Tympanomastoidectomy: comparison between canal wall-down and canal wall-up techniques in surgery for chronic otitis media

Chronic otitis media (COM) is an inflammatory condition associated with otorrhea as well as large and persistent perforations of the tympanic membrane in some cases. COM can also lead to cholesteatoma. Surgical treatment with canal wall-down and canal wall-up tympanomastoidectomy is considered for both types of illness. The choice of technique is controversial and is dependent on several factors, including the extent of disease. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate surgical outcomes in COM patients with and without cholesteatoma treated with canal wall-down and canal wall-up tympanomastoidectomy. Disease eradication and post-operative auditory thresholds were assessed. METHOD: Patient records from the otorhinolaryngology department of a tertiary hospital were assessed retrospectively. RESULTS: Patients who underwent canal wall-up tympanomastoidectomy had a higher rate of revision surgery, especially those with cholesteatoma. However, there were no statistically significant differences in post-operative hearing thresholds between the two techniques. CONCLUSION: The canal wall-down technique is superior to the canal wall-up technique, especially for patients with cholesteatoma...

Cauterização química das conchas nasais inferiores com ácido tricloroacético / Chemical cautery of the inferior turbinates with trichloroacetic acid

INTRODUÇÃO: Obstrução nasal crônica secundária a hipertrofia das conchas nasais inferiores é um sintoma comum, de importante morbidade em nosso meio. Várias técnicas cirúrgicas são descritas para os casos refratários aos tratamentos clínicos, porém, há controversas sobre qual delas é a mais efetiva e sujeita a menos complicações. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a eficácia, a segurança e exequibilidade do uso do ácido tricloroacético ambulatorial para o tratamento da hipertrofia dos cornetos inferiores. MÉTODO: Trabalho prospectivo com 29 pacientes que foram submetidos à técnica ambulatorial de infiltração de ácido tricloroacético a 30 por cento submucosa dos cornetos inferiores, sob anestesia tópica. Foram avaliados os sintomas de rinorreia e obstrução nasal utilizando escala visual e analógica (EVA 010) pré cauterização e um ano pós procedimento. RESULTADOS: Diminuição significativa da obstrução nasal e da rinorreia um ano pós procedimento. As complicações foram sinéquias leves em dois pacientes e sangramentos, de pequena monta, em quatro casos com resolução espontânea. CONCLUSÃO: O método proposto apresentou ótimos resultados quanto à obstrução nasal e rinorreia, pode ser realizado em ambiente ambulatorial, e vem nos mostrando ser de baixa complicação.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic secondary nasal obstruction, the hypertrophy of the inferior turbinates is a common symptom of great morbidity in our society. Several surgical techniques are described to cases refractory to medical treatments, however, there are controversy about which one of them is more effective and less subject to complications. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the efficacy, security and practicability of using ambulatory trichloroacetic acid to treat the hypertrophy of the inferior turbinates. METHOD: Prospective study with 29 patients submitted to the ambulatory technique of 30 percent trichloroacetic acid infiltration in the inferior turbinate's submucosa, under topic anesthesia. The symptoms of rhinorrhea and nasal obstruction were evaluated using the analogical and visual scale (AVS 010) pre-cautery and one year post-procedure. RESULTS: Significant nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea reduction one year post-procedure. The complications were light synechia in two patients and small bleedings in four spontaneous resolution cases. CONCLUSION: The proposed method showed excellent results concerning nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea, can be conducted in ambulatory environment, and has proved to be a low-complication method.

Perda auditiva sensório-neural na otite média crônica supurativa em pacientes com e sem colesteatoma / Sensorineural hearing loss in chronic suppurative otitis media with and without cholesteatoma

Perda auditiva sensório-neural (PASN) relacionada a otite média crônica supurativa (OMCS) foi estudada para esclarecer a participação do colesteatoma nesse contexto. OBJETIVO: Avaliar ocorrência de PASN na OMCS, correlacionando com colesteatoma, duração da doença e idade. CASUÍSTICA E MÉTODOS: Estudo retrospectivo de 115 pacientes com OMCS com e sem colesteatoma submetidos à cirurgia. Incluíram-se pacientes com doença unilateral, orelha contralateral normal e idade inferior a 60 anos. RESULTADOS: Idade média foi de 26 anos, sendo 58 homens e 57 mulheres. Tempo médio de duração da doença otológica de 12,4 anos. Limiar auditivo médio foi de 40 dB na orelha com OMCS e 22dB na orelha normal (P=0,002). Observou-se colesteatoma em 78 dos 115 casos. Na orelha com OMCS, ocorreram 15 (13 por cento) casos de PASN, sendo 7 associadas à colesteatoma e 8 não associadas. Seis casos de PASN foram severa/profunda, correlacionando-se com idade ajustada (P=0,003), ausência de colesteatoma (P=0,01), mas não com duração da doença (P=0,458). CONCLUSÃO: PASN ocorreu em 13 por cento dos pacientes com OMCS, correlacionando-se com o aumento da idade, mas não com a presença de colesteatoma ou com maior duração da doença otológica.

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) related to chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) was studied to clarify the involvement of cholesteatomas in this context. AIM: to evaluate SNHL related to CSOM and its association with cholesteatomas, disease duration and patients’ ages. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 115 patients with CSOM with and without cholesteatoma submitted to surgical treatment. Inclusion criteria were active unilateral disease, normal contralateral ear and age below 60 years. RESULTS: The average age was 26.3 years, 58 males and 57 females. The duration of ear disease was, in average, 12.4 years. The average threshold of hearing was 40 dB in CSOM ear and 22 dB in the normal contralateral ear (P=0.002). CSOM with cholesteatoma occurred in 78 of 115 cases. In the abnormal ear, SNHL was seen in 15 cases, being 6 cases of profound loss, that correlated with adjusted-age (P=0.003) and absence of cholesteatoma (P=0.01), but not with disease duration (P=0.458). CONCLUSION: SNHL occurred in 13 percent of the patients with CSOM, and was correlated with older age, but not with the presence of cholesteatoma or longer duration of ear disease.