Hearing Results Following Type 1 Tympanoplasty in Elderly Patients.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The outcomes of type 1 tympanoplasty in elderly patients remain controversial. Therefore, more studies are needed to clarify the prognosis of elderly patients after tympanoplasty. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of type 1 tympanoplasty in elderly patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from 116 patients who underwent type 1 tympanoplasty due to chronic otitis media. Seventy-one of the 116 patients were elderly individuals aged 65 years or older (study group). Forty-five patients were younger than 65 years (control group). Due to cochlear intolerance by aging in the study group, we used dexamethasone soaked gelfoam packing in the middle ear and intraoperative dexamethasone injection. To compare the outcomes between groups, we determined the mean hearing levels by averaging the hearing thresholds. The differences in the air-bone gaps before and after tympanoplasty were compared between groups. RESULTS: In the study group, 54 patients had an underlying disease (76%). Hypertension was the most common underlying disease. The postoperative air conduction (AC) and bone conduction (BC) improved in both the study group and the control group. In the control group, postoperative air-bone gap (ABG) was significantly higher than preoperative ABG. Although the postoperative ABG improved in the study group, the improvement was insignificant. CONCLUSION: Although significant improvement of ABG was not achieved, postoperative AC and BC were improved. Intraoperative dexamethasone injection and dexamethasone soaked gelfoam packing in the middle ear was effective to prevent deterioration of BC after operation.

A Case of Cochlear Implantation in Bromate-Induced Bilateral Sudden Deafness.

Despite the well-established nature of bromate-induced ototoxicity, cochlear implantation after bromate intoxication has been rarely documented. We hereby present a case of a 51-year-old female deafened completely after bromate ingestion. Her hearing was not restored by systemic steroid treatment and hearing aids were of no use. A cochlear implantation was performed on her right ear 3 months after the bromate ingestion. In bromate intoxication cases, early monitoring of hearing level is necessary and other drugs with potential ototoxicity should be avoided. The outcome of cochlear implantation was excellent in this case of bromate-induced deafness.

Outcomes of Severe to Profound Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

OBJECTIVES: While a severe to profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) may cause serious disability in verbal communication, there have been little studies focusing on this high degree SSNHL. The present study was aimed to investigate the characteristics of hearing recovery in a high degree SSNHL (>70 dB). METHODS: Three hundred and two SSNHL patients were enrolled. For a long-term follow-up, 46 patients were evaluated. Hearing level was examined by pure tone audiometry on day 1, week 3, month 3, month 6, and year 1 or after. According to the degree of the initial hearing loss, the patients were divided into 4 groups from 70 to ≥100 dB. RESULTS: After 3 weeks, the recovery rate and mean hearing gain was 61%, 23.85 dB in the 70 dB group, whereas 10%, 6.61 dB in the ≥100 dB group. There was a significant correlation between 3-week recovery and final hearing outcome. However, there was almost no recovery after 3 months. CONCLUSION: An early recovery can be a prognostic factor for the final recovery in severe to profound SSNHL. Since recovery after 3 months is rare, an early hearing intervention like hearing aid or cochlear implantation should be considered in the high degree SSNHL to restore the patient's verbal communication.

Osteoma of the promontory mimicking a congenital cholesteatoma.

Osteoma of the temporal bone most commonly occurs in the external ear. Osteomas in the middle ear are not common, and only 25 relevant cases (18 papers) have been reported in the English literature. With only 5 cases reported to date, osteoma of the promontory in the middle ear is rare. This study reports a case of asymptomatic osteoma of the promontory in the middle ear mimicking a congenital cholesteatoma in a 4-year-old girl.

Comparison of obliteration materials used for revision canal wall-down mastoidectomy with mastoid obliteration.

AIM: To describe our surgical technique and compare the results of obliteration materials. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty patients over a 7-year period were evaluated retrospectively. Out of these 50 consecutive patients, 29 had recurrent chronic otitis media (COM) with or without cholesteatoma and 21 patients had old open cavities. Efficacy of mastoid obliteration was assessed by an electronic chart review, otoendoscopic findings, temporal bone computerized tomography (CT) images, and postoperative caloric test. RESULTS: Among 50 patients, inferiorly-based periosteal flap was used in 25 patients (50%) and anteriorly-based periosteal flap was used in the other 25 patients. Tympanic membrane and newly-formed external auditory canal wall was intact in 48 patients (96%). The newly-formed EAC provided sufficient aeration, and satisfactory aesthetic appearance. None of our patients complained of vertigo triggered by cold air or water. There was no significant difference in the caloric test results between the operated ear and the normal ear. No difference was observed in the caloric test between the bone pate and costal cartilage groups. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that mastoid obliteration using autogenous bone pate or costal cartilage is helpful in improving the outcomes of revision canal wall-down mastoidectomy in patients with an old radical cavity and recurrent COM or cholesteatoma.