus interposition grafts is fraught with the possibility of migration and resultant recurrent conductive hearing loss. Using bone cement to reconstruct the ossicular chain restores the integrity of the ossicular chain in the most natural of ways. This reconstruction technique provides an excellent alternative to currently accepted methods and should be considered for incus-stapes disarticulation. There has been no dissolution of the bone source and the results have persisted thus far.