Comparing intermediate-term hearing results of NiTiBOND and Nitinol prostheses in stapes surgery

Objective To statistically analyse the hearing thresholds of two cohorts undergoing stapedotomy for otosclerosis with two different prostheses. Method A retrospective study was conducted comparing NiTiBOND (n = 53) and Nitinol (n = 38) prostheses. Results Average follow-up duration was 4.1 years for NiTiBOND and 4.4 years for Nitinol prostheses. The post-operative air–bone gap was 10 dB or less, indicating clinical success. The p-values for differences between (1) pre- and post-operative values in the NiTiBOND group, (2) pre- and post-operative values in the Nitinol group, (3) pre-operative values and (4) post-operative values in the two groups were: air–bone gap – p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.631 and p = 0.647; four-frequency bone conduction threshold – p = 0.076, p = 0.129, p < 0.001 and p = 0.005; four-frequency air conduction threshold – p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.043 and p = 0.041; three-frequency (1, 2 and 4 kHz) bone conduction threshold pre-operatively – p = 0.639, p = 0.495, p = 0.001 and p = 0.01; and air conduction threshold at 4 kHz: – p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.03 and p = 0.058. Conclusion Post-operative audiological outcomes for NiTiBOND and Nitinol were comparable.

Bone-conduction threshold and air-bone gap may predict frequency-specific air-conduction threshold after tympanoplasty

Postoperative hearing improvement is one of the main expectations for patients receiving tympanoplasty. The capacity to predict postoperative hearing may help to counsel a patient properly and avoid untoward expectations. It is difficult to predict postoperative hearing without knowing the disease process in the middle ear, which can only be assessed intraoperatively. However, the duration and extent of the underlying pathologies may represent in bone-conduction threshold and air-bone gap. Here in patients undergoing tympanoplasty without ossiculoplasty, we sorted and separated the surgery dates into the first group to build the predicting models and the second group to test the predictions. There were 87 and 30 ears, respectively. No specific enrollment or exclusion criteria were based on underlying pathologies such as the perforation size of the tympanic membrane or the middle ear conditions. The results show that bone-conduction threshold and air-bone gap together predicted air-conduction threshold after the surgery, including each frequency of 0.5k, 1k, 2k, and 4k Hz. The discrepancies between the predictions and recordings did not differ among these four frequencies. Of the variance in mean postoperative air-conduction threshold, 56.7% was linearly accounted for by these two preoperative predictors in this sample. The results suggest a trend that, the higher the frequency, the larger the part was accounted for by these two preoperative predictors. These together may help a surgeon to estimate frequency-specific hearing outcome after the surgery, answer patients’ questions with quantitative statistics, and counsel patients with proper expectations.

A study to assess hearing improvement after fat graft myringoplasty

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Tympanic membrane perforations result mainly from infectious and traumatic etiologies. Postoperative outcomes of reconstructive surgeries of hearing mechanism have routinely been assessed by take up rates and air bone gap closure on pure tone testing. The present study was conducted to assess hearing improvement after fat graft myringoplasty.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> The present prospective study was conducted from 1^st January 2017 to 30^th June 2018. The study population consists of patients of age 18 to 60 years. The subjects with safe or tubotympanic type of chronic suppurative otitis media with small dry central perforation or perforation of the pars tensa less than 3 mm were included in the study. Pure tone audiometry (PTA) was consigned to an audiologist who was blind to the study. Air conduction threshold level was measured at frequencies 0.25 to 8 kHz and bone conduction threshold level was measured at frequencies 0.5 to 4 kHz; average air bone gap of each patient was calculated preoperatively and postoperatively at one and three months at the frequencies 500 Hz, 1000 Hz and 2000 Hz. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> Among 30 patients, 15 (50.00%) had pre-operative bone conduction threshold in the range of 0-10 dB HL and rest 15 (50.00%) had between 11-20 dB HL. Majority of them i.e. 20 had post-operative air bone gap in the range of 0-10 dB HL whereas 02 had pre op air bone gap in this range, followed by 07 with air bone gap in the range of 11-20 dB HL as compared to 18 in the pre op and 03 in the range of 21-30 dB HL as compared to 10 in the pre op. Paired t test reveals results are significant.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Postoperative audiometry at the end of 1 month revealed majority i.e. 14 had air bone gap in range of 0-10 dB HL thus showing improvement in hearing. Postoperative audiometry at the end of 3 months revealed maximum number of patients i.e. 20 in the range of 0-10 dB HL which showed further improvement in hearing in the form of decrease in air bone gap.</p><p class="Default"> </p>

Hearing gain after myringoplasty in relation to the size of tympanic membrane perforation

Objectives: To assess hearing gain after successful myringoplasty in relation to the size of tympanic membrane perforation. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in the department of otolaryngology and head neck surgery, BSMMU, Sahbag, Dhaka during the period of January 2009 to December 2010.A total of 60 patients were under went myringoplasty operation after taking detailed history, clinical examination and investigation. Preoperative and postoperative hearing assessment was done. Analysed data presented by various tables, graphics and figures. Results: In case of small size perforation preoperative mean bone conduction threshold was 7.66 dB, mean air conduction threshold was 34.14 dB and mean air bone gap was 26.48 dB. In case of medium size perforation preoperative mean bone conduction threshold was 9.61 dB, mean air conduction threshold was 44.48 dB. Mean air bone gap was 34.87 dB. In case of large size perforation preoperative mean bone conduction threshold was 13.12 dB, mean air conduction threshold was 59 dB, and mean air bone gap was 45.88 dB. Hearing loss increases with increasing size of perforation. Ahmed and Rahim (1979) showed in the study that hearing loss increases with increasing the size of the perforation which was relevant in the study. After myringoplasty post-operative mean air bone gap was 21.24 dB in small size, 21.74 dB in medium sized and 24 dB in large size. From the record improvement of mean air bone gap or hearing gain was 5.24 dB in small size perforation respectively. The different of air bone gap closure between small and medium size perforation was statistically significant by unpaired’ test. Conclusion: Hearing gain after myringoplasty is better in large size perforation. Bangladesh J Otorhinolaryngol; April 2019; 25(1): 54-59

Sensorineural hearing loss in tubotympanic variety of chronic suppurative otitis media

Objectives: To determine whether chronic suppurative otitis media(CSOM) can cause Sensorineural hearing loss(SNHL) and to note its degree and its relation to duration of disease. Methods: This was a cross sectional study which was carried out in the departments of Otolaryngology and Head-Neck Surgery of Dhaka Medical College Hospital during the period of April’2012 to March’2013. A total number of 76 patients having unilateral CSOM were included in this study age ranging from 6 to 59 years after exclusion of other possible causes of SNHL such as meningitis, head injury, previous ear surgery and chronic noise exposure. The use of unilateral CSOM cases provided a contralateral ear to serve as a control. Bone conduction threshold elevation between diseased and control ear was considered as the indicator of inner ear damage. Results: In this series, CSOM was seen to be associated with sensorineural hearing loss. Significant threshold elevation was observed in relation to disease duration. Here bone conduction measurement in all frequencies (500Hz,1000Hz,2000Hz and 4000Hz) in diseased and uninvolved contralateral side showed elevation of bone conduction in diseased side and this elevation was significantly higher (p<0.001). The average bone conduction loss at 4kHz was higher than the average at the speech frequency range. Conclusion: This study suggests that CSOM can cause significant bone conduction threshold elevation and it should be considered when managing this problem. Early detection and prompt treatment may limit this potential handicap. Bangladesh J Otorhinolaryngol; April 2016; 22(1): 26-30

Automated Smartphone Audiometry: A Preliminary Validation of a Bone-Conduction Threshold Test App

Objective: To develop and validate an automated smartphone app that determines bone-conduction pure-tone thresholds. Methods: A novel app, called EarBone, was developed as an automated test to determine best-cochlea pure-tone bone-conduction thresholds using a smartphone driving a professional-grade bone oscillator. Adult, English-speaking patients who were undergoing audiometric assessment by audiologists at an academic health system as part of their prescribed care were invited to use the EarBone app. Best-ear bone-conduction thresholds determined by the app and the gold standard audiologist were compared. Results: Forty subjects with varied hearing thresholds were tested. Sixty-one percent of app-determined thresholds were within 5 dB of audiologist-determined thresholds, and 79% were within 10 dB. Nearly all subjects required assistance with placing the bone oscillator on their mastoid. Conclusion: Best-cochlea bone-conduction thresholds determined by the EarBone automated smartphone audiometry app approximate those determined by an audiologist. This serves as a proof of concept for automated smartphone-based bone-conduction threshold testing. Further improvements, such as the addition of contralateral ear masking, are needed to make the app clinically useful.

Treatment using diffuse laser energy of cochlear and vestibular fistulas caused by cholesteatoma

ObjectiveTo measure the outcomes of laser treatment of cholesteatoma covering cochlear and vestibular fistulas.MethodsCholesteatoma matrix over the fistula was denatured; the power density was sufficient only to gradually heat, but not vaporise, the keratin-forming matrix. The denaturing speed was controlled so that the integrity of the fistula cover was maintained. The change in bone conduction threshold and the residual rate of cholesteatoma at the fistula were measured.ResultsThirty-six fistulas were assessed. There were seven cochlear fistulas. All were 5 mm or less in maximum length. For the entire group, the average change in bone conduction threshold was −0.3 dB. For cochlear fistulas, the average change in bone conduction was + 0.2 dB. The distribution of hearing results for the entire group was Gaussian; the apparent changes in hearing could be attributed to errors associated with testing. All patients underwent second-stage surgery. In all cases, the cholesteatoma was completely cleared from the fistula site. There were no facial palsies.ConclusionLaser denaturing of cholesteatoma matrix over fistulas measuring 5 mm or less of vestibular apparatus and the cochlea is effective at eliminating cholesteatoma, and is not associated with cochlear hearing loss or facial palsy.

The late results of 4000 Hz frequency bone conduction after tympanoplasty

Introduction: Surgical treatment of conductive hearing loss runs the risk of damage to the inner ear in the mechanism of acoustic trauma. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the function of the organ of Corti, expressed as bone conduction threshold at the frequency of 4000 Hz for selected operations: mastoidectomy and canal-wall-down procedure. Material and methods: The material was collected from patients with chronic otitis media in the Department of Otolaryngology and ENT Oncology, Collegium Medicum of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Bydgoszcz in 2004–2009. All patients were examined with pure tone audiometry threshold before surgery and at least three years after surgery. The analyzed group of patients was divided into subgroups depending on the type of operation according to To classification and procedures for resection: mastoidectomy and canal-wall-down procedure. The results were statistically analyzed. Results: In the analyzed period of three years after surgery there was no statistically significant difference between groups, although there were higher values for tympanoplasty type 1 with mastoidectomy compared with tympanoplasty type 1 without mastoidectomy - respectively 25.67 dB and 18.53 dB. In the study, there was no statistically significant the difference in bone conduction threshold for frequency 4000 Hz within the type 2 tympanoplasty according to Tosa comparing canal wall-up and canal-wall-down procedure. Conclusions: Mastoidectomy or canal-wall-down procedure do not affect the bone conduction threshold for a frequency of 4000 Hz after tympanoplasty in long-term observation.