What your home team already holds, and why the China team needs it
A stapedotomy uses a small prosthesis to bypass an immobile stapes mechanism, and hearing tests inform both the assessment and the review. That means the China ear specialist is not starting from a blank page. Your home team likely already has audiograms, tympanometry, speech discrimination scores, imaging reports, operative notes from any earlier ear surgery, and a record of how your hearing has changed over time. Each of these answers a different question: what your hearing is now, whether the middle-ear mechanism is the problem, whether previous surgery changed the anatomy, and whether the pattern has been stable or progressive.
The practical problem is not that the China team lacks interest in these records. It is that records often sit in different places: an audiology department, an ENT clinic, a family doctor, a hospital imaging portal. Before you contact anyone in China, list what exists and where it is. A one-page inventory with dates, test names, and the facility that holds each item is more useful than a large unorganised file. It also lets the China team tell you quickly which items matter for their assessment and which are background.
Ask your home audiologist or ENT clinician a direct question: which of my hearing tests are most relevant to a middle-ear assessment, and can I have a copy with the interpretation included? Raw test traces without the clinician's reading are harder for a new team to use. If your home team can provide a short summary letter, that helps the China specialist understand the trajectory, not just a single snapshot.
The exact question to put to the China ear specialist first
Before sending a full archive, send a short summary and one clear question. The most useful first question is not "am I a candidate?" but "which hearing tests and prior ear records do you need in order to assess whether stapes surgery is appropriate for me?" That framing respects the boundary that suitability is decided by the ear specialist, while giving you a concrete list to work from.
Your summary should state: your main hearing complaint and how long it has been present; any diagnosis you have been given; any previous ear surgery; whether you use hearing aids; and your specific goal. Keep it brief. The initial enquiry does not require a complete medical archive, and you should not send passport numbers or payment details at this stage. Once the China team responds, you can share records through the channel they specify.
If you want a records-based opinion before travelling, a proxy consultation is one optional route: a doctor takes your records to a relevant hospital specialist while you remain at home. It is not a prerequisite for every appointment or operation, and it does not replace the hospital's own assessment. The key point is that the exchange works best when your question is specific and your records are labelled.
How to structure the handover so nothing is lost
A handover fails when each side assumes the other has the full picture. Build a simple shared document that both teams can see. It should have four parts: a timeline of your hearing history; a list of tests with dates and facilities; a list of treatments or surgeries already performed; and an open-questions section. The open-questions section is where you record what you still need answered, such as whether a particular test needs repeating, what the postoperative hearing review schedule would look like, and how results would be shared with your home team.
Name a responsible person on each side. On the home side, that might be the audiologist who holds your test records or the ENT clinician who has followed you. On the China side, it is whoever the hospital designates to receive your records. Ask each side what they will send, to whom, and in what format. If your home team can release records only with your written consent, prepare that consent in advance so the request does not stall.
Language is part of the handover. If your home records are not in English or Chinese, ask whether a translated summary is needed and who will provide it. Do not assume that a translation is automatically arranged. Confirm it as a question, not a fact.
- A dated list of hearing tests, with the facility that holds each one.
- A short summary letter from your home clinician, not just raw traces.
- A record of any previous ear surgery, including the operative note if available.
- A written note of your main question and your goal.
- The name of the person responsible for sending records on each side.
What to ask about hearing tests before and after travel
Hearing tests are central to both the assessment and the review, so ask early how they will be handled. Before travel, ask the China team which tests they will want to see and whether they expect to repeat any of them. This matters because repeating a test in China may change the schedule of your visit, and you should not assume that your home results will be accepted without question. Ask what the hospital's own assessment includes.
After surgery, ask how postoperative hearing reviews would be arranged. Specifically: what tests would be done, at what stage they would be performed, and how the results would reach your home team. If you plan to return home before a review is due, ask whether the review can be done locally and what information the China team would need from your home audiologist. Do not assume that a review can be transferred automatically; confirm it with both teams.
Do not stop using hearing aids or change any treatment on your own. Any change to your hearing-aid use or medication should be discussed with the clinician managing that aspect of your care. The China ear specialist will advise on what is appropriate for you, and your home clinician remains responsible for your ongoing local care.
Keeping your home team involved after you return
Your home team's role does not end when you travel. Before you leave China, ask for a discharge summary or procedure note that your home clinician can read. Ask what it will contain, when it will be ready, and whether it will be in a language your home team can use. Confirm who will send it and to whom. A discharge document that arrives weeks later, or only in a language your local clinician cannot read, is far less useful than one that is planned in advance.
Agree with your home clinician what follow-up they will provide. This might include repeat hearing tests, wound review, or simply monitoring your recovery. Ask the China team what specific instructions your home clinician should follow, and make sure those instructions are written down. Your home clinician will use their own judgement about your care; they are not bound to follow another team's plan without assessing you themselves.
If something goes wrong after you return, your home team is your first point of contact. Do not delay local assessment because you are waiting for a reply from China. Urgent or worsening symptoms take priority over overseas correspondence.
What remains uncertain, and how to close the gaps
Several things cannot be settled by correspondence alone. The China hospital decides whether stapes surgery is suitable for you, and that decision may depend on tests or examinations that can only be done in person. The exact schedule of your visit, the tests the hospital will perform, and how postoperative reviews will be arranged are all questions for the named provider, not facts you can assume from a general guide.
Write down the gaps and put them to the right person. If you do not know which hearing tests the China team needs, ask them. If you do not know how your home team will receive results, ask both teams. If you are unsure whether a proxy consultation would help, ask what it would add in your case. A free initial case review can check your available diagnosis, records and main question, identify missing information and suggest the relevant next step. It is not a diagnosis or a promise of acceptance.
The most useful thing you can do now is prepare a short, labelled summary of your hearing history and records, then send it with one specific question. You can start with a brief summary through the enquiry form, email or WhatsApp, and share fuller records after first contact. If you want to understand the procedure itself before you write, read the stapes surgery reference page, then bring your questions back to the exchange with your home team.
Sources & scope of this guide
References and official service information relevant to this guide.
This is general planning information and has not been individually reviewed by a doctor. Medical decisions and personal treatment advice come from your treating clinicians.