ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to find out the pattern of presentation and the risk factors associated with otitis media with effusion, in three major tertiary care hospitals of Karachi. Prospective descriptive study. This study was conducted at three major tertiary care hospital of Karachi including Civil Hospital Karachi, Lyari General Hospital and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi, over a period of two years from November 1998 to October 2000. Two hundreds and fifty patients diagnosed as otitis media with effusion have been included in this study. Otoscopic examination, tympanic membrane mobility with Siegel's pneumatic speculum, examination of the nose and throat, pure tone audiogram and tympanometry were done in all the cases. There were 140 male and 110 female patients with mean age incidence was 7.3 [ +/- 1.2] years. Hearing impairment was the commonest symptom present in 98% of the cases. Retracted tympanic membrane was noted in 151 cases [60.4%]. Enlarged adenoids were present in 115 cases [46.0%]. Average hearing loss on pure tone audiogram was found to be 23.4 dB. Myringotomy was required in 84 cases [33.6%]. The peak age incidence of otitis media with effusion in this study was impairment with retracted tympanic membrane was the commonest clinical presentation. Enlarged adenoids was the most common and important risk factor
ABSTRACT
The objective of the study is to find out the common pharmacologic agents causing ototoxicity in our region with their pattern of presentation and effects on the inner ear. This study was conducted at department of Ear, Nose, Throat, Head and Neck Surgery, Civil Hospital Karachi, over a period of three years from January 1998 to December 2000. A total of 44 patients were included who presented at ENT department with the diagnosis of ototoxicity. The diagnosis was established in each case by taking detailed history, through ENT examination and related investigations. All these patients were followed up regularly for a maximum of six months. Out of44 patients, 32 were male and 12 were female patients with mean age of 42.2 years. Majority of the patients had some form of cochleotoxicity with symptoms of deafness in 95.4% and tinnitus in 36.6% of the cases. Vestibular toxicity with symptoms of vertigo and sense of imbalance were presented in 29.5% of the cases. 26 patients received only one ototoxic drug while 18 patients had received more than one ototoxic drug at one time. Gentamycin was the commonest offending agent for ototoxicity in 40.9% of the cases. In this study no patient of ototoxicity was found due to macrolide antibiotics, salicylates or any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Sensori-neural hearing loss in majority of the patients was moderate to severe in nature