Factors Associated With Loss to Follow Up After Temporal Bone Fracture.

INTRODUCTION: Inpatient and outpatient evaluation is important for management of temporal bone trauma due to the possible otologic complications that can result. However, there is limited literature on follow up rates following temporal bone fracture. This study aimed to determine the proportion of patients lost to follow up after sustaining temporal bone fractures and identify factors associated with loss to follow up. METHODS: Retrospective review of adult patients who sustained temporal bone fractures at a level I trauma center from January 1, 2019 to January 1, 2024 was completed (IRB H-44161). The primary outcome included prevalence of patient loss to follow up. Secondary variables included initial radiographic and exam findings, otologic complications, and demographic characteristics. Patients who were seen in follow up and lost to follow up were compared, and odds of loss to follow up was calculated. RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients met inclusion criteria for this study, of which 30 patients (43.5%) were lost to follow up. Patients who were White had a significantly lower odds of loss to follow up than those who were not White (OR = 0.2506 (95% CI: 0.0706, 0.8067, P = .0024). While need for acute management was not significantly different between the groups, a significantly lower proportion of patients who were intubated on presentation (P = .0091), had abnormal otoscopic exam (P = .0211), and had otologic complications (P = .0056) were lost to follow up. CONCLUSION: Almost half of patients who sustained temporal bone fractures, including a significantly higher odds of minority race/ethnicity patients, were lost to follow up.

The effect of tympanostomy tubes on otoacoustic emissions.

PURPOSE: Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) are a common screening tool to evaluate cochlear function. Middle ear dysfunction has been shown to impact results of otoacoustic emission testing, but there are limited data on the effect of tympanostomy tubes on OAE. The purpose of this study was to determine whether tympanostomy tube placement significantly improved OAE. METHODS: A retrospective review of charts was completed for patients younger than 18 years old who underwent tympanostomy tube placement from January 1, 2018 to September 1, 2023 and had preoperative and postoperative OAE testing within 6 months of surgery. The primary variable was presence of OAE preoperatively and postoperatively. Chi-square analysis and t test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 212 ears were examined from 111 pediatric patients who underwent tympanostomy tube placement during the study period. Presence of OAE at 3000, 4000, and 5000 Hz were all noted to significantly increase following tympanostomy tube placement, with OAE presence increasing from approximately 27.8% of the sample preoperatively to 95.3% postoperatively at 3000 and 4000 Hz. Patients who noted improvement had a significantly higher proportion of type B tympanogram preoperatively, compared to a higher proportion of type A tympanogram noted in patients who did not note improvement. CONCLUSION: Tympanostomy tubes can significantly improve otoacoustic emissions in patients with middle ear dysfunction.

Hypertrophic pachymeningitis of the internal auditory canal and cerebellopontine angle from a large recurrent attic cholesteatoma.

OBJECTIVES: To describe a rare complication of cholesteatoma. METHODS: Case report with literature review. RESULTS: We report a case of a 37-year-old male who presented for evaluation of otorrhea, headache, and progressive left sensorineural hearing loss. Clinical and radiologic evaluation demonstrated a large recurrent attic cholesteatoma with erosion into the lateral and superior semicircular canals, and diffuse enhancement of the internal auditory canal and cerebellopontine angle suggestive of hypertrophic pachymeningitis secondary to cholesteatoma. After treatment with a course of antibiotics and canal wall down mastoidectomy surgery for cholesteatoma exteriorization, he experienced improvement of his symptoms and resolution of hypertrophic pachymeningitis. CONCLUSION: Hypertrophic pachymeningitis is a rarely described complication of cholesteatoma. In the context of cholesteatoma, treatment with antibiotics and surgical removal or exteriorization of cholesteatoma are effective treatments for HP.

Incidence of audiologic or otolaryngologic evaluation in patients with external ear anomalies.

PURPOSE: The relationship between specific external ear anomalies (EEA) and hearing loss has been previously described. However, there is no literature regarding the appropriate evaluation of patients with EEA by audiology or otolaryngology. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of audiologic or otolaryngologic evaluation of patients with EEA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of charts was conducted following approval from the institutional review board at Boston Medical Center. Charts of patients younger than 18 years old with EEA, identified using International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 codes 380-380.99, 744, and 744.4 and ICD-10 codes H61.90-92, Q16.0-16.9, Q17.0-17.9, Q18.0-18.2, from January 2012 to January 2019 were reviewed. Primary variables included incidence of audiologic and otolaryngologic evaluation, newborn hearing screen and audiometry results, and completion of surgical intervention. Binary logistic regressions were conducted for each group for diagnostic, procedural, and demographic characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 723 patients were diagnosed with EEA from January 2012 to January 2019. Of these patients, 327 (45.2 %) were evaluated by audiology and 327 (45.2 %) were evaluated by otolaryngology. Of the 364 patients who obtained audiograms, 63 (17.3 %) demonstrated hearing loss. Surgical procedures were performed on 119 (16.5 %) patients, with the most common procedure being excision of the EEA (n = 79, 66.4 %). A total of 468 patients had a documented newborn hearing screen. Failure of newborn hearing screen and presence of microtia were associated with increased otolaryngologic and audiologic evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: A majority of patients with EEAs do not obtain audiologic or otolaryngologic evaluation.