Healthcare consumption among subjects with otitis media undergoing middle ear surgery-analysis of cost drivers.

PURPOSE: To map healthcare utilized by subjects with chronic otitis media, with or without cholesteatoma and perform a cost analysis to determine key drivers of healthcare expenditure. METHODS: A registry study of 656 adult subjects with chronic otitis media that underwent a middle ear surgery between 2014 and 2018. Healthcare contacts related to all publicly funded specialist ENT care, audiological care and primary care for a disease of the ear and mastoid process were extracted. The data are extracted from the Swedish National Patient Registry on subjects that reside in western Sweden. RESULTS: Subjects made 13,782 healthcare contacts at a total cost 61.1 million SEK (6.0 million EUR) between 2014 and 2018. The mean cost per subject was 93,075 SEK (9071 EUR) and ranged between 3971 SEK (387 EUR) and 468,711 SEK (45,683 EUR) per individual. In the most expensive quartile of subjects, mean cost was 192,353 SEK (18,747 EUR) over the 5-year period. These subjects made 3227 ENT contacts (roughly four each year) and 60% of total costs were associated with in-patient ENT care. CONCLUSION: Patients with chronic otitis media are associated with high ENT resource utilization that does not diminish after surgical intervention and the disease places a long-term burden on healthcare systems. Significant costs are attributed to revision surgeries, indicating that these patients could be managed more effectively. In many such cases, reoperation cannot be avoided, especially due to recurrence of cholesteatoma. However, in some patients, when the indication for subsequent surgery is only hearing improvement, alternative options, such as hearing aids or implants, should also be considered. This is especially true in difficult cases, where revision ossiculoplasty is likely.

Facial canal dehiscence, dural exposure, and labyrinthine fistula in middle ear cholesteatoma and mastoiditis.

PURPOSE: To analyze the prevalence and associations of facial canal dehiscence (FCD), dural exposure, and labyrinthine fistula in chronic otitis media (COM) with and without cholesteatoma. METHODS: This was a retrospective study performed in an academic medical center. Patients who received tympanoplasty with mastoidectomy for COM with and without cholesteatoma were included. The prevalence of FCD, dural exposure, and labyrinthine fistula in COM with and without cholesteatoma (mastoiditis) and their relationships were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 189 patients, including 107 (56.6%) females and 82 (43.4%) males, with 191 ears were included. There were 149 cases (78.0%) of cholesteatoma and 42 patients (22.0%) with mastoiditis. FCD was noted in 27.5% of patients with cholesteatoma and 9.5% of patients with mastoiditis. Dural exposure was found in 21 patients (14.1%) with cholesteatoma and 4 patients (9.5%) with mastoiditis. Eleven patients (7.4%) with cholesteatoma and 1 patient (2.4%) with mastoiditis had labyrinthine fistula. Patients with a labyrinthine fistula had nearly a fivefold greater chance (OR = 4.924, 95% CI = 1.355-17.896, p = 0.015) of having FCD than those without a fistula. There was a positive correlation between dural exposure and labyrinthine fistula (P = 0.011, Fisher's exact test). CONCLUSION: FCD, dural exposure, and labyrinthine fistula are common complications in COM. These complications are more frequently observed in patients with cholesteatoma than in patients with mastoiditis. Surgeons should pay more attention to the treatment of COM.

Supratentorial and cervical extensions of a giant middle ear cholesteatoma.

INTRODUCTION: Cholesteatomas are slowly progressive and well demarcated lesions but if not treated, they can spread to the inner ear and brain and lead to serious neurological complications. CASE REPORT: A 59-year old male was referred to our practice. His initial imaging showed that a huge intracranial mass has spread to the neck. Beyond surgical exploration, a sizable temporal bone lesion with extensive keratinisation was observed which later on histopathological exam turned out to be a cholesteatoma. CONCLUSIONS: Cholesteatomas may be aggressive lesions by rapidly growing and gross destructive features. In such cases, more attempts should be given to ruling out any malignant neoplastic tissues.

Taste Alteration in External Auditory Canal Cholesteatoma: Indicator of Impending N VII Affection.

INTRODUCTION: External auditory canal cholesteatoma (EACC) is a rare disease, with an estimated incidence of approximately 1:1,000 adult and 1.6:1,000 pediatric otologic patients. Systematic studies of chronic ear disease and taste alteration prior to surgery are rare; in fact, there are no such studies for EACCs. Therefore, we describe chorda tympani nerve (CTN) dysfunction and the related clinical consequences in EACC patients. METHODS/STUDY DESIGN: Between 1992 and 2021, we retrospectively analyzed the symptoms, signs, and radiological and intraoperative descriptions of CTN involvement in 73 patients. Liquid taste tests and, since 2009, Taste StripsTM as well as an olfactory screening test (Smell DiskettesTM) have been performed for all symptomatic patients and, when feasible, all other EACC patients. RESULTS: Ten of 73 patients complained subjectively of dysfunction, and 8 showed abnormal taste test results. Four patients complained of olfactory dysfunction (3 cases with pathological taste tests). Gustatory dysfunction was most frequent in radiogenic EACC cases (n = 4), followed by postoperative EACC (n = 3). Two postoperative patients were asymptomatic despite abnormal test results. Rarely, patients with idiopathic (n = 2) and posttraumatic (n = 1) EACC showed acute taste dysfunction that was confirmed in each with abnormal test results. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: CTN dysfunction often developed asymptomatically in chronic ears, except for idiopathic and posttraumatic EACCs under previous healthy middle ear conditions. Taste disturbance is not a cardinal symptom of EACC, but objective testing suggests that up to one out of 10 EACC patients with advanced disease may experience regional gustatory dysfunction prior to surgery. Especially in context of a new and acute presentation, regional taste dysfunction may alert the clinician of potential progressive EACC invasion and danger to the facial nerve.

Cerebellar Abscess Induced by Cochlear Fistula due to Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media.

Cochlear fistulas with cholesteatoma as the primary disease have been reported frequently in the relevant literature. However, there are no reports of cochlear fistula without cholesteatoma due to chronic suppurative otitis media with intracranial complications. We report a case of cochlear fistula due to chronic otitis media that was diagnosed after the onset of a cerebellar abscess. The patient was a 25-year-old man with severe autism. He was admitted to our hospital with otorrhea from his left ear, emesis, and impaired consciousness. Computed tomography (CT) of the head showed left suppurative otitis media, left cerebellar abscess, and brainstem compression due to hydrocephalus. Right extra-ventricular drainage and brain abscess drainage were urgently performed. The next day, foramen magnum decompression and abscess drainage with partial resection of the swollen cerebellum were performed for decompression purposes. He was subsequently treated with antimicrobial therapy, but magnetic resonance imaging of the head showed an increase in the size of the cerebellar abscess. Re-examination of the temporal bone CT scans revealed a bony defect in the left cochlear promontory angle. We assumed that the cochlear fistula was responsible for the otogenic brain abscess. Thus, the patient underwent surgical closure of the cochlear fistula. After the operation, the cerebellar abscess lesion gradually shrank, and his general condition stabilized. Cochlear fistula should be considered in the management of patients with inflammatory middle ear disease associated with otogenic intracranial complications in the middle ear.

[Partial sequestration of the labyrinth in a child with chronic suppurative otitis media with cholesteatoma]. / Chastichnaya sekvestratsiya labirinta u rebenka s khronicheskim gnoinym srednim otitom s kholesteatomoi.

A clinical case of a 16-year-old child with chronic suppurative otitis media with cholesteatoma complicated by partial labyrinth sequestration is presented. The case describes is a rare disorder. Computed tomography of temporal bones consistent with intraoperative data was decisive in establishing the diagnosis and the surgery extent.

Cholesteatoma Is Associated With Pediatric Progressive Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

OBJECTIVES: This study identified an association between cholesteatoma and progressive sensorineural hearing loss using a large pediatric longitudinal audiologic dataset. Cholesteatoma is a potential sequela of chronic otitis media with effusion, a commonly observed auditory pathology that can contribute to hearing loss in children. The purpose of this report is to (i) describe the process of identifying the association between cholesteatoma and progressive sensorineural hearing loss in a large pediatric dataset and (ii) describe the audiologic data acquired over time in patients identified with cholesteatoma-associated progressive sensorineural hearing loss. DESIGN: Records of patients included in the Audiologic and Genetics Database (n = 175,215 patients) were examined using specified criteria defining progressive hearing loss. A linear regression model examined the log frequency of all diagnostic codes in the electronic health record assigned to patients for a progressive hearing loss cohort compared with a stable hearing loss group. Based on findings from the linear regression analysis, longitudinal audiometric air (AC) and bone conduction (BC) thresholds were extracted for groups of subjects with cholesteatoma-associated progressive (n = 58 subjects) and stable (n = 55 subjects) hearing loss to further analyze changes in hearing over time. RESULTS: The linear regression analyses identified that diagnostic codes for cholesteatoma were associated with progressive sensorineural hearing loss in children. The longitudinal audiometric data demonstrated within-subject changes in masked BC sensitivity consistent with progressive sensorineural hearing loss in children diagnosed with cholesteatoma. Additional analyses showed that mastoidectomy surgeries did not appear to contribute to the observed progressive hearing loss and that a high number of cholesteatoma patients with progressive hearing loss had normal-hearing thresholds at their first test. CONCLUSIONS: The statistical analyses demonstrated an association between cholesteatoma and pediatric progressive sensorineural hearing loss. These findings inform clinical management by suggesting that children with cholesteatoma diagnoses may be at increased risk for progressive sensorineural hearing loss and should receive continued monitoring even after a normal masked BC baseline has been established.

Is it useful to use computerized tomography image-based artificial intelligence modelling in the differential diagnosis of chronic otitis media with and without cholesteatoma?

OBJECTIVE: Cholesteatoma is an aggressive form of chronic otitis media (COM). For this reason, it is important to distinguish between COM with and without cholesteatoma. In this study, the role of artificial intelligence modelling in differentiating COM with and without cholesteatoma on computed tomography images was evaluated. METHODS: The files of 200 patients who underwent mastoidectomy and/or tympanoplasty for COM in our clinic between January 2016 and January 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. According to the presence of cholesteatoma, the patients were divided into two groups as chronic otitis with cholesteatoma (n = 100) and chronic otitis without cholesteatoma (n = 100). The control group (n = 100) consisted of patients who did not have any previous ear disease and did not have any active complaints about the ear. Temporal bone computed tomography (CT) images of all patients were analyzed. The distinction between cholesteatoma and COM was evaluated by using 80% of the CT images obtained for the training of artificial intelligence modelling and the remaining 20% for testing purposes. RESULTS: The accuracy rate obtained in the hybrid model we used in our study was 95.4%. The proposed model correctly predicted 2952 out of 3093 CT images, while it predicted 141 incorrectly. It correctly predicted 936 (93.78%) of 998 images in the COM group with cholesteatoma, 835 (92.77%) of 900 images in the COM group without cholesteatoma, and 1181 (98.82%) of 1195 images in the normal group. CONCLUSION: In our study, it has been shown that the differentiation of COM with and without cholesteatoma with artificial intelligence modelling can be made with highly accurate diagnosis rates by using CT images. With the deep learning modelling we proposed, the highest correct diagnosis rate in the literature was obtained. According to the results of our study, we think that with the use of artificial intelligence in practice, the diagnosis of cholesteatoma can be made earlier, it will help in the selection of the most appropriate treatment approach, and the complications can be reduced.

Post-operative hearing among patients with labyrinthine fistula as a complication of cholesteatoma using "under water technique".

INTRODUCTION: During surgery in patients with labyrinthine fistula the mandatory complete removal of the cholesteatoma while preserving inner ear and vestibular function is a challenge. Options so far have been either the complete removal of the cholesteatoma or leaving the matrix on the fistula. We evaluated an alternative "under water" surgical technique for complete cholesteatoma resection, in terms of preservation of postoperative inner ear and vestibular function. METHODS: From 2013 to 2019, 20 patients with labyrinthine fistula due to cholesteatoma were operated. We used the canal wall down approach and removal of matrix on the fistula was done as the last step during surgery using the "under water technique". The pre and postoperative hearing tests and the vestibular function were retrospectively examined. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between pre and post-operative bone conduction thresholds; 20% experienced an improvement of more than 10 dB, with none experiencing a postoperative worsening of sensorineural hearing loss. Among seven patients who presented with vertigo, two had transient vertigo postoperatively but eventually recovered. CONCLUSION: Our data show that the "under water technique" for cholesteatoma removal at the labyrinthine fistula is a viable option in the preservation of inner ear function and facilitating complete cholesteatoma removal.

[Immunomodulation in Cholesteatoma]. / Immunmodulation im Cholesteatom.

INTRODUCTION: The etiopathogenesis of chronic otitis media epitympanalis/cholesteatoma and its proliferative destructive course with possible complications such as destruction of bony structures with hearing loss, vestibular dysfunction, facial nerve paralysis and intracranial complications are still unexplained. Surgery is still the way to go. New studies are increasingly looking at the innate immune system. METHODS: Our studies were carried out in a mouse model in WT mice and immundeficient KO-mice, as well as in cholesteatoma and healthy ear canal skin and middle ear tissue, which was removed during ear surgery. The expression analyses were carried out at the gene and protein level using TNF as the major target for therapy evaluation. By means of TUNEL staining and immunohistochemistry the level of apoptosis was evaluated. RESULTS: The uncontrolled undirected cholesteatoma growth shows an immunomodulatory profile with up and down-regulation of various gene networks, especially those involved in TNF downstream and upstream signaling pathways. TNF in cholesteatoma is modulated both inflammatorily and apoptotically and therefore is suitable as a possible therapeutic approach in various models. CONCLUSIONS: Cholesteatoma might be immunomodulatory regulated.

Causes of Middle Ear Aural Polyps in Adult Patients from Kut and Diwaniyah Cities in Iraq.

BACKGROUND: Aural polyps consider as one of the most notable progressive lesions of middle ear. Chronic otitis media can result in development of aural polyps that ascends from the tympanic cavity outwards to the external auditory canal, leading to tympanic membrane perforation and hearing loss. Morbidity and mortality are usually rare, however, failure of diagnosis or prolonged negligence by the patient could increase the likelihood of cholesteatoma or malignant squamous carcinoma. AIM: To investigate the causes of middle ear aural polyps in adult patients selected from Kut and Diwaniyah cities in Iraq. METHODOLOGY: 40 patients which of those 14 males and 26 females were included in this study based upon the clinical manifestation of the illness and the suffering from a mass in the tympanic cavity, partial or complete hearing loss, otorrhea and dizziness. Otoscope was used to confirm location, shape, size of the polyps, and the status of the tympanic membrane. RESULTS: The mean age of the involved patients in the study was (44.65 ± 10.9) years. Age range was between (20-60) years. The highest frequency of patients with aural polyps was seen in patients at their third to fifth decade of age. There were 14(35%) men, and 26(65%) women. Findings showed that mean age of men was (44.07 ± 13.7) years, and women was (44.96 ± 9.4) years, (p=0.405). Clinical examination revealed 27(67.5%) patients with cholesteatoma, 10(25%) with inflamed mass in the middle ear, and 3(7.5%) were with cancerous tumor. Correlative analysis showed no significant correlation between age and causes of aural polyps (p=0.664), and no correlation between sex and causes of aural polyps (p=0.524). CONCLUSION: Aural polyps are rare disease in Iraqi patients. However, treating and monitoring patients with ongoing chronic otitis media is essential in preventing the development of aural masses in middle ear and other complications if left untreated. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent reoccurrence and other complications.

RHINOGENIC MENINGITIS CAUSED BY CONGENITAL PETROUS APEX CHOLESTEATOMA: SIMULTANEOUS SURGICAL TREATMENT THROUGH TRANSOTIC AND TRANSSPHENOIDAL APPROACH.

A 66-year-old male patient was admitted due to high fever, severe headaches and disturbance of consciousness. Meningitis was confirmed by lumbar puncture and intravenous antimicrobial therapy was started. Since he had undergone radical tympanomastoidectomy 15 years before, otogenic meningitis was suspected, so the patient was referred to our department. Clinically, the patient manifested watery discharge from the right nostril. Microbiological analysis verified Staphylococcus aureus in a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample acquired by lumbar puncture. Radiological work-up, including computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans, showed an expanding lesion of the petrous apex of the right temporal bone disrupting the posterior bony wall of the right sphenoid sinus with radiological characteristics indicating cholesteatoma. Those findings confirmed rhinogenic meningitis caused by expansion of the petrous apex congenital cholesteatoma into the sphenoid sinus, allowing nasal bacteria to enter the cranial cavity. The cholesteatoma was removed completely by the simultaneous transotic and transsphenoidal approach. Since the right labyrinth was already non-functional, there was no surgical morbidity after labyrinthectomy. The facial nerve remained preserved and intact. The transsphenoidal approach enabled removal of the sphenoid portion of the cholesteatoma and two surgeons met together at the level of the retrocarotid segment of the cholesteatoma, completely removing the lesion. This case represents an extremely rare condition in which a petrous apex congenital cholesteatoma expanded through the petrous apex to the sphenoid sinus, causing CSF rhinorrhea and rhinogenic meningitis. According to available literature, this is the first case of petrous apex congenital cholesteatoma causing rhinogenic meningitis successfully treated with the simultaneous transotic and transsphenoidal approach.

Perioperative cost evaluation of canal wall down mastoidectomy.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate perioperative costs of canal wall-down (CWD) mastoidectomy as an initial surgery compared to revision surgery following initial canal wall-up (CWU) mastoidectomy. METHODS: This study is a retrospective chart review of adult patients who underwent CWD mastoidectomy for chronic otitis media with or without cholesteatoma at a tertiary referral center. Patients were divided into groups that had previous CWU surgery and were undergoing revision CWD and those that were having an initial CWD mastoidectomy. Cost variables including previous surgeries, imaging costs, audiometric testing, and post-operative visits were compared between the two groups using t-test analysis. RESULTS: There was no significant difference with regards to the cost of post-operative visits, peri-operative imaging, or revision surgeries between the two groups. Hearing outcomes based on mean speech reception threshold (SRT) were not statistically different between the two groups (p = 0.087). There was a significant difference in total cost with the revision group having a higher mean cost by $6967.84, most of which was accounted for by the difference in the cost of the previous surgeries of $6488.53. CONCLUSIONS: The revision CWD surgery group had increased total cost that could be attributed to the cost of previous surgery. Increased peri-operative cost was not noted with the initial CWD surgery group for any individual variables examined. Initial CWD mastoidectomy should be considered in the proper patient population to help decrease healthcare costs.

Proposal of a timing strategy for cholesteatoma surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 infection is an aggressive viral illness with high risk of transmission during otolaryngology examination and surgery. Cholesteatoma is known for its potential to cause complications and scheduling of surgery during the pandemic must be done carefully. The majority of otological surgeries may be classified as elective and postponed at this time (e.g., stapedotomy, tympanoplasty); whereas, others are emergencies (e.g., complicated acute otitis media, complicated cholesteatoma with cerebral or Bezold's abscess, meningitis, sinus thrombosis) and require immediate intervention. What is the ideal time for the surgical management of Cholesteatoma during the COVID-19 pandemic? METHODS: Senior otologic surgeons from six teaching hospitals from various countries affected by the COVID-19 from around the world met remotely to make recommendations on reorganizing schedules for the treatment of cholesteatoma which has a risk of severe morbidity and mortality. The recommendations are based on their experiences and on available literature. RESULTS: Due to the high risk of infecting the surgical staff it is prudent to stop all elective ear surgeries and plan cholesteatoma surgery after careful selection of patients, based on the extent of the disease and available resources. Specific precautions including use of appropriate personal protection equipment should be followed when operating on all patients during the pandemic. To facilitate the decision-making in the management of cholesteatoma, timing for surgery can be divided into two categories with 3 and 2 sub-groups based on disease severity. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence on the timing of surgery of patients with cholesteatoma during the COVID-19 pandemic is lacking. This manuscript contains practical tips on how cholesteatoma surgery can be reorganized during this pandemic.

Concurrent Occurrence of Congenital Ossicular Anomaly and Localized Cholesteatoma: Series of 10 Cases.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to describe the clinical features, managements and outcomes of a rare coexistence of congenital ossicular anomaly and localized cholesteatoma. A literature review on these cases and each congenital disorder is also presented. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on patients diagnosed with congenital ossicular anomaly with concurrent localized cholesteatoma from 2008 to 2017. Clinical data of these patients were collected. RESULTS: A total of 10 patients were identified. All patients presented with unilateral hearing loss. Pure-tone audiometry showed conductive hearing loss in all affected ears with an average air conduction (AC) threshold of 59 dB. High-resolution computed tomography scans of the temporal bone diagnosed ossicular anomaly for 90% (9/10); however, only 50% (5/10) had a diagnosis of localized cholesteatoma. A transcanal exploratory tympanotomy under the microscope was performed to discover whether the localized tiny-sized cholesteatoma around the ossicular chain did not have direct contact with the ossicular chain, which could be diagnosed as congenital cholesteatoma. We removed the localized cholesteatoma and reconstructed the ossicular chain in each patient. All localized cholesteatomas were found in the posterior-superior quadrant of the middle ear. Ossicular chain anomalies were associated with the incus and/or the stapes in all cases. Hearing improvement was achieved in each of the 6 patients who were followed up postoperatively, with an average AC threshold of 35 dB. The clinical features of congenital ossicular anomaly with concurrent congenital cholesteatoma were compared with those of each congenital disorder. The pathogenesis of each condition was also discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Congenital ossicular anomaly with concurrent congenital cholesteatoma is rare. It shares similar clinical features with congenital ossicular anomaly occurring alone, therefore awareness should be raised for a possible concurrent congenital cholesteatoma which was easy to miss in the diagnosis (50%) by the radiologist. A patient's hearing level can be improved by removal of the cholesteatoma and reconstruction of the ossicular chain. Localized cholesteatoma does not usually show residuals or recurrence.

Ossicular chain erosion in chronic otitis media patients with cholesteatoma or granulation tissue or without those: analysis of 915 cases.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the ossicular chain erosions (OCE) in chronic otitis media patients with cholesteatoma (COM-C) or without cholesteatoma (COM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The OCE and preoperative hearing levels of a total of 915 patients were evaluated retrospectively. Patients were divided into three groups. Of the 915 patients, 615 (67.2%) had COM, 234 (25.6%) had COM-C, and 66 (7.2%) had chronic otitis media with granulation tissue (COM-G). RESULTS: OCE was found in 291 (31.8%) of 915 patients. OCE was found in 192 (82%) of 234 patients with COM-C, 21 (31.8%) of 66 patients with COM-G, and 78 (12.7%) of 615 patients with COM. CONCLUSION: The most commonly seen OCE was incus erosion, followed by stapes and malleus erosions. The results of this study show that there are more OCE in the COM-C group than in the COM-G and COM groups. To our knowledge, this study has the widest patient population in the literature focused on the OCE relation with COM, COM-C, and COM-G and its effect on the preoperative hearing level.

Congenital Cholesteatoma: The Silent Pathology.

BACKGROUND: Congenital cholesteatomas (CC) arise from epithelial remnants around the petrous bone. They enlarge gradually causing progressive destruction and functional damage to the ear and surrounding structures. Because of their insidious course, most patients are misdiagnosed and present late with complications. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of 41 cases diagnosed as CC and followed up for 2 years. All patients underwent full audiological evaluation and a radiological study (CT, MRI). RESULTS: The male:female ratio was 2.3: 1, and the mean age was 30.89 years. The mean delay before presentation was 13 months. The commonest presentations in order of frequency were: discharge (60.9%), hearing loss (51.2%), facial paralysis (31.7%) and intracranial complications (31.7%). Forty patients were treated surgically by a variety of approaches depending on the extensions and functional status. The facial nerve was decompressed in 9 cases and cable grafted in 4. Two cases underwent VII-XII anastomosis later on. CONCLUSION: CC present with a myriad of clinical manifestations and should be suspected in all patients with unexplained otological signs and symptoms. They must be completely excised and the functional status of the ear rehabilitated either immediately or later. Follow-up must be indefinite as they have a high recurrence rate.

Conditions of the external and middle ear: an overview of presentation, management and associated complications.

Ear, nose and throat (ENT) presentations to primary care are common and frequently affect military patients. Many patients can be managed in primary care with appropriate treatment, but some presentations require appropriate, timely, and occasionally emergency onward referral for hospital management. This paper discusses the management of common otological presentations including otitis externa (OE), acute otitis media, chronic suppurative otitis media (including cholesteatoma), tympanic membrane (TM) perforations and pinna haematoma.

Long term results of the titanium clip prosthesis.

The objective of the study is to evaluate the long term results of ossiculoplasty using the clip titanium partial ossicular replacement prosthesis. This study retrospectively reviews the partial ossiculoplasty conducted using clip titanium partial ossicular replacement prosthesis at a tertiary referral center. Audiometric outcomes and intraoperative findings were postoperatively measured from revision surgery of 47 ears (20 women, 27 men, mean age 43 years) averaging 6.5 years. The overall air-bone gap decreased from 25.7 dB preoperatively to 16.8 dB 6.5 years postoperatively (p ≤ 0.001, η p2  = 0.210). An air-bone gap of <20 dB was present in 28 % of ears preoperatively and increased to 72 % postoperatively. In revision (n = 30) and primary tympanoplasties (n = 17), the preoperative air-bone gaps were reduced from 28.9 and 20.1 to 18.7 dB (p ≤ 0.001, η p2  = 0.240) and 13.2 dB (p = 0.033, η p2  = 0.192), respectively. In canal wall down (n = 15) procedures and tympanoplasties with intact canal wall (n = 32), the mean air-bone gaps diminished from 28.9 to 18.1 dB (p = 0.02, η p2  = 0.245) and 24.2 to 16.1 dB (p ≤ 0.001, η p2  = 0.221), respectively. In our own revision tympanoplasties (n = 8) and second look operations (n = 6), we found that the prostheses were safe to remove without any deleterious effects. Two prostheses were dislocated from the stapes' head due to recurrent cholesteatoma. Therefore, it can be concluded that ossiculoplasty using the clip partial ossicular replacement prosthesis allows for good and reliable long term hearing results. Also, the flexible strips reveal no adverse effects on the encompassed stapes' head and do not complicate revision surgery.

Quality of life of Nepali patients with ear disease before and after corrective surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Hearing impairment is a significant burden in the developing world. However, no suitable quality of life (QoL) measures exist for use in Nepal. We aimed to amend and translate the Glasgow Health Status Inventory (GHSI), assessing QoL at any given time, and the Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI), assessing change in QoL following intervention, into Nepali and to assess the impact of ear disease and effect of surgery on QoL. METHODS: The GHSI and GBI were translated into Nepali and independently verified. The GHSI was administered by interview to patients before surgery, and the GBI was administered 6 months after surgery. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used for hypothesis testing. RESULTS: The GHSI was administered to 242 patients. In total, 205 had chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) without cholesteatoma and 37 had cholesteatoma. The mean GHSI score was 47.9. There was no significant difference in GHSI scores between patients with CSOM without cholesteatoma and those with cholesteatoma. The GBI was administered to 161 patients, 73 of whom had also been in the GHSI group. In total, 130 had CSOM without cholesteatoma, 31 had cholesteatoma. The mean GBI score was +38.4 with no significant difference between disease groups. CONCLUSIONS: Ear disease in Nepal is associated with reduced QoL, and surgical intervention is associated with improved QoL. There is no difference in QoL or benefit following surgery for CSOM between patients with or without cholesteatoma. There are few QoL measures suitable for the developing world. It is essential to invest in these measures to guide health interventions.