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CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BILATERAL CHRONIC OTITIS MEDIA
See-Ok Shin, Young-Seok Choi
Chungbuk National University Hospital, Chungbuk, South Korea
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OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence of bilaterality and combining cholesteatoma in chronic otitis media (COM) and to investigate post-operative hearing results in the bilateral COM.■ MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among the 1286 patients who were underwent operative treatment for COM between 1998- 2006, The cases with bilateral COM were selected and the distribution of cholesteatoma was investigated. Postoperative hearing was compared with preoperative hearing using pure tone averages in bilateral COM cases underwent operation for both ears.
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RESULTS: Bilateral COM was 14.5% of all COM cases. Twenty six percent of the bilateral COM have cholesteatoma in one or both ears, this prevalence was similar with unilateral COM. However, when one ear had cholesteatoma, the probability of cholesteatoma in opposite ear was 53%. Average of air-bone gaps was 19.1 dB and 11.2 dB hearing gain was achieved in the first operated ears, and 14.0 dB, 9.1 dB respectively in the second operated ears. Postoperative air conduction threshold was improved within 40 dB in 45.0% and 65.4% in first and second operated ears respectively.CONCLUSION:
Bilaterality was 14.5% in COM, and the prevalence of cholesteatoma in bilateral COM was similar with unilateral COM,but when one ear had cholesteatoma, the probability of cholesteatoma in opposite ear was significantly higher than in unilateral COM. In each ear, some extent of hearing gain was achieved postoperatively, but attainment of balanced hearing in bilateral ears was found to be difficult.