Oval and round window reinforcement surgery leads to improvements in sound tolerance and quality of life for hyperacusis patients.

PURPOSE: Hyperacusis is an audiological disorder in which patients become persistently sensitive and intolerant to everyday environmental sounds. For those patients that fail conservative options, a minimally invasive surgical procedure has been developed.

MATERIALS & METHODS: Retrospective case series of 73 adult patients with hyperacusis who underwent oval and round window reinforcement surgery between 1/2017-6/2023. Small pieces of temporalis fascia were used to reinforce the round and oval windows. Patients were separated into two groups based on their preoperative speech Loudness Discomfort Level (LDL). Patients with a preoperative speech LDL ≤ 70 dB were placed in the "low LDL group" whereas patients with a preoperative speech LDL >70 dB were placed in the "high LDL group." Preoperative and one-week postoperative audiogram and speech LDLs were compared. Quality of life was assessed using the Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI) survey.

RESULTS: 73 patients met inclusion criteria - 21 patients in the low LDL group and 52 in the high LDL group. Patients in the high LDL group significantly improved their LDLs by an average of 3.5 dB (P < 0.0001). 42 patients (80.8 %) in the high LDL group had improvement and would recommend the surgery for hyperacusis. Patients in the low LDL group significantly improved their LDL by an average of 12.9 dB (P = 0.032). Ten patients (47.6 %) from the low LDL group experienced improvement and would recommend hyperacusis surgery.

CONCLUSION: Many patients with hyperacusis who undergo oval and round window reinforcement can receive significant improvement in sound tolerance and quality of life. Patients with a pre-op speech LDL > 70 dB have the greatest potential for improvement with surgery (80.8 %), probably because their hyperacusis was less severe.