TEST FINDINGS BEFORE AND AFTER FENESTRATION OF THE LABYRINTH

WE NEED NOT dwell at length on the importance of carefully selecting the otosclerotic patient for the fenestration operation. Certainly the conscientious operator does not care to handle the poor risk, and likewise the otologist referring the patient does not want to recommend the operation only to be reversed by the operator. Their greatest protection and the best interests of the patient demand a particularly careful preliminary study of the hearing. Not one or two tests are adequate, but, as in all cases of deafness, a considerable amount of evidence must be accumulated and evaluated. The tests discussed in this article are all considered necessary and important. The following items, of importance in selecting the otosclerotic patient for operation, will not be discussed, as they are not considered pertinent to the title of this presentation: history of the patient, age, recuperative powers, rate of progression of hearing impairment, psychologic aspects