There are two main types of hearing loss: conductive and sensorineural.
Conductive hearing loss is caused by problems in the middle ear and outer ear, while sensorineural hearing loss is the result of inner ear problems.
The latter type is sometimes referred to as nerve deafness and is usually treatable only with hearing aids. Conductive hearing loss, on the other hand, can often be corrected surgically.
When Is Surgery an Option for Treating Hearing Loss?
A number of factors can cause conductive hearing loss. These include malformations of the outer or middle ear structures, chronic ear infections, fluid in the middle ear, a perforated eardrum, benign tumors, impacted earwax, foreign objects in the ear, trauma and otosclerosis. Many of these conditions can be corrected via surgery.
One of the most common types of surgical procedures is for the treatment of otosclerosis, an abnormal growth of bone on or around the stapes, the “stirrup bone” of the middle ear. This bony buildup prevents the stapes from vibrating as it normally would when stimulated by sound waves, causing hearing loss.
What Types of Ear Surgeries Are Performed?
Mastoidectomy
A mastoidectomy is a surgery to remove an infected portion of the ear’s mastoid bone that’s caused by ear infections such as mastoiditis or chronic otitis, inflammatory disease of the middle ear or cholesteatomas. We typically recommend this procedure when medical treatment isn’t effective.
Tympanoplasty
This surgical procedure reconstructs the eardrum (tympanic membrane) when it has been perforated or damaged. It may be performed at Camino ENT under local or general anesthesia depending on the extent of the procedure and your personal preference. There are several types of tympanoplasty and each individual San Jose patient’s procedure is determined based on age as well as the cause, location and size of the damage.
Ossiculoplasty
Ossiculoplasties are ear surgeries performed to repair one or more of the three tiny bones in the middle ear, called the ossicles. The procedure is typically performed to improve hearing in cases where the ossicles have become partially or fully immobile. It’s usually done under general anesthetia at our San Jose ENT clinic or a nearby hospital.
Call Camino Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic at (408) 227-6300 for more information or to schedule an appointment.
