Abstract Background: Stapedotomy can risk vestibular system injury or stimulation, impacting balance and spatial orientation. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate vestibular function in patients undergoing stapedotomy with different ranges of vestibular stimulation. Materials and Methods: We included 18 participants (average age 41 ± 19 years) undergoing stapedotomy due to conductive or mixed hearing loss. Vestibular function was assessed using various tests, such as vestibular evoked myogenic potentials, dynamic visual acuity tests, and video head impulse tests. We also measured balance perceptions using the Dizziness Handicap Inventory in Spanish. Outcome measures were compared before surgery and at 1 and 3 months postsurgery. Results: Outcomes showed good audiological outcomes for all participants. However, 14 patients reported symptoms such as vertigo or dizziness 1 week after surgery, with moderate disability that improved by 4 weeks. All vestibular tests were normal. Conclusion: All participants who had stapedotomy without complications and no prior vestibular symptoms exhibited no changes in the tests that evaluated the vestibular-ocular reflex and the vestibulo-collic reflex.
González-Eslait et al. (Tue,) studied this question.