Clinical evaluation of inner ear changes as result of chronic otitis media and its surgery.
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to evaluate whether chronic otitis media (COM) may cause inner ear damages or middle ear surgery may improve this damage with regard to sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and tinnitus and dizziness-related disability.


METHODS
An observational prospective study was performed on a series of 65 patients (41 males, 24 females; mean age 26.4±12.6; range 11 to 62 years) who were diagnosed with COM and were scheduled for surgical intervention at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of the Haydarpasa Numune Education and Research Hospital. Patients were divided into two subgroups as tympanoplasty and mastoidectomy group according to the surgical procedure. Standard patient work-up included otomicroscopy, pure tone audiometry and completion of the Turkish translation of Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) before surgery and eight weeks after surgery.


RESULTS
We found higher bone conduction thresholds in the group of patients with mastoidectomy preoperatively. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean preoperative and postoperative THI and DHI scores between the groups (p<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study results suggest that a successful surgery results in improved tinnitus and vertigo symptoms in patients with COM.
Department of Otolaryngology, Baskent University, Istanbul Health Application and Research Center, 34662 Altunizade, İstanbul, Turkey. ckalaycik@gmail.com.
Çiğdem
Ç
Kalaycık Ertugay
Semra
S
Külekçi
Barış
B
Naiboğlu
Ömer Çağatay
ÖÇ
Ertugay
Kerem Sami
KS
Kaya
Shahrouz
S
Sheidaei
Çağatay
Ç
Oysu
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone / Q000379:methods; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D001844:Bone Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004244:Dizziness / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007759:Labyrinth Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008416:Mastoid / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D013506:Otologic Surgical Procedures; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014433:Tympanoplasty / Q000379:methods; D014717:Vertigo / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D055815:Young Adult