Stapesplasty in otosclerosis treatment is commonly performed using a wide variety
of alloplastic prosthesis. In stapes surgery attaching these prosthesis onto the incus
is regularly done by crimping, clipping or heating. In a prospective, monocentric
study a cohort of 32 otosclerosis cases participated in implanting the crimped mAXIS
prosthesis. Perforation of the stapes footplate was performed using ether a CO2- or
a Diodlaser. Comprehensive clinical assessments, including pre- and postoperative
audiometric measurements, were conducted to evaluate hearing outcome. Additionally,
postoperative complication was gathered. In all cases, the application of the prosthesis
was successful and straight forward. Direct comparison of the preoperative (29.1±8.2
dB) to short term (24.1±15.1 days, n=32) postoperative ABG (10.9±5.2 dB) revealed
a statistic highly significant improvement (p<0.0001, paired t-test). The audiometric
data of the long term follow up (152.7±64.8 days, n=11) revealed no significant changes
in comparison to short term follow up (10.2±3.9 dB, p=0.6, paired t-test) showing
a comparable effectiveness of the mAXIS stapes prosthesis to commonly used prosthesis
in otosclerosis treatment. In conclusion, findings of this study show that the mAXIS
stapes prosthesis is a safe and effective prosthesis in otosclerosis treatment. Future
investigations will contribute its long-term efficacy and safety profile.
