RESTORATION OF HEARING LOSS AFTER HEAD TRAUMA

There remains a wide area of inoperable disabilities due to inner ear injury resulting from head trauma. Nevertheless, the middle ear is now known to be frequently injured and the conductive hearing loss which occurs is now often correctable through micro-surgical otological procedures. This is now best accomplished through a wide variety of techniques, all of which utilize available autogenous human bone. When these are not reasonably assembled, an appropriate homograft ossicle may be utilized. The results in hearing restoration approach those obtained in other highly successful otological surgical procedures. Until recently, it was not known that some post-injury hearing defects in the living were due to middle ear lesions. This, in itself, is an otological breakthrough, but, in addition, these discoveries have challenged surgeons to develop new corrective surgical techniques. Many of these have found wide tympanoplastic application in the treatment of other conductive defects. © 1969, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.