Primary cholesteatoma of the external auditory canal: is the epithelial migration defective?

OBJECTIVE: Primary cholesteatoma of the external auditory canal (EACC) is a rare disease, characterized by osteonecrosis with formation of sequesters and ingrowth of keratinizing squamous epithelium in the bony EAC. The aetiology and pathogenesis are unknown, but an earlier study has demonstrated abnormal epithelial migration in such ears. The present study explored whether this interesting result can be reproduced. STUDY DESIGN: The epithelial migration in 10 ears with EACC was studied using the ink-dot method. Two ears with minor lesions were studied before treatment, and 8 ears were studied after operation or conservative treatment. The results were compared with the migration in 15 normal ears examined in a previous study using the same method. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 1) Presence or absence of epithelial migration; 2) change of the normal centrifugal pattern; and 3) estimated migration speed compared with normal ears. RESULTS: A qualitatively normal centrifugal migration was present on intact (unaffected or healed) skin in all 10 ears with EACC and was only missing directly on crust-covered lesions. The estimated migration speed was similar to the speed in normal ears, that is, approximately 150 mum/d. CONCLUSION: Ears with EACC seem to have qualitatively and quantitatively normal epithelial migration except directly on crust-covered lesions. It is unlikely that an abnormal epithelial migration is involved in the pathogenesis of this disease. These observations have implications for EAC disorders with similar clinical features that involve bony invasion, including osteoradionecrosis.

Unilateral deafness after acoustic neuroma surgery: subjective hearing handicap and the effect of the bone-anchored hearing aid.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the subjective hearing handicap in patients with unilateral deafness after acoustic neuroma surgery and the effect of the Bone-anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) on test band. STUDY DESIGN: Fifty-nine consecutive patients with unilateral deafness after translabyrintine removal of an acoustic neuroma, treated in Denmark in 2001 and 2002, were included. The patients were asked to complete a questionnaire, which addressed the subjective handicap of unilateral deafness; 90% responded. These patients were invited to test the BAHA on test band, and the subjective and objective effects were recorded. RESULTS: Eighty percent of the patients thought that they had a subjective hearing handicap of some significance. However, only 50% accepted the invitation to test the BAHA. The overall subjective effect was positive, and a significant improvement in speech discrimination in noise with the BAHA was demonstrated. After the test, however, only about 50%, that is, 25% of all patients wished implantation for BAHA treatment. CONCLUSION: This study shows that unilateral deafness after acoustic neuroma surgery is thought as a handicap in most of the patients and confirms that treatment with the BAHA has positive subjective effects and improves speech discrimination in noise. However, only 25% of the patients wished implantation for BAHA treatment. The implications of these findings are discussed. Data from centers that perform simultaneous acoustic neuroma surgery and implantation for BAHA are necessary for firm conclusions.

Destructive, granulating lesion in the temporal bone after elevated plasma homocysteine.

OBJECTIVE: This is a presentation of a seemingly new otolaryngologic disease. SETTING: This study was conducted at a tertiary referral center. CASE REPORT: A 38-year-old healthy man developed left-sided sudden deafness with vertigo and temporary left facial palsy. A granulating and destructive lesion in the left temporal bone was discovered; repeated histologic examination only showed simple granulation tissue. After 6 months, a part of the bony cochlea was extruded. With approximately 8 months' delay and after the patient had had postoperative lung embolism, plasma homocysteine was found to be significantly elevated, a condition known as an independent risk factor for thromboembolic lesions. In the acquired form, it is most often caused by nutritional deficiency of vitamin B cofactors. Accordingly, the patient was treated with folic acid, which rapidly normalized plasma homocysteine. Subsequently, the granulation tissue in the temporal bone gradually disappeared, clinically and radiologically, and the lesion healed, obviously without cochlea function. CONCLUSIONS: Thromboembolic lesion in the left temporal bone, probably in the thin end artery a. labyrintina, i.e., an avascular osteonecrosis. During the latest years, an association between avascular osteonecrosis (most often in the hip) and conditions with increased risk of thrombosis such as hyperhomocystinemia has been established but, to the best of our knowledge, it is never with a lesion in the temporal bone.

Long-term results and experience with the first-generation semi-implantable electromagnetic hearing aid with ossicular replacement device for mixed hearing loss.

OBJECTIVE: To document the long-term surgical and audiologic results of the implantation of a first-generation semi-implantable hearing aid for mixed hearing loss, consisting of a magnetic partial or total ossicular replacement prosthesis and an electromagnetic driver fitted in the ear canal. The short-term results have previously been published as excellent in both surgical and audiologic terms. To analyze and discuss reasons of treatment failure, as well as future perspectives. STUDY DESIGN: Patient file review, follow-up otomicroscopic examination and audiometry, as well as patient interview. SETTING Tertiary referral center at a University hospital. PATIENTS: Of nine patients operated on, six with a mixed hearing loss after chronic otitis media could be evaluated primarily. Two underwent implantation with a partial and four with a total ossicular replacement prosthesis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Use of and satisfaction with the hearing aid, apparatus function and integrity, hearing without electromagnetic driver, prostheses containment, drum abnormalities, nonaudiologic ear symptoms, e.g., discharge. RESULTS: All patients attended follow-up for a mean of 9.5 years after implantation (range 8.8-10 years). No patients used the semi-implantable hearing aid at follow-up. The mean semi-implantable hearing aid using time was 24 months (range 3-60 months). The main reasons for discontinuation of use were problems fitting the electromagnetic driver correctly in the ear canal and prosthesis extrusion or dislocation. CONCLUSIONS: Despite excellent short-term surgical and audiologic results, it is concluded that these first long-term results of the first-generation electromagnetic semi-implantable hearing aids with ossicular replacement prosthesis for mixed hearing loss are disappointing. However, improvements in the surgical approach and in the reshaping, refinement, and overall improvement of the semi-implantable hearing aid could lead to satisfactory treatment of this group of patients.

Beneficial effect of low-dose peritonsillar injection of lidocaine-adrenaline before tonsillectomy. A placebo-controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: Most studies investigating the effect of preincisional injection of local anaesthetic with adrenaline in tonsillectomy have used rather large doses and an inter-individual study design. They are inconclusive regarding the effect on post-tonsillectomy pain but have shown that the peroperative blood loss is reduced. However, side effects to high adrenaline doses are common. In the present study, the effect of injecting a small dose of lidocaine-adrenaline was investigated by using an intra-individual study design. METHODS: In this randomised double-blind study 52 patients (33 women and 19 men) received unilateral preincisional injection of 3-ml lidocaine-adrenaline before tonsillectomy. RESULTS: the difference in blood loss was highly significant with a more than 50% reduction in peroperative blood loss in the infiltrated side. Time to achieve haemostasis for one tonsil side was reduced from 6.0 to 4.0 min. No side effects were observed. At the operation day (mean 4.9 h after operation), the visual analogue scale for pain at the side infiltrated with local anaesthetics was 2.78 compared to 4.00 in the control side (P=0.05). CONCLUSION: Low-dose injection of lidocaine-adrenaline before tonsillectomy reduces blood loss and has a small but significant beneficial effect on early postoperative pain. Furthermore our results indicate that operation time is reduced. We therefore recommend subcapsular injection of 3 ml of 1% lidocaine with 1/200.000 adrenaline under each tonsil before tonsillectomy.

Hearing 25 years after surgical treatment of otitis media with effusion in early childhood.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the long-term hearing following surgical treatment of chronic OME in early childhood (myringotomy or ventilation tube) and to determine the impact of the occurrence and the extension of specific eardrum pathology on the hearing level. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 1977-1978, 224 consecutive children (91 girls and 133 boys) with chronic bilateral OME were enrolled and treated by adenoidectomy, bilateral myringotomy and insertion of a ventilation tube on the right side only. In 2002, a follow-up examination included otomicroscopy and audiometry. Hearing thresholds were compared to an age- and gender-matched normative data set. For the determination of the impact of specific eardrum pathology on the hearing, multiple linear regression modelling was used in adjustment for age and concomitant eardrum pathologies. RESULTS: Long-term hearing after chronic OME and associated treatment is not different from age and gender-matched normal hearing. Treatment modality (myringotomy or ventilation tube) has no impact on the long-term hearing level. The regression analyses showed that the presence of myringosclerosis is associated with an overall hearing loss in myringotomised ears (4-5 dB), but not in tubed ears, for which only high frequencies were affected. Conversely, tensa atrophy is associated with an overall hearing loss in tubed ears (3-4 dB), but not in myringotomised ears, for which only high frequencies were affected. CONCLUSIONS: Hearing 25 years after surgical treatment of chronic OME is not different from age and gender matched normal hearing. In addition, treatment modality (myringotomy or ventilation tube) has no impact on the long-term hearing level. However, atrophy is associated with a hearing loss in tubed ears, whereas myringosclerosis is associated with a hearing loss in myringotomised ears. The hearing loss associated with pathology is of limited magnitude (up to about 5 dB PTA). Even though pathology does occur more frequently and more extensively in tubed ears, the effect on the hearing at the group level is too small to have an impact. It is important to note, that this may be due to a type 2-error (number of patients too small to show an effect).

BAHA in single-sided deafness: patient compliance and subjective benefit.

OBJECTIVE: Despite most patients with single-sided deafness (SSD) after operation for acoustic neuroma (AN) perceiving a significant hearing handicap, less than 25% are interested in bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) implantation. We evaluated the treatment compliance of BAHA in SSD and the effect of BAHA on the subjective handicap. METHODS: Part 1: It was determined, from our first study, how many of the SDD patients after operation for AN (n = 59) and interested in BAHA (n = 14) had been implanted. Part 2: Of 23 BAHA-implanted patients with SSD due to various causes, including the implanted patients from the previous study, 21 answered a questionnaire on the BAHA treatment compliance and the subjective handicap with and without BAHA. RESULTS: Part 1: Of the 14 patients from our first study who were interested in implantation for BAHA, 11 had been implanted (18.6% of all 59 patients). Part 2: Of the 21 patients with SSD, 95% still used BAHA, and of these, 81% used it more than 8 hours a day. Of the patients, 90% considered BAHA a moderate to significant aid; it reduced the subjective hearing handicap from 7.4 to 2.3 arbitrary units on a visual analog scale. CONCLUSION: Despite the subjective handicap perception among most patients with SSD after AN surgery, less than 20% chose treatment with BAHA. Conversely, patients with SSD choosing implantation had high treatment compliance and felt that BAHA reduced their handicap. Thus, when selected by the patients after testing, BAHA is effective in SSD and results in a high patient compliance.

Myringotomy versus ventilation tubes in secretory otitis media: eardrum pathology, hearing, and eustachian tube function 25 years after treatment.

OBJECTIVE: This report documents the dynamics of eardrum pathology, hearing acuity, and eustachian tube function during 25 years after treatment of bilateral secretory otitis media. The included children were treated by myringotomy on the left ear and ventilation tube insertion on the right ear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred twenty-four children with bilateral secretory otitis media were treated by bilateral myringotomy and insertion of a ventilation tube on the right side only. The children were reexamined by otomicroscopy, tympanometry, and pure tone audiometry after 3, 7, and 25 years. At the last evaluation, the eustachian tube function was evaluated by the 9-step test. RESULTS: 1) Myringosclerosis and late atrophy were more prevalent in tube ears. 2) Prevalence of eardrum retraction decreased over time, whereas that of sclerosis remained unchanged in tube ears and increased in myringotomy ears. 3) Prevalence of atrophy increased over time in tube ears. 4) Extension of myringosclerosis increased, whereas that of atrophy and tensa retraction decreased over time, regardless of treatment. 5) Hearing was better in the tube ear during, but not after treatment. 6) Tympanometric findings were not related to treatment. 7) Eustachian tube function at 25 years was not related to treatment. CONCLUSION: The insertion of a ventilation tube after myringotomy leads not only to better hearing until extrusion but also to an increased prevalence of long-term pathologic changes of the eardrum, that is, myringosclerosis and late atrophy. The temporary hearing improvement may reduce the risk of detrimental effects on speech and language development. The prevalence and extension of the various subtypes of pathology change over the years after treatment, which implies the existence of intrinsic repair mechanisms, but also continuing progression of disease and/or treatment sequelae many years after treatment. However, these changes do not seem to affect the hearing acuity in the long term. The treatment modality has no impact on late eustachian tube function.