Common surgical options for hearing loss may include cochlear implants, or possibly a mastoidectomy, ossiculoplasty, stapedectomy, or tympanoplasty.

Hearing loss is a condition that can affect people of all ages.

There are numerous causes of hearing disorders, including trauma to the eardrum, chronic or severe infections, or nerve damage. In other cases, hearing loss may develop gradually with age or as a result of long-term noise exposure.

No matter the underlying cause, hearing loss is unlikely to get better on its own. If you have severe hearing loss or damage to the ear, you could be a candidate for surgery. These procedures help to correct the underlying issue while helping you hear or perceive sound again.

Read on to learn more about the most common types of surgery for hearing loss, as well as the different hearing disorders they aim to treat.

Cochlear implant surgery is used in both children and adults with significant hearing loss. As its name indicates, this procedure involves the surgical insertion of a device called a cochlear implant.

Since their approval for adults in the 1980s and for children as young as 9 months old as of 2020, cochlear implant surgery has made it possible for people with severe hearing issues to be able to understand speech and critical sounds in their environment.

Unlike hearing aids, which amplify sounds in damaged ears, cochlear implants work by stimulating nerves inside the ears. Rather than turning up sounds to hear, the implants have microphones that send electrical pulses through a transmitter and speech processing device.

The key to remember with cochlear implant surgery is that it will not restore lost hearing. Instead, the procedure can help people interpret sounds in a new way. You will also need to work with a speech-language pathologist to help with this task.

A mastoidectomy helps remove abnormal cell growths around the mastoid bone, which is located behind your ear.

While it can help treat issues contributing to hearing loss, it’s important to know that this isn’t the primary goal of mastoidectomy. Instead, the procedure treats problems within the mastoid that might cause or worsen hearing loss.

This type of surgery may be recommended for a variety of ear and subsequent hearing loss problems, including:

In some cases, a severe infection or traumatic injury can damage the ossicles, or tiny bones, inside your middle ear. When this happens, you may experience conductive hearing loss that prevents sound from reaching your inner ear.

An ossiculoplasty is a type of surgery that may help repair damaged ossicle bones so that sound may once again travel normally from your outer to inner ear. A surgeon will repair the ossicles directly or replace them with prostheses.

While infections sometimes damage the ossicles to the point where this surgery may be needed, an acute ear infection must heal before having this surgery to gain the most benefit.

Also known as “stapes surgery,” a stapedectomy is a surgical procedure that healthcare professionals specifically use to treat hearing loss associated with otosclerosis.

As a progressive condition, otosclerosis reduces sound transmission to the cochlea in your middle ear over time due to changes in small bones called stapes.

To correct the changes in stapes alterations that contribute to hearing loss, a doctor might recommend that a surgeon remove these small bones and replace them with prosthetic versions via a stapedectomy.

The goal of replacing the abnormal pieces of bone in the ear is to reduce interference with sound transmission. After the surgery, your hearing should begin to return to its usual level with the prosthetic stapes in place.

If hearing loss is attributed to an eardrum injury, you might be a candidate for tympanoplasty. This procedure may especially be indicated for cases of chronic middle ear infections of 12 weeks or longer that lead to eardrum membrane perforations.

During a tympanoplasty, a surgeon will replace the damaged eardrum with healthy eardrum tissue. This is all done directly through your ear canal with the help of a small light and camera-containing tool called an endoscope.

Sometimes, healthcare professionals might recommend repairs over a complete replacement. This depends on the extent of your eardrum damage.

Like all types of surgery, hearing loss surgeries are invasive procedures that can pose risks during and after. It’s important to see a doctor right away if you’re experiencing signs of infection, pain, or any other concerning symptoms following your surgery.

Your doctor will schedule a follow-up visit with you after hearing loss surgery to determine the overall success of the procedure. Nevertheless, you’ll also want to consider seeing them at any point if you feel like your hearing has not improved despite having surgery to help with this.

You’ll also want to consider talking with an otolaryngologist, or ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctors, if you’re experiencing any of the following:

  • nerve issues or numbness around your ear
  • changes in your hearing, including new or worsening hearing loss
  • persistent vertigo following a stapedectomy or mastoidectomy
  • changes in taste

Hearing loss surgery aims to help address underlying hearing disorders so you may be able to hear or perceive sound again. The exact surgery will depend on what’s causing loss of hearing, as well as the severity of hearing difficulties.

Consider talking with a doctor about your options to address hearing loss. While there are other treatments available, surgery may be a necessary last resort if hearing cannot be helped with hearing aids or medications.