Antibiogram guided optimized medical treatment in chronic otitis media: A useful interventional strategy before surgery?

BACKGROUND: Chronic otitis media is a middle ear cleft disease presenting with tympanic membrane perforation and discharge. Wet ear after tympanoplasty and discharging mastoid cavity are problematic in clinical practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 1050 patients of age 10 to 50 years presenting with active ear discharge and clinically diagnosed with unilateral chronic suppurative otitis media were included in the study. The patients were equally divided into two equal groups, Group ET, and AT. All patients were prescribed topical ciprofloxacin, oral levocetirizine 5 mg and n-acetyl cysteine 600 mg BD for one week. Swabs of ear discharge were collected in ET groups for antibiogram. Both groups were evaluated on next visit and treatment changed in AT groups and result observed in next visit. Surgical outcome was evaluated at end of 2 yrs. RESULT: A total of 1158 organisms were isolated in culture out of which, 69.94 % were aerobes, 13.47 % anaerobes and 16.58 % were fungi. On the second visit in group AT, treatment of 85.14 % patients was changed in accordance with culture sensitivity report. In patients with mucosal disease, only 46.87 % patients of group ET had a favorable outcome in comparison to 90.28 % patients of group AT while in patients with squamosal disease, 17.56 % patients of group ET and 28.99 % patients in group AT had a dry ear. Surgeries in AT group were found to have statistically significant higher success rate as compared to ET group.

Functional and Anatomical Outcome of Inside Out Technique For Cholesteatoma Surgery.

BACKGROUND: To study the efficacy of inside-out technique in completely eradicating the cholesteatoma from middle ear and mastoid, preservation of hearing & and quality of life post mastoidectomy with regards to recurrent discharge, wax, granulations. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Non-randomized, prospective, observational study performed at the Department of ENT in our hospital. In the study we included 100 patients presenting with chronic suppurative otitis media with cholesteatoma, they underwent inside out mastoidectomy and were followed up till the end of the study to evaluate the efficacy of inside out mastoidectomy in eradicating the disease from the middle ear cleft. To assess preservation of hearing and to assess cavity problems. RESULTS: Of the 100 patients, 98 patients had a total clearance of disease by the inside out approach, and 2 patients, had doubtful clearance. All patients came for regular follow up and none of them had residual disease at the end of the study period. Thus, the overall success rate was 100% in our study. A significant improvement in the mean air conduction (p < 0.01) and the mean air bone gap (p < 0.01) was seen in all postoperatively at 3rd month PTA. Only one patient had conductive hearing loss one and a half years postoperatively after initial improvement. A dry self-cleansing cavity was achieved in 95% of the patients and only 5% required regular cleaning of wax the cavities. CONCLUSION: Inside out mastoidectomy is a better alternative in canal wall down procedures as it not only clears the disease from the middle ear cleft, but also leaves behind a small postoperative cavity, which will preserve the hearing, decrease the cavity problems and increase the quality of life of such patients.

[The application of the method of radiofrequency myringotomy under the experimental conditions and in the clinical practice]. / Primenenie metoda radiovolnovoi miringotomii v usloviiakh éksperimenta i v klinicheskoi praktike.

Exudative otitis media is a widespread pathological condition in the human population. In the recent years, the treatment with the electric current having the frequency up to 3.8 MHz has found the increasingly frequent application, in addition to shunting and laser myringotomy, for the perforation of the tympanic membrane to facilitate removal of exudate. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the application of the electric current with the frequency up to 4 MHz for myringotomy in the patients presenting with exudative otitis media under the experimental conditions and in the clinical practice. The experimental studies were carried out with the use of the isolated temporal bones (ex vivo) and laboratory animals (in vivo). The clinical studies included the surgical treatment of 41 patients presenting with exudative otitis media using the electric current with the frequency of 4 MHz and laser irradiation with the subsequent evaluation of the inflammatory manifestations in the tympanic membrane tissues during the early post-operative period. It was shown that the method of myringotomy with the application of the electric current having the frequency of 4 MHz is safe and causes no complications. Moreover, it is accompanied by the development of the minimally active inflammatory processes in the tympanic membrane tissues during the early post-operative period.

WITHDRAWN: Interventions for ear discharge associated with grommets (ventilation tubes).

BACKGROUND: The insertion of grommets (also known as ventilation or tympanostomy tubes) is one of the most common surgical procedures performed on children. Postoperative otorrhoea (discharge) is the most common complication with a reported incidence ranging from 10% to 50%. In the UK, many ENT surgeons treat with topical antibiotics/steroid combinations, but general practitioners, mainly through fears of ototoxicity, are unlikely to prescribe these and choose systemic broad-spectrum antibiotics. OBJECTIVES: 1. To identify the most effective non-surgical management of discharge from ears with grommets in place.2. To identify the risks of non-surgical management for this condition (e.g. ototoxicity), and to set benefits of treatment against these risks. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders Group Specialised Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library, Issue 1, 2005), MEDLINE (1966 to 2005) and EMBASE (1974 to 2005). We also searched the CINAHL, AMED, LILACS, ISI WEB OF KNOWLEDGE, ISI PROCEEDINGS, mRCT, NNR, ZETOC, KOREAMED, CSA, MEDCARIB, INDMED and SAMED databases. The date of the last search was February 2005. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials of adults or children, with any type of grommet and an ear with discharge were included. The trials compared treatment with placebo or one treatment with another. The primary outcome measure was the duration of the discharge. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: The trials were selected independently according to the above criteria by the four reviewers. Differences in opinion over the inclusion of studies were resolved by discussion. The studies were graded using the CASP critical appraisal tool. Analyses were based on the presence of discharge seven days from the onset of treatment. MAIN RESULTS: There was very little good quality evidence. Four studies were included, all of them investigating different interventions and therefore a meta-analysis was not possible.Only one study demonstrated a significant difference. Oral amoxicillin clavulanate was compared to placebo in 79 patients. The odds of having a discharge persisting eight days after starting treatment was 0.19 (95% CI 0.07 to 0.49) . The number needed to treat to achieve that benefit is 2.5. Participants in both arms of this study also received daily aural toilet. The results will therefore not be applicable to most settings including primary care. No significant benefit was shown in the two studies investigating steroids (oral prednisolone with oral amoxicillin clavulanate and topical dexamethasone with topical ciprofloxacin ear drops), or the one study comparing an antibiotic-steroid combination (Otosporin®) drops versus spray (Otomize®) (although more patients preferred the spray form). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The authors of this review have been unable to identify the most effective intervention or to assess the associated risks. Research is urgently needed into the effectiveness of oral versus topical antibiotics in this group of patients. Clinicians considering antibiotic treatment need to balance any potential benefit against the risks of side effects and antibiotic resistance.

[FEATURES OF OTOGENIC INTRACRANIAL COMPLICATIONS AT THE PRESENT STAGE].

A retrospective analysis of treatment was made in 127 adult patients with acute and chronic otitis media complicated by suppurative-inflammatory pathology of the brain. Purulent meningitis was revealed in 52 (40.9%) of hospitalized patients. Meningoencephalitis was often diagnosed in the cases of acute otitis media (15.4%) and in cases of chronic otitis (22.7%). The otogenic brain abscess was detected in 13.5% of otitis media cases and it was noted to be twice frequent (33.3%) in cases of purulent otitis media. The patients 124 (97.6%) have been operated. An extended mastoidotomy and antromastoidotomy were performed in the acute purulent otitis media. An extended radical operation on the ear was applied in case of chronic otitis media. Performance of craniotomy and complete removal of the abscess using modern systems of neuronavigation showed a higher clinical efficacy as compared with transtemporal approach during sanitizing intervention on the ear including the opening and abscess drainage in surgery of otogenic abscesses of the brain.

[Improvement of efficacy of electroacoustic hearing correction in patients after radical surgery on the middle ear].

Sound pressure was measured in the ears of 95 patients who had a cavity after radical operation of the middle ear. Changes of normal architectonics of the middle ear entail changes in resonance characteristics of the ear which must be considered in electroacoustic hearing correction. Effects of various modifications of ear insert on frequency characteristics were estimated.

Interventions for ear discharge associated with grommets (ventilation tubes).

BACKGROUND: The insertion of grommets (also known as ventilation or tympanostomy tubes) is one of the most common surgical procedures performed on children. Postoperative otorrhoea (discharge) is the most common complication with a reported incidence ranging from 10% to 50%. In the UK, many ENT surgeons treat with topical antibiotics/steroid combinations, but general practitioners, mainly through fears of ototoxicity, are unlikely to prescribe these and choose systemic broad-spectrum antibiotics. OBJECTIVES: 1. To identify the most effective non-surgical management of discharge from ears with grommets in place.2. To identify the risks of non-surgical management for this condition (e.g. ototoxicity), and to set benefits of treatment against these risks. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders Group Specialised Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library, Issue 1, 2005), MEDLINE (1966 to 2005) and EMBASE (1974 to 2005). We also searched the CINAHL, AMED, LILACS, ISI WEB OF KNOWLEDGE, ISI PROCEEDINGS, mRCT, NNR, ZETOC, KOREAMED, CSA, MEDCARIB, INDMED and SAMED databases. The date of the last search was February 2005. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials of adults or children, with any type of grommet and an ear with discharge were included. The trials compared treatment with placebo or one treatment with another. The primary outcome measure was the duration of the discharge. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: The trials were selected independently according to the above criteria by the four reviewers. Differences in opinion over the inclusion of studies were resolved by discussion. The studies were graded using the CASP critical appraisal tool. Analyses were based on the presence of discharge seven days from the onset of treatment. MAIN RESULTS: There was very little good quality evidence. Four studies were included, all of them investigating different interventions and therefore a meta-analysis was not possible. Only one study demonstrated a significant difference. Oral amoxicillin clavulanate was compared to placebo in 79 patients. The odds of having a discharge persisting eight days after starting treatment was 0.19 (95% CI 0.07 to 0.49) . The number needed to treat to achieve that benefit is 2.5. Participants in both arms of this study also received daily aural toilet. The results will therefore not be applicable to most settings including primary care. No significant benefit was shown in the two studies investigating steroids (oral prednisolone with oral amoxicillin clavulanate and topical dexamethasone with topical ciprofloxacin ear drops), or the one study comparing an antibiotic-steroid combination (Otosporin(R)) drops versus spray (Otomize(R)) (although more patients preferred the spray form). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The authors of this review have been unable to identify the most effective intervention or to assess the associated risks. Research is urgently needed into the effectiveness of oral versus topical antibiotics in this group of patients. Clinicians considering antibiotic treatment need to balance any potential benefit against the risks of side effects and antibiotic resistance.