The authors evaluate the parameters of the stapedial reflex (SR) in a group of 10 patients (20 ears) with latent or manifest tetany. In all instances patients are involved after surgery of the thyroid gland with postoperative hypocalcaemia. The authors evaluate the promptness of the SR and its threshold, the latency of SR and fatigue of SR by means of the decay test. The results are compared with a control group of 10 patients (20 ears) without clinical signs of tetany and with laboratory-confirmed normocalcaemia. In the control group the stapedial reflex could be elicited in all 20 ears. The threshold for eliciting the SR varied within the range of 75 - 90 dB, the average value being 80 dB. The latency of SR was 50 - 160 ms, the mean latency 90 ms. The decay test was normal in 18 of 20 ears. The threshold for elicitating varied between 75-95 dB, the mean being 85 dB. The latency of SR was 18 - 120 ms, with a mean value of 100 ms. A greater fatiguability of SR was diagnosed only in one ear of 16. Statistical processing revealed a higher value of the threshold of SR in patients with hypocalcaemia than in the control group. Although in the group with tetany a longer latency of SR was found, the statistical difference between latencies in the two groups was not significant. No significant difference was found in the eliciting of SR in the two groups nor in the fatiguability of SR. Despite this it seems that in patients with latent or manifest tetany certain changes of parameters of the SR occur. More frequently the reflex cannot be produced and if it is elicited it his a higher threshold (statistically significant) and a longer latency (not significant).

        Key words: stapedial reflex, tetany, hypocalcaemia.