is a progressive disease with a marked familial tendency that affects the bony otic capsule
Lesions involving the footplate of the stapes result in increased impedance to the passage of sound through the ossicular chain, producing conductive hearing loss
This may be treated either through the use of a hearing aid or surgical replacement of the stapes with a prosthesis (stapedectomy)
When otosclerotic lesions impinge on the cochlea (“cochlear otosclerosis”), permanent sensory hearing loss occurs