In most cases the deafness caused by otosclerosis is what is called a conductive deafness. This is where the inner ear is working fine but there is a failure of the sound waves being conducted to the inner ear. Otosclerosis is only one of the causes for a conductive hearing loss.
It can also be caused by: 1: anything that blocks the ear canal eg wax 2: a hole in the ear drum (perforation) 3: fluid in the middle ear (glue ear)
Occasionally otosclerosis can also damage the functioning of the inner ear and cause a sensorineural deafness. This is where the fault is not in the conduction of sound to the inner ear but rather a failure of the inner ear to convert the sound waves into nerve impulses.
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