Congenital stapes suprastructure fixation presenting with fluctuating auditory symptoms: A case report

Abstract

BACKGROUND Stapes ankylosis is a rare cause of conductive hearing loss, and stapes suprastructure fixation is extremely rare with fewer than 30 reported cases. Patients usually visit the clinic with non-progressive conductive hearing loss that typically began in the early years of life. CASE SUMMARY Herein, we report a case of a 37-year-old female with an isolated stapedial suprastructure fixation. The patient presented with unusual fluctuating auditory symptoms of tinnitus, ear fullness and mixed hearing loss. Pre-operative temporal bone computed tomography findings and operative findings revealed an isolated stapedial suprastructure fixation with monopod stapes caused by elongated pyramidal eminence. The hearing threshold recovered completely, and fluctuating auditory symptoms disappeared after the surgery. CONCLUSION This is the first report of stapedial suprastructure fixation with fluctuating auditory symptoms. Successful results are expected with surgical treatment.