A CONFIDENTIAL COMPARATIVE AUDIT OF STAPEDECTOMIES - RESULTS OF THE ROYAL-COLLEGE-OF-SURGEONS-OF-ENGLAND COMPARATIVE AUDIT OF ENT SURGERY 1994

This paper presents the results of a national confidential comparative audit of stapedectomy: 185 operations by 28 consultants over a two-year period were retrospectively analysed. This included 10 revision procedures. Small fenestra stapedectomies accounted for 63 per cent of the total. Thirty-nine per cent of consultants operated on the second ear. Of the 168 stapedectomies in which the hearing change was known at six months, 87 per cent achieved improved hearing, eight per cent had no change and five per cent were worse. The overall complication rate was 30 per cent with a 'dead ear' rate of two per cent.