BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuOtosclerosisOtospongiosis; Hearing loss - otosclerosisOtosclerosis is an abnormal bone growth in the middle ear that causes hearing loss.Hearing lossHearing loss is being partly or totally unable to hear sound in one or both ears.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Causes The exact cause of otosclerosis is unknown. It may be passed down through families.People who have otosclerosis have an abnormal extension of sponge-like bone growing in the middle ear cavity. This growth prevents the ear bones from vibrating normally in response to sound waves. These vibrations are needed in order for you to hear.Otosclerosis is the most common cause of middle ear hearing loss in young adults. It typically begins in early to mid-adulthood. It is more common in women than in men. The condition may affect one or both ears.Risks for this condition include pregnancy and a family history of hearing loss. White people are more likely to develop this condition than people of other races. Symptoms Symptoms include:Hearing loss (slow at first, but worsens over time) Ringing in the affected ear (tinnitus) Ringing in the affected ear (tinnitus)Tinnitus is the medical term for "hearing" noises in your ears. It occurs when there is no outside source of the sounds. Tinnitus is often called "r...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Vertigo or dizziness Exams and Tests A hearing test (audiometry/audiology) may help determine the severity of hearing loss.AudiometryAn audiometry exam tests your ability to hear sounds. Sounds vary, based on their loudness (intensity) and the speed of sound wave vibrations (tone)...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article AudiologyAn audiometry exam tests your ability to hear sounds. Sounds vary, based on their loudness (intensity) and the speed of sound wave vibrations (tone)...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article A special imaging test of the head called a temporal-bone CT may be used to look for other causes of hearing loss. Treatment Otosclerosis may slowly get worse. The condition may not need to be treated until you have more serious hearing problems.Using some medicines such as fluoride, calcium, or vitamin D may help to slow the hearing loss. However, the benefits of these treatments have not yet been proven.Vitamin DVitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body's fatty tissue and liver.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article A hearing aid may be used to treat the hearing loss. This will not cure or prevent hearing loss from getting worse, but it may help with symptoms.Surgery can cure or improve conductive hearing loss. Either all or part of one of the small middle ear bones behind the eardrum (stapes) is removed and replaced with a prosthesis.ProsthesisA prosthesis is a device designed to replace a missing part of the body or to make a part of the body work better. Diseased or missing eyes, arms, h...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article A total replacement is called a stapedectomy. Sometimes only part of the stapes is removed and a small hole is made in the bottom of it. This is called a stapedotomy. Sometimes a laser is used to help with the surgery. Outlook (Prognosis) Otosclerosis gets worse without treatment. Surgery can restore some or all of your hearing loss. Pain and dizziness from the surgery go away within a few weeks for most people.To reduce the risk of complications after surgery:DO NOT blow your nose for 2 to 3 weeks after surgery. Avoid people with respiratory or other infections. RespiratoryThe words "respiratory" and "respiration" refer to the lungs and breathing.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Avoid bending, lifting, or straining, which may cause dizziness. Dizziness.Dizziness is a term that is often used to describe 2 different symptoms: lightheadedness and vertigo. Lightheadedness is a feeling that you might fai...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Avoid loud noises or sudden pressure changes, such as scuba diving, flying, or driving in the mountains until you have healed. If surgery does not work, you may have total hearing loss. Treatment for total hearing loss involves developing skills to cope with deafness, and using hearing aids to transmit sounds from the non-hearing ear to the good ear.DeafnessHearing loss is being partly or totally unable to hear sound in one or both ears.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Possible Complications Complications may include:Complete deafness Abnormal taste in the mouth or loss of taste to part of the tongue, temporary or permanent Infection, dizziness, pain, or a blood clot in the ear after surgery Blood clotBlood clots are clumps that occur when blood hardens from a liquid to a solid. A blood clot that forms inside one of your veins or arteries is calle...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Nerve damage When to Contact a Medical Professional Contact your health care provider if:You have hearing loss You develop fever, ear pain, dizziness, or other symptoms after surgery Open ReferencesReferencesHouse JW, Cunningham CD. Otosclerosis. In: Flint PW, Francis HW, Haughey BH, et al, eds. Cummings Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 146.Ironside JW, Smith C. Central and peripheral nervous systems. In: Cross SS, ed. Underwood Pathology. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 26.O'Handley JG, Tobin EJ, Shah AR. Otorhinolaryngology. In: Rakel RE, Rakel DP, eds. Textbook of Family Medicine. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 18.Rivero A, Yoshikawa N. Otosclerosis. In: Myers EN, Snyderman CH, eds. Operative Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 133.AllVideoImagesTogEar anatomy - illustration The ear consists of external, middle, and inner structures. The eardrum and the 3 tiny bones conduct sound from the eardrum to the cochlea.Ear anatomyillustrationEar anatomy - illustration The ear consists of external, middle, and inner structures. The eardrum and the 3 tiny bones conduct sound from the eardrum to the cochlea.Ear anatomyillustrationRelated Information Hearing loss(Symptoms)Blood clots(Condition) Review Date: 5/30/2022 Reviewed By: Josef Shargorodsky, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. © 1997- All rights reserved. A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.Content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.
OtosclerosisOtospongiosis; Hearing loss - otosclerosisOtosclerosis is an abnormal bone growth in the middle ear that causes hearing loss.Hearing lossHearing loss is being partly or totally unable to hear sound in one or both ears.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Causes The exact cause of otosclerosis is unknown. It may be passed down through families.People who have otosclerosis have an abnormal extension of sponge-like bone growing in the middle ear cavity. This growth prevents the ear bones from vibrating normally in response to sound waves. These vibrations are needed in order for you to hear.Otosclerosis is the most common cause of middle ear hearing loss in young adults. It typically begins in early to mid-adulthood. It is more common in women than in men. The condition may affect one or both ears.Risks for this condition include pregnancy and a family history of hearing loss. White people are more likely to develop this condition than people of other races. Symptoms Symptoms include:Hearing loss (slow at first, but worsens over time) Ringing in the affected ear (tinnitus) Ringing in the affected ear (tinnitus)Tinnitus is the medical term for "hearing" noises in your ears. It occurs when there is no outside source of the sounds. Tinnitus is often called "r...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Vertigo or dizziness Exams and Tests A hearing test (audiometry/audiology) may help determine the severity of hearing loss.AudiometryAn audiometry exam tests your ability to hear sounds. Sounds vary, based on their loudness (intensity) and the speed of sound wave vibrations (tone)...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article AudiologyAn audiometry exam tests your ability to hear sounds. Sounds vary, based on their loudness (intensity) and the speed of sound wave vibrations (tone)...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article A special imaging test of the head called a temporal-bone CT may be used to look for other causes of hearing loss. Treatment Otosclerosis may slowly get worse. The condition may not need to be treated until you have more serious hearing problems.Using some medicines such as fluoride, calcium, or vitamin D may help to slow the hearing loss. However, the benefits of these treatments have not yet been proven.Vitamin DVitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body's fatty tissue and liver.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article A hearing aid may be used to treat the hearing loss. This will not cure or prevent hearing loss from getting worse, but it may help with symptoms.Surgery can cure or improve conductive hearing loss. Either all or part of one of the small middle ear bones behind the eardrum (stapes) is removed and replaced with a prosthesis.ProsthesisA prosthesis is a device designed to replace a missing part of the body or to make a part of the body work better. Diseased or missing eyes, arms, h...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article A total replacement is called a stapedectomy. Sometimes only part of the stapes is removed and a small hole is made in the bottom of it. This is called a stapedotomy. Sometimes a laser is used to help with the surgery. Outlook (Prognosis) Otosclerosis gets worse without treatment. Surgery can restore some or all of your hearing loss. Pain and dizziness from the surgery go away within a few weeks for most people.To reduce the risk of complications after surgery:DO NOT blow your nose for 2 to 3 weeks after surgery. Avoid people with respiratory or other infections. RespiratoryThe words "respiratory" and "respiration" refer to the lungs and breathing.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Avoid bending, lifting, or straining, which may cause dizziness. Dizziness.Dizziness is a term that is often used to describe 2 different symptoms: lightheadedness and vertigo. Lightheadedness is a feeling that you might fai...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Avoid loud noises or sudden pressure changes, such as scuba diving, flying, or driving in the mountains until you have healed. If surgery does not work, you may have total hearing loss. Treatment for total hearing loss involves developing skills to cope with deafness, and using hearing aids to transmit sounds from the non-hearing ear to the good ear.DeafnessHearing loss is being partly or totally unable to hear sound in one or both ears.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Possible Complications Complications may include:Complete deafness Abnormal taste in the mouth or loss of taste to part of the tongue, temporary or permanent Infection, dizziness, pain, or a blood clot in the ear after surgery Blood clotBlood clots are clumps that occur when blood hardens from a liquid to a solid. A blood clot that forms inside one of your veins or arteries is calle...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Nerve damage When to Contact a Medical Professional Contact your health care provider if:You have hearing loss You develop fever, ear pain, dizziness, or other symptoms after surgery Open ReferencesReferencesHouse JW, Cunningham CD. Otosclerosis. In: Flint PW, Francis HW, Haughey BH, et al, eds. Cummings Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 146.Ironside JW, Smith C. Central and peripheral nervous systems. In: Cross SS, ed. Underwood Pathology. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 26.O'Handley JG, Tobin EJ, Shah AR. Otorhinolaryngology. In: Rakel RE, Rakel DP, eds. Textbook of Family Medicine. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 18.Rivero A, Yoshikawa N. Otosclerosis. In: Myers EN, Snyderman CH, eds. Operative Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 133.