Predisposing factors for inner ear hearing loss association with chronic otitis media

The aim of the present study was to investigate the consequences of chronic otitis media on inner ear function. Retrospective analysis of conventional pure-tone audiometry tests was carried out on 344 patients who were scheduled for surgical treatment of unilateral chronic otitis media without other risk factors for sensorineural hearing loss. Bone conduction thresholds of diseased ears were compared with those of contralateral, non-diseased ears. Selected clinical features were assessed among diseased ears to examine possible influences on inner ear function. Mean bone conduction threshold differences varied from 0.6?dB at 0.5?kHz to 3.7?dB at 4?kHz. These differences augmented with increasing duration of middle ear disease. Impaired hearing by bone conduction thresholds of diseased ears correlated with increased age at every frequency and with an interruption of the ossicular chain only at higher frequencies. The severity of sensorineural hearing loss correlated with longer duration of middle ear disease. Thus, surgical treatment of dry and apparently stable tympanic membrane perforation is warranted.     

Sensorineural loss in chronic otitis media. Is it clinically significant?

Charts of 161 patients with unilateral chronic otitis media were reviewed for evidence of sensorineural hearing loss, defined as the difference in preoperative bone conduction thresholds between diseased and normal contralateral ears. Mean bone conduction differences were small but statistically significant, ranging from 5.6 to 12.8 dB across the frequencies. Approximately 45% of the subjects had differences greater than 10 dB for high frequencies, but less than 12% had a difference greater than 20 dB for the pure-tone average. Significant relationships were found between sensorineural hearing loss and the presence of acquired cholesteatoma in the middle ear, diseased mucosa of the promontory and hypotympanum, and diseased ossicles. These findings suggest that more severe middle ear disease may result in sensorineural hearing loss. However, for the majority of subjects, the amount of sensorineural hearing loss was judged not to be clinically significant.     

慢性化脓性中耳炎与感音神经性聋的相关性分析

目的：探讨慢性化脓性中耳炎与感音神经性聋之间的相关性。方法：回顾分析174例单侧慢性化脓性中耳炎患者的骨导阈值改变。采用配对t检验分析0．5kHz，1．0kHz，2．0kHz，4．0kHz患耳与健耳骨导阈值的差异，单因素方差分析法分析胆脂瘤存在及听骨链破坏对语频(0．5kHz，1．0kHz，2．0kHz)和4．0kHz骨导阈值的影响，直线回归法讨论了语频和4．0kHz骨导阈值改变与年龄和病程之间的相关性。结果：患耳与健耳各频率骨导阈值之间差异有统计学意义。语频骨导听力损失程度随着患者年龄的增加而逐渐加重。胆脂瘤的存在以及听骨链破坏亦未增加感音神经性聋的发生概率。结论：慢性化脓性中耳炎可引起感音神经性聋。高频骨导听阈较低频更易受到影响。     

Cochlear function in chronic otitis media

Otologic symptoms, audiometric data, and operative findings were reviewed in 200 consecutive patients who had surgically treated unilateral chronic otitis media. Bone conduction thresholds were analyzed in relation to extent of perforation, frequency of otorrhea, duration of disease, and extent of pathologic change. Median bone conduction threshold differences between diseased and uninvolved ears were within 5 dB at all frequencies. The mean speech discrimination score between affected and unaffected ears was equal. Patients with prolonged disease and more extensive pathologic alterations were more likely to experience cochlear changes and hence sensorineural hearing loss, though not to the extent others have described. Our findings indicate that chronic otitis media has little effect on cochlear function in the majority of patients.     

Sensorineural hearing loss in chronic otitis media.

Although many studies have demonstrated an association between chronic otitis media (COM) and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), there still remains disagreement about the relationship. A retrospective study was conducted to examine the relationship between sensorineural hearing loss and chronic otitis media. Forty-one patients met the following criteria: unilateral COM and no history of head injury, meningitis or previous otological surgery. The differences in preoperative bone conduction threshold between diseased and control (contralateral normal) ear were statistically significant (P < 0.01) and varied from 5.24 to 9.02 dB across the frequency range. The effect of duration of disease on the degree of SNHL was also analysed but no correlation was found. The presence of cholesteatoma and/or ossicular erosion was not associated with a significantly increased risk of sensorineural hearing loss.     

儿童分泌性中耳炎致骨导听力下降的临床特征分析

目的 探讨儿童分泌性中耳炎致骨导听力下降的特点、病因和预后.方法 回顾性分析75例(82耳)分泌性中耳炎患儿骨导听力下降的临床资料,并对其发病年龄、病程、积液性质和积液量与骨导听阈的关系进行观察.结果 75例患儿(82耳)骨导听力下降,平均骨导阈值在2.0 kHz和4.0kHz处增高最明显.骨导听阈与病程和积液性质显著相关(P＜0.01或P＜0.05),与年龄、积液量无关.75例患儿均采取鼓膜切开置管术和(或)腺样体切除术,术后给予药物治疗.随访6月,听力恢复正常者76耳,气导听阈下降但骨导听阈无改善者6耳.结论 分泌性中耳炎可导致儿童骨导阈值增高,是导致儿童耳聋的危险因素之一,及早干预可避免病情发展.     

Ossicular chain reconstruction improves bone conduction threshold in chronic otitis media

This study aimed to assess the elevation of bone conduction threshold in patients with chronic otitis media and to investigate the mechanism of this phenomenon. One hundred and six patients with unilateral chronic otitis media who had undergone a tympanomastoidectomy were reviewed retrospectively. The differences in the bone conduction thresholds between the diseased and normal sides were assessed and compared according to the duration of the disease and the presence of cholesteatoma. Post-operative changes in the bone conduction threshold were also assessed. The mean bone conduction thresholds were significantly elevated on the diseased side, ranging from 3.4 to 11.6 dB across frequencies, with a maximal elevation at 2000 Hz. The duration of disease and the presence of cholesteatoma did not affect the degree of the bone conduction elevation. After ossicular reconstruction, bone conduction thresholds improved significantly at all frequencies, with the greatest improvement being observed at 2000 Hz. These results suggest that the elevation in the bone conduction threshold in chronic otitis media is mainly caused by a change in the conductive mechanism in the middle ear.     

Sensorineural hearing loss in chronic otitis media

Although many studies have demonstrated an association between chronic otitis media (COM) and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), there still remains disagreement about the relationship. A retrospective study was conducted to examine the relationship between sensorineural hearing loss and chronic otitis media. Forty-one patients met the following criteria: unilateral COM and no history of head injury, meningitis or previous otological surgery. The differences in preoperative bone conduction threshold between diseased and control (contralateral normal) ear were statistically significant (P < 0.01) and varied from 5.24 to 9.02 dB across the frequency range. The effect of duration of disease on the degree of SNHL was also analysed but no correlation was found. The presence of cholesteatoma and/or ossicular erosion was not associated with a significantly increased risk of sensorineural hearing loss.     

慢性化脓性中耳炎患者鼓室成形术后骨导听力的改变

目的探讨合并骨导听力下降的慢性化脓性中耳炎患者鼓室成形术后骨导听力的变化及其相关因素。方法回顾性分析54例（61耳）合并骨导听力下降的慢性化脓性中耳炎行鼓室成形术患者的临床资料,分析患者术前、术后0．5、1、2、4kHz骨导听力的变化及其与病程、是否合并胆脂瘤、术式、是否行听骨链重建的关系。结果61耳术前骨导平均听力在4kHz处损害最为严重,术后4个频率听力均有不同程度的提高,提高幅度以2kHz处最为显著,术后骨导改善阳性（4个频率无一频率骨导听力下降,且有至少二个频率的骨导听力提高10dB以上）有32耳,阳性率为52．5%。病程长短及是否伴有胆脂瘤与术后骨导听力改善与否无明显相关。行听骨链重建的病例骨导听力提高明显优于未行听骨链重建病例。未行乳突切开的鼓室成形术和保留外耳道后壁的乳突切开鼓室成形术患者术后骨导改善较切除外耳道后壁的乳突切开鼓室成形术患者明显。结论伴骨导听力下降的慢性化脓性中耳炎经鼓室成形术后部分患者骨导听力可以提高,其术后听力改善程度与病程长短及是否伴有胆脂瘤无关,与手术方式有关。     

Audiometric findings in children with chronic suppurative otitis media without cholesteatoma

Chronic suppurative otitis media without cholesteatoma (CSOMWC) is usually associated with an increase in air conduction thresholds. However, only a few investigations reported on loss of cochlear function in the pediatric population. We undertook a prospective study in order to further delineate air and bone conduction levels in children with CSOMWC and the possible relationship between sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and other clinical characteristics that might reflect the extent of disease. Eighty-seven children were enrolled, 40 of which had bilateral disease. Hence, the total number of diseased ears tested was 127. Audiometric studies were performed three days after achieving a ‘dry’ ear following medical treatment. We found no statistically significant differences between the bone conduction threshold tested in ears with CSOMWC and control ears. This was also the case in 47 children with unilateral disease when cochlear function was investigated in the diseased and uninvolved ear in the same patient. Clinical correlation showed no association between age, sex, duration of otorrhea and presence of granulation or polyps and the degree of cochlear loss. Our study shows that CSOMWC in children has little effect on cochlear function.     

Audiovestibular profile in unilateral chronic suppurative otitis media

AudioIogical tests including middle ear impedance test and vestibular function tests were administered to seventyfive patients of unilateral chronic suppurative otitis media. These patients were selected so as to exclude the influence of hereditory, drugs, systemic illness and the factors of aging. The subjects were subdivided into 3 groups : group 1 cases with central perforation; group 2 with marginal and group 3 with attic perforation respectively. On pure tone audiometry, 19 diseased ears (25.3%) showed sensorineural hearing loss of 40 dB or more at 4 KHz and 8 KHz. The difference in the mean bone conduction threshold of diseased and the nondiseased ears was statistically significant at 4 KHz and above. Results of specialised tests of hearing suggested cochlear pathology being responsible for sensorneural hearing loss. Electronystagmographic recording of saccades and bithermal caloric induced nystagmus revealed canal paresis on the diseased side in 4 patients (5.3%). These 4 patients had 15 years history of otorrhoea.     

慢性化脓性中耳炎骨导听力分析

对530例单耳慢性化脓性中耳炎患者的骨导听力损失情况进行总结和回顾性分析,探讨慢性化脓性中耳炎对耳蜗的损害.530例患者均未接受过耳科手术治疗,对侧耳为正常耳(作对照耳),其中男328例,女202例;年龄10～56岁,平均34岁;病程3个月～50年,平均20.19年.所有病例均采用Mad-sen—OB 822纯音测听仪在隔声室对患耳和正常耳进行听力测试,并对骨导听阈的平均值进行统计学处理,对影响骨导听力的因素做相关分析.所有患者中有334例(63.01%)发生骨导听力损害.0.5～4 kHz每个频率的骨导听力均有损失,主要损害在2～4 kHz的骨导听力损害程度与年龄、病程和病变程度有关.慢性化脓性中耳炎可以导致耳蜗损害,并以蜗底损害为著.     

中青年与老年慢性化脓性中耳炎及中耳胆脂瘤患者听力学特点及区别

目的 探讨中青年与老年慢性化脓性中耳炎及中耳胆脂瘤患者听力学特点及区别。方法 回顾性研究单侧慢性化脓性中耳炎或中耳胆脂瘤中青年(18～59岁)患者74例、老年(≥60岁)患者68例(语频段0.5、1.0、2.0、4.0 kHz)纯音测听结果, 分析其患耳与对侧耳、不同年龄组间患者听力学特征和区别。结果 中青年患者患耳各语频气、骨导阈值均高于对侧耳, 老年患者患耳气导、除4.0 kHz外的骨导高于对侧耳。老年患者各语频气、骨导耳间差均明显大于中青年患者。非胆脂瘤组、听骨链正常组老年患者耳间差在0.5、1.0、2.0 kHz气导、4.0 kHz骨导高于中青年患者。胆脂瘤组、听骨链中断组老年患者各语频气、骨导耳间差均明显大于中青年患者。结论 慢性化脓性中耳炎及中耳胆脂瘤对中青年、老年患者的气、骨导均可产生损害, 对老年患者的损害比中青年患者严重。中耳病变越严重, 老年患者比中青年患者听力受损的程度越高。     

慢性化脓性中耳炎对老年患者骨导听阈的影响

目的 探讨慢性化脓性中耳炎对老年患者骨导听阈的影响.方法 回顾性分析2005年1月至2009年3月在北京同仁医院耳鼻咽喉头颈外科住院治疗且资料完整的60岁以上单侧慢性化脓性中耳炎患者76例,分别记录患侧耳与对侧耳0.5、1、2、4 kHz四个频率的骨导阈值,以及每例患者中耳炎发病持续时间、听骨链是否中断、是否存在胆脂瘤等情况,并对记录的数据进行统计学分析.结果 患耳0.5、1、2、4 kHz四个频率的骨导阈值均高于对侧耳,差异有统计学意义(P值均＜0.01);胆脂瘤组与非胆脂瘤组相比,仅2 kHz双耳骨导阈值差的差异具有统计学意义(Z=-1.975,P=0.048);听骨链中断组与非中断组双耳骨导阙值差的差异也仅在2 kHz具有统计学意义(Z=-2.721,P=0.007);中耳炎病程10年以下组与10年以上组在1 kHz和2 kHz这两个频率的双耳骨导阈值差的差异具有统计学意义(Z值分别为-2.877和-2.624,P值均＜0.01).结论 慢性化脓性中耳炎可以使老年患者骨导阈值提高,对于老年慢性化脓性中耳炎仍应尽早积极治疗,避免感音神经性听力损失.     

Efficacy of middle ear surgery for patients with hearing aids and middle ear disease

Of 356 cases that underwent middle ear surgery for hearing improvement, 30 (8.4%) with air conduction hearing aids and middle ear disease were evaluated pre- and postoperatively. All surgeries were performed by the same surgeon. Diagnoses included 22 chronic otitis media, 5 chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma, 1 otosclerosis and 2 ossicular anomaly. Chief complaints at the first visit to Fukui Medical University Hospital were otorrhea (17 cases), hard of hearing (28 cases), dizziness (2 cases) and tinnitus (2 cases). Nineteen patients underwent surgery on both ears and eleven on one ear including five ears that showed better hearing preoperatively. Surgical procedures were tympanoplasty type I (15 cases), modified type III (8 cases), modified type IV (3 cases), stapedotomy (2 cases) and implantable hearing device (2 cases). After surgery, 16 patients (group 1) did not need hearing aids, while 14 (group 2) still needed hearing aids. Preoperative hearing was 64.1dB (n = 30) on average and average hearing one year after surgery in group 1 (35.4 +/- 14.1dB) was significantly better than in group 2 (58.1 +/- 18.4dB). After surgery, otorrhea stopped in all cases (100%), subjective hearing loss improved in 82% of the patients, vertigo improved in 100% and tinnitus improved in 50%. These results emphasize the benefits of surgical therapy, and the reasons why it should be recommended to patients with hearing aids and middle ear disease, such as to improve hearing disorders, to stop otorrhea and to prevent progressive sensorineural hearing loss.     

Inner ear depression after middle ear interventions

BACKGROUND: Any type of otosurgical procedure involves the risk of inner ear damage. As middle ear surgery is also performed for functional reasons this risk should be taken into consideration. The aim of this study was to analyse the frequency and the nature of sensorineural hearing loss following chronic ear surgery. PATIENTS: A total of 3989 middle ear cases operated on between 1991 and February 1999 at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Würzburg, Germany were studied retrospectively: 781 type I tympanoplasties, 2408 type III tympanoplasties and 800 cases of stapes surgery. The pre- and the postoperative audiograms in the frequency range between 500 and 8000 Hz were analysed and correlated to the different intraoperative findings. RESULTS: Sensorineural hearing loss occurred in a total of 1.3% of 2224 patients with normal preoperative bone conduction thresholds: 0.2% became deaf, 0.8% acquired a high tone loss at 4 kHz and in 0.3% patients also 2 kHz was affected. None of the documented intraoperative complications such as bleeding, unexpected opening of a semicircular canal, extensive manipulation at the ossicular chain or a gusher phenoma showed a relevant effect on postoperative bone conduction thresholds. The incidence of high tone loss was not increased in cases of extensive drilling of the temporal bone. An unexpected opening of the vestibulum led to a small, but statistically significant change in postoperative bone conduction thresholds. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that the risk for sensorineural hearing loss caused by middle ear surgery is low. None of the analysed factors seems to be a relevant prognostic risk factor for postoperative inner ear depression.     

Mastoid Surgery in the Only Hearing Ear

Every otologic procedure carries the risk of damage to the inner ear. On the other hand, cholesteatoma and uncontrolled tubotympanic disease can lead to partial or total sensorineural loss, as well as intracranial complications. Our experience of the surgical management of eight patients with an only hearing ear is presented. There were no dead ears in this series and no significant worsening of inner ear function. The air conduction pure-tone average was worse in two patients without change in bone condition. Of the eight patients, six wear a hearing aid with success and two patients manage without an aid. The present small series confirms that patients at risk of anacusis from cholesteatoma or chronic suppurative otitis media can be offered, in experienced tertiary referral units, a safe method of stabilizing the ear and preserving useful hearing.     

Audiometric predictions using stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions and middle ear measurements

OBJECTIVE: The goals of the study are to determine how well stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs) identify hearing loss, classify hearing loss as mild or moderate-severe, and correlate with pure-tone thresholds in a population of adults with normal middle ear function. Other goals are to determine if middle ear function as assessed by wideband acoustic transfer function (ATF) measurements in the ear canal account for the variability in normal thresholds, and if the inclusion of ATFs improves the ability of SFOAEs to identify hearing loss and predict pure-tone thresholds. DESIGN: The total suppressed SFOAE signal and its corresponding noise were recorded in 85 ears (22 normal ears and 63 ears with sensorineural hearing loss) at octave frequencies from 0.5 to 8 kHz, using a nonlinear residual method. SFOAEs were recorded a second time in three impaired ears to assess repeatability. Ambient-pressure ATFs were obtained in all but one of these 85 ears and were also obtained from an additional 31 normal-hearing subjects in whom SFOAE data were not obtained. Pure-tone air and bone conduction thresholds and 226-Hz tympanograms were obtained on all subjects. Normal tympanometry and the absence of air-bone gaps were used to screen subjects for normal middle ear function. Clinical decision theory was used to assess the performance of SFOAE and ATF predictors in classifying ears as normal or impaired, and linear regression analysis was used to test the ability of SFOAE and ATF variables to predict the air conduction audiogram. RESULTS: The ability of SFOAEs to classify ears as normal or hearing impaired was significant at all test frequencies. The ability of SFOAEs to classify impaired ears as either mild or moderate-severe was significant at test frequencies from 0.5 to 4 kHz. SFOAEs were present in cases of severe hearing loss. SFOAEs were also significantly correlated with air conduction thresholds from 0.5 to 8 kHz. The best performance occurred with the use of the SFOAE signal-to-noise ratio as the predictor, and the overall best performance was at 2 kHz. The SFOAE signal-to-noise measures were repeatable to within 3.5 dB in impaired ears. The ATF measures explained up to 25% of the variance in the normal audiogram; however, ATF measures did not improve SFOAEs predictors of hearing loss except at 4 kHz. CONCLUSIONS: In common with other OAE types, SFOAEs are capable of identifying the presence of hearing loss. In particular, SFOAEs performed better than distortion-product and click-evoked OAEs in predicting auditory status at 0.5 kHz; SFOAE performance was similar to that of other OAE types at higher frequencies except for a slight performance reduction at 4 kHz. Because SFOAEs were detected in ears with mild to severe cases of hearing loss, they may also provide an estimate of the classification of hearing loss. Although SFOAEs were significantly correlated with hearing threshold, they do not appear to have clinical utility in predicting a specific behavioral threshold. Information on middle ear status as assessed by ATF measures offered minimal improvement in SFOAE predictions of auditory status in a population of normal and impaired ears with normal middle ear function. However, ATF variables did explain a significant fraction of the variability in the audiograms of normal ears, suggesting that audiometric thresholds in normal ears are partially constrained by middle ear function as assessed by ATF tests.     

Sensorineural hearing loss and acute otitis media in children

Sensorineural hearing of 359 otoscopically and tympanometrically normal 5-year-old children with known otitis-history was studied under ideal conditions. In the subgroups of children with a different number (0, 1-2, 3-7, greater than or equal to 8) of attacks of acute otitis media (AOM) in their history, the mean bone conduction thresholds unregularly varied from 0.1 dB to 7.4 dB, depending on the frequency and the subgroup studied. The proportion of the ears with a bone conduction threshold greater than 10 dB at 0.5, 1, 2 or kHz ranged, also unregularly, from 10.8% to 0.5%, the greatest percentages being found at 0.5 and 1 kHz in the children without a history of AOM. Thus, neither AOM nor its treatment, even if frequently occurring, seem to cause permanent sensorineural hearing loss in children.     

Clinicostatical study on the sensorineural hearing loss accompanying otitis media with effusion

It is pointed out that sensorineural hearing loss sometimes accompanies otitis media with effusion. In order to clarify the incidence and clinical features of sensorineural hearing loss associated with otitis media with effusion, the cases over the past ten years were reviewed. During the period from January 1979 through December 1988, 1338 patients were diagnosed to have otitis media with effusion and showed reliable audiograms in our clinic. Among these patients, 237 patients (17.7%) showed sensorineural hearing loss, defined as a bone conduction loss of 25 dB or more at any one of the frequencies of 500 through 4 kHz. The incidence of sensorineural hearing loss increased as the age of the patients increased. By analyzing their clinical course, these 237 patients were classified into 3 groups according to the etiological relationship of sensorineural hearing loss and otitis media with effusion. In Group A which comprises 14 patients (1.0%), a strong causal relationship was suspected. This group was further divided into 2 subgroups. In one subgroup of 4 patients, sensorineural hearing loss developed rather rapidly during the course of otitis media with effusion and recovered gradually. In the other subgroup of 10 patients, sensorineural hearing loss progressed and did not recover. The clinical features of these 2 subgroups were quite different. In Group B which comprises 50 patients (3.7%), causal relationship was suspected but was not confirmed. Many of the patients in this group showed unilateral otitis media with effusion and the sensorineural hearing loss in the same ear, which was characteristically demonstrated as bone conduction loss at 2 and 4 kHz.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)