Results of stapes surgery for otosclerosis with two kinds of prothesis in residency training

Stapes surgery is one of the approaches indicated to treat conductive hearing loss secondary to otosclerosis. The procedures requires skill and experience from the surgeon and is part of medical residency training. Aims: To assess which type of prosthesis (Teflon or metal/steel) presents the best results in surgeries performed by residents and the incidence of complications. Materials and methods: we retrospectively assessed 189 interventions that counted on the active participation of resident physicians, and we compared the two types of prosthesis used. Audiometric results were analyzed following the guidelines from the Committee on Hearing and Equilibrium and also according to the Amsterdam Hearing Evaluation Plots. Results: Bone-air gap reduced in an average value of 21.90 dB (p<0.05) after the surgery in the group that received the Teflon prosthesis and 21.37 dB (p<0.05) in the group that received the mixed prosthesis, and gain in SRI was of 22.33 and 26.10 dB (p<0.05), and the air-bone gap was below 20 dB in 80.6% and 85.04%, respectively. Conclusions: We did not see differences in the audiometry and in the incidence of complications when we compared the type of prosthesis used. We believe it is valid to continue teaching this procedure in medical residency training programs, regardless of the type of prosthesis.