Otosclerosis is a form of abnormal bone growth within the middle ear, at the base of the Stapes (one of the three tiny hearing bones).

The condition tends to be inherited but is delayed in its development and commonly appears around 20 to 30 years of age. 

As the bone growth fixes the Stapes and prevents it from vibrating, otosclerosis prevents sound transmission and, therefore, causes deafness.  Ringing type tinnitus can also be a symptom of otosclerosis.

Although otosclerosis is a type of abnormal growth, it is not cancerous but a thickening of immature bone of the type which develops around fractures.

Otosclerosis can be treated with the use of hearing aids, but a Stapedectomy procedure is the preferred treatment.  During this surgery, the stapes is removed and replaced with a piston prothesis. 

A Stapedectomy is performed under general anaesthetic and generally take two to three hours, with the patient generally able to return home the same day or after an overnight stay.

Full recovery from surgery generally takes one to two weeks.