In the otosclerotic type of deafness the footplate of the stapes is fixed in the oval window, thereby impeding transmission of sound to the inner ear. Following unsuccessful attempts toward the end of the last century, a new surgical procedure to free the ankylosed base of the stapes and reestablish the physiologic route of sound transmission was proposed by Rosen.10,11 The operation has been accepted by some surgeons and rejected by others, and the controversy is bound to continue until the long-term effectiveness of the procedure can be evaluated. In the meantime various attempts have been made to improve the surgical technique, to clarify the indications for stapes mobilization, and to arrive at more precise predictions.3,6,8,13,15
In theory it might be expected that with restoration of the transformer action of the middle ear hearing will return to the boneconduction level. However, the hearing is often postoperatively stabilized below