Editing Stapes (section)

==Clinical relevance==
[[Otosclerosis]] is a congenital or spontaneous-onset disease characterized by abnormal [[bone remodeling]] in the inner ear. Often this causes the ''stapes'' to adhere to the oval window, which impedes its ability to conduct sound, and is a cause of [[conductive hearing loss]]. Clinical otosclerosis is found in about 1% of people, although it is more common in forms that do not cause noticeable hearing loss. Otosclerosis is more likely in young age groups, and females.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Menger|first1=D. J.|last2=Tange |first2=R. A. |title=The aetiology of otosclerosis: a review of the literature|journal=Clinical Otolaryngology and Allied Sciences|date=April 2003|volume=28|issue=2|pages=112–120|doi=10.1046/j.1365-2273.2003.00675.x|pmid=12680829|doi-access=free}}</ref> Two common treatments are [[stapedectomy]], the surgical removal of the ''stapes'' and replacement with an artificial prosthesis, and [[Stapedectomy#Stapedotomy|stapedotomy]], the creation of a small hole in the base of the ''stapes'' followed by the insertion of an artificial prosthesis into that hole.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hall|first1=John E. |first2=Arthur C. |last2=Guyton |title=Textbook of medical physiology|year=2005|publisher=W. B. Saunders|location=Philadelphia|isbn=978-0-7216-0240-0|edition=11th}}</ref> {{rp|661}} Surgery may be complicated by a [[persistent stapedial artery]], [[fibrosis]]-related damage to the base of the bone, or obliterative otosclerosis, resulting in obliteration of the base.<ref name=MUTLU1998 /><ref name=TMS2008>{{cite book|title=Tympanoplasty, Mastoidectomy, and Stapes Surgery|year=2008|publisher=Georg Thieme Verlag|isbn=978-1-282-86537-2}}</ref> {{rp|254–262}}