Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 October 2018
To compare post-operative audiometric outcomes for the two prevailing surgical approaches for isolated malleus and/or incus fixation: ossicular mobilisation with preservation of the ossicular chain, and disruption and reconstruction of the ossicular chain.
A search was conducted, in December 2016, of PubMed, Scopus, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature articles written in English. Papers presenting original data regarding post-operative audiometric outcomes in patients who underwent surgical treatment for malleus and/or incus fixation with a mobile and intact stapes were included. A risk of bias assessment was performed on the 14 selected papers and a tier system was developed. Meta-analysis was accomplished by comparing pooled rates of surgical success by chi-square test and calculating odds ratios by logistical regression. Analysis was performed using Revman5 and R software.
Analysis of the literature revealed no differences in audiometric outcomes between ossicular chain mobilisation and ossicular chain reconstruction in patients with isolated malleus and/or incus fixation. A large, prospective study comparing both short- and long-term hearing results for ossicular chain mobilisation and ossicular chain reconstruction in this population may identify whether a difference in outcomes exists between the two approaches.
Dr W L Crutcher takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper
Presented as a poster at the Pennsylvania Association of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Annual Scientific Meeting, 16 June 2017, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.