The authors have studied the use of the CO₂ laser in performing primary stapedotomy in 451 patients affected by otosclerosis, operated between 1996 and 2000. Footplate perforation was practised with a traditional method, by means of a microdrill, in 169 subjects. A CO₂ laser was instead used in other 282 cases; the authors effected the platinotomy with a single spot, repeated if necessary, with the diameter adjusted to the caliber of the prosthesis. This procedure allowed a smooth-edged perforation to be obtained. In the 282 laser-operated patients, there was a significantly higher proportion having closure of the cochlear reserve within 10 dB than that found in the cases where the microdrill was used. Moreover, no postoperative anacusia or severe vertigo were recorded; this confirms the safety of the CO₂ laser as regards the inner ear. The functional results, therefore, document the validity of the exposed technique.

Introduction: Surgical treatment of patients with far-advanced otosclerosis (FAO) has not yet been standardized. Patients with FAO are the candidates for stapes surgery or cochlear implant (CI). Although many surgeons consider stapes surgery as the first choice, other authors prefer CI because of the excellent hearing results. Objective: The authors discuss their experience in the treatment of patients with FAO, potentially candidates for CI, who underwent stapedotomy. Materials and Methods: Eleven adult patients with FAO underwent stapedotomy from 2006 to 2016. Pure-tone average (PTA) between 0.5-1-2-3 kHz and speech perception test with hearing aids were determined before and after stapedotomy. Results: The results show a statistically significant improvement in air condition threshold (PTA) and satisfactory results with regard to speech recognition in 9 (81.8%) cases. Postoperative results are not influenced by the type of stapedotomy prosthesis employed and do not change during follow-up (3 years). Conclusions: The authors suggest first performing stapes surgery in patients with FAO and reserving CI in case of failure.