Among the most common ear diseases that cause deafness, the most frequent is undoubtedly otosclerosis. It is more frequent in adults and women and is accompanied by tinnitus (ear noises) and its best solution is laser microsurgery, in which the stapes is replaced by a prosthesis. In most cases, hearing recovery is excellent.
Chronic or suppurative otitis is also very frequent and, as its name indicates, there is secretion or suppuration in the ear, often untreatable with medication. Sometimes they coexist with a benign ear tumor, the cholesteatoma, which should always be operated, otherwise it would continue destroying the ear and could affect more important organs, in addition to hearing. Tympanic perforations are also very frequent and must be repaired surgically, with a small microsurgical intervention.
There are tumors of the auditory nerve called neurinomas, which present with hearing loss, tinnitus and instability, and sometimes with only one of these symptoms. Magnetic resonance imaging has been of great help in the diagnosis of these tumors when they are still small and, therefore, prevents their progression to produce more serious neurological symptoms. There are several treatment options, although the only one that succeeds in removing the tumor is surgery. If the tumor, which is not cancerous, is diagnosed early, the patient’s hearing may even be preserved, but if it grows and completely affects the auditory nerve, this is no longer possible and surgery is aimed more at eliminating it and, therefore, preventing its growth from causing greater damage due to its intracranial growth.
Advances in treatment
Electronic implants in the ear have represented a very important advance in recent decades. A child born deaf or an adult who has lost almost all hearing and cannot be helped even with a good hearing aid are optimal candidates for implantation. In the case of the child, it is necessary to perform it as soon as possible, to obtain a good result, and it would always require a postoperative speech therapy, necessary for a good hearing recovery and a good language development. In adults who had previously heard, recovery is easier and would only require frequent use of the implant.
Hearing aids are usually indicated when there is no other possibility of hearing recovery in a deaf patient. Although today the hearing aid can be replaced, in some cases, by the implanted hearing aid, for example, for aesthetic reasons, since it is completely hidden under the skin. Also in cases of intolerance of the normal hearing aid, or in cases of operated patients in which the conventional system cannot be adapted. The advantage, in addition to not being visible, is that the patient can hear while bathing, showering, playing sports or sleeping, since he/she does not wear any external device. Moreover, it would always be compatible with a hearing aid, if necessary.