title: Treatment of acute otitis externa with ciprofloxacin otic 0.2% antibiotic ear solution.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  An inflammation of the cutis and subcutis of the external auditory canal is a primary symptom in cases of acute otitis externa. It is usually treated locally, since this type of therapy ensures a high concentration of the drug and interacts at the site of inflammation with no systemic effects. This systematic review compares the efficacy of treatment using a ciprofloxacin 0.2% solution with other therapeutic options.
  
  
  METHODS
  After compiling a catalog of search terms, medical databases were searched systematically for randomized, controlled studies. This search initially yielded a total of 38 studies which were then evaluated by three independent reviewers. The number of studies was subsequently reduced to 14: six studies using a ciprofloxacin 0.2% solution, and eight studies using both 0.2% and 0.3% solutions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The studies included in the review demonstrate the statistical equivalence between the ciprofloxacin solution (0.2%) and the reference products PNH (a combination of polymyxin B, neomycin sulfate and hydrocortisone), auriculum powder, and a ciprofloxacin foam with respect to the cure rate. The research groups consistently observed high in vitro activity of ciprofloxacin against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This systematic review confirms the hypothesis of ciprofloxacin's noninferiority in the treatment of otitis externa, in terms of the cure rate and microbiological eradication.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Statistics, Informatics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mösges
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nematian-Samani
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eichel