Table IV.
Relationship between hearing level and condition of the ossicular chain.
| Ossicular chain condition (n) | AC (SD) | BC (SD) | ABG (SD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal (35) | 36 (20) | 18 (13) | 19 (12) |
| Pathological with integrity (13) | 34 (13) | 16 (5) | 17 (10) |
| Pathological without integrity (102) | 54 (18) | 26 (17) | 28 (12) |
| p | <0.0001* | <0.05* | <0.0001* |
AC = air conduction; BC = bone conduction; ABG = air-bone gap. Values, expressed in dB, represent the average threshold at 0.5-1-2-4 kHz at pure-tone audiometry; standard deviation (SD) values in brackets. Differences are significant by chi-square test (*).