{"id":3397,"date":"2023-10-06T16:15:41","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T20:15:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/?p=3397"},"modified":"2023-10-06T16:15:42","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T20:15:42","slug":"what-is-otosclerosis-and-how-can-it-be-treated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/what-is-otosclerosis-and-how-can-it-be-treated\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Otosclerosis and How Can It Be Treated?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Otosclerosis is a condition caused by abnormal bone remodeling in the middle ear. Your ear bone tissue renews itself throughout your life, replacing old tissue with new. When the tissue grows abnormally, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/ent\/ear\/otosclerosis\/\">otosclerosis can occur<\/a>. Affecting more than <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nidcd.nih.gov\/health\/otosclerosis#:~:text=Otosclerosis%20is%20a%20term%20derived,replacing%20old%20tissue%20with%20new.\" target=\"_blank\">three million Americans<\/a>, otosclerosis prevents sound from traveling through to the auditory center, leading to mild to severe hearing loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Symptoms of otosclerosis may include but are not limited to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Hearing loss, especially low-pitch or whispered sounds<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Balance issues or vertigo<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tinnitus<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Feeling that your voice is louder than it is<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>An ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist will diagnose otosclerosis through one or all of the following tests:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Computed tomography (CT) scan<\/strong>. Your specialist will use a CT scan to search for abnormalities in the bones and tissues of your ear.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Tympanogram<\/strong>. A tympanogram will identify malfunctions in how your eardrum vibrates in response to pressure in the ear canal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Audiogram<\/strong>. An audiogram will measure your level of hearing loss. You may receive several audiograms throughout your treatment to assess progressing hearing loss.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Otosclerosis treatment will vary depending on the severity of your condition, the location of the irregular bone causing it and your eligibility for surgery. Let\u2019s look at a couple of treatment options that may be available to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Treating Otosclerosis With a Stapedectomy<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Woman-getting-a-CT-scan-for-an-otosclerosis-diagnosis.jpg\" alt=\"Woman getting a CT scan for an otosclerosis diagnosis.\" class=\"wp-image-3400\" width=\"341\" height=\"227\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Woman-getting-a-CT-scan-for-an-otosclerosis-diagnosis.jpg 1253w, https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Woman-getting-a-CT-scan-for-an-otosclerosis-diagnosis-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 341px) 100vw, 341px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>An ENT specialist will place a prosthesis in the middle ear during a stapedectomy. The prosthesis replaces the stapes bone to allow sound to travel through the ear to the auditory center. Eligibility for stapedectomies will vary based on the severity of hearing loss and other medical conditions that may impact surgical success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Treating Otosclerosis With Hearing Aids<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hearing aids cannot cure otosclerosis but rather manage its symptoms. By amplifying speech sounds, hearing aids can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/hearing-balance\/hearing-aids\/benefits-of-hearing-aids\/\">increase the ease of communication<\/a>. Talking with friends or ordering your favorite latte at Hendershot\u2019s will feel much easier. Although the devices cannot stop otosclerosis from progressing, they may be an excellent option for those who are not good candidates for surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information on treating or managing your otosclerosis, contact <span class=\"company-name \">ENT of Athens<\/span> today to make an appointment with one of our trusted specialists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><ul class=\"related-posts\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/5-surprising-facts-about-your-ears-and-hearing\/\" class=\"related-post\">5 Surprising Facts About Your Ears and Hearing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/what-to-know-about-hearing-aid-technology-in-2024\/\" class=\"related-post\">What To Know About Hearing Aid Technology in 2024<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/what-to-know-about-bone-conduction-tests\/\" class=\"related-post\">What To Know About Bone Conduction Tests<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Otosclerosis is a condition caused by abnormal bone remodeling in the middle ear. Your ear bone tissue renews itself throughout your life, replacing old tissue with new. When the tissue grows abnormally, otosclerosis can occur. Affecting more than three million Americans, otosclerosis prevents sound from traveling through to the auditory center, leading to mild to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3400,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3397"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3397"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3402,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3397\/revisions\/3402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entofathens.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}