A Patient Regains Her Hearing After Stapedectomy
Kelly Baehren remembers her mother undergoing two unsuccessful surgeries for hearing loss caused by otosclerosis that damaged her stapes, a tiny stirrup-shaped bone in the middle ear. “That was in the 1970s, and when I lost my own hearing 15 years ago, I was of the mindset that if surgery didn’t work for her, it wouldn’t work for me. So, I adapted to my hearing loss by becoming adept at using my good ear. Most people I worked with never even knew I had a hearing issue.”
In 2025, Baehren decided to investigate her options. An ENT in Cypress, Texas, sent her to an astute audiologist, who believed, based on her audiogram results and her mother’s history, that Baehren’s hearing loss was caused by a damaged stapes bone. The audiologist knew of the expertise of Vivian Kaul, MD, chief of otology and neurotology in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at UTHealth Houston, and suggested that Baehren schedule an appointment.
“My first appointment with Dr. Kaul was wonderful,” she recalls. “She looked at my hearing test results and confirmed the audiologist’s suspicions. She was knowledgeable, personable, and excellent at explaining what to expect of a stapedectomy. I had so much confidence in her that we scheduled the surgery during that first visit. Because I work in education, I requested a date during spring break to give myself time to recover and was lucky enough to get the last available surgery slot on March 11.”
Dr. Kaul was equally impressed with Baehren. “Kelly is one of those great patients who bring all of their medical records from prior clinicians to their first appointment,” she says. “She was extremely well versed in her disease process and very articulate. After I talked with her about the procedure, my expectations for limited pain and downtime, and the success rate, she was on board.”
Stapedectomy takes about 45 minutes. “We use either general anesthesia or conscious sedation, depending on the patient’s health and patient and surgeon preference,” Dr. Kaul says. “I used a laser to loosen the fixed stapes bone, lifted the eardrum to reach the middle ear, removed her stapes, and replaced it with a titanium prosthesis. It’s a very straightforward surgery.”
Baehren returned in late March for her postop appointment. “The neat part was that even right after the surgery, I could hear a little, including sounds that never bothered me before – the dog barking in the house and engines revving outside,” she says. “After Dr. Kaul removed the packing that held my ear drum in place during healing, I sat in the chair and started crying because I could hear. I never thought it would be possible based on my mom’s experience.
“Dr. Kaul is a very talented surgeon, and I feel fortunate to have found her,” she adds. “Finding a solution to the problem I’ve been adapting to for more than 15 years is an enormous relief. I can answer the phone and hold it to my left ear, and I no longer need to turn my head toward conversations to hear what’s being said, which is amazing. It was a huge celebration for my family. I hope my story helps other people move forward if they have the same problem and have been putting off surgery.”
Many patients wait long periods of time before considering stapedectomy because of the small risk of permanent profound sensorial hearing loss. “They think ‘hearing aid,’ which is an option for some people, but the surgery’s high success rate can give them a life without a hearing aid,” Dr. Kaul says. “The perfect patient is compliant, knowledgeable, has realistic expectations of what surgery can provide, and chooses an experienced surgeon. Everything fell into place for Kelly, which led to a great outcome.”