Outcomes Review and Future Management of Conductive Hearing Loss

This article provides an up-to-date accounting of various surgical options and reported trends in middle ear reconstruction for conductive hearing loss with a primary focus on hearing outcomes. In general, the results after bridging tympanoplasty type II are superior to the results after type III tympanoplasty. For type III tympanoplasty most case series report more favorable hearing outcomes for partial ossicular replacement prosthesis (PORP reconstruction) as compared to total ossicular replacement prosthesis (TORP reconstruction). Endoscopic ossicular chain reconstruction yields comparable hearing outcomes with improved early hearing outcome. Long-term outcome reporting of hearing outcomes after endoscopic ossiculoplasty are needed. Surgical reconstruction of the ossicular chain enables the ear surgeon to tailor the surgical treatment individually to the patient thanks to the wide range of surgical techniques and prosthesis designs available.