gms | German Medical Science

77th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

24.05. - 28.05.2006, Mannheim

Preoperative serologic diagnosis of otosclerosis

Meeting Abstract

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  • corresponding author Istvan Sziklai - Univ. Klinik für HNOKHC, Debrecen, Ungarn
  • Mihaly Petko - Institut für Anatomie, Histologie und Embryologie, Debrecen, Ungarn
  • Jozsef Konya - Institut für Microbiologie, Debrecen, Ungarn
  • Tamas Karosi - Klinik für HNOKHC, Debrecen, Ungarn

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie. 77. Jahresversammlung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie e.V.. Mannheim, 24.-28.05.2006. Düsseldorf, Köln: German Medical Science; 2006. Doc06hnod303

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/hnod2006/06hnod303.shtml

Published: April 24, 2006

© 2006 Sziklai et al.
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Outline

Text

Otosclerosis is a disease of complex etiology causing progressive conductive and/or sensorineural hearing loss. Diagnostic methods of otosclerosis are sensitive to ossicular chain fixation with low specificity for otosclerotic stapes ankylosis.

Nucleic acid was extracted from stapes footplates of clinically stapes fixation patients (N=279). Measles virus nucleoprotein RNA was amplified by RT-PCR. Amplification results were correlated to histologic findings in 86 cases. Anti-measles IgG levels of all clinically stapes fixation as well as control sera specimens were measured by ELISA.

Among clinically stapes fixation patients, 182 stapes footplates contained measles virus RNA. Among 86 histologic specimens, viral RNA was detectable only in histologically otosclerotic stapes footplates (N=57). Histology for virus negative footplates (N=29) excluded otosclerosis. Anti-measles IgG levels were significantly lower in the sera of patients with virus positive stapes compared with control sera.

Combination of decreased anti-measles IgG serum level and conductive hearing loss has a great specificity and sensitivity as a diagnostic method in preoperative evaluation of otosclerosis. Low anti-measles IgG level indicates otosclerosis, whereas high level suggests non-otosclerotic ossicular chain fixations. Preoperative elucidation of the etiology of a conductive hearing loss may suggest optional medical treatment in preference to surgical methods.