Hearing benefit in middle ear reconstructive surgery: A comparative study of the current methods.

The objective of this prospective study was to compare two methods of predicting the level of hearing benefit following reconstructive middle ear surgery, namely Glasgow benefit plot and Belfast rule of thumb. The correlation of hearing benefit as measured by using these methods was also compared with patient's self-assessment of his/her hearing status. Sixty patients undergoing middle ear reconstructive surgery were studied. Hearing status was assessed pre and post operatively by pure tone audiometry and self-assessment by patient with a questionnaire. The accuracy of predictability of hearing benefit by the two methods was compared with the patient's own assessment. Relevant literature on the subject is reviewed.