Clinical features and management of middle ear adhesion / 中国耳鼻咽喉头颈外科

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE To study the clinical features and therapeutic efficacy of middle ear adhesion.METHODS The clinical data of 40 cases of middle ear adhesion collected during 5 years from 2002 to 2007 were studied retrospectively. RESULTS Part or all of the tympanic membrane of the patients did not move under Siegle otoscopy. The lesions of middle ear adhesion were extensive and invaded all middle ear structures including round and oval windows.The lesions were severe, especially in narrow anatomical spaces such as mesotympanum,hypotympanum and interossicular spaces.Pure tone audiometry showed that average air-bone gap (A-B gap) were (35.34?6.99) dB preoperatively.The average A-B gap were (18.47?5.76) dB 6 months after operation.Follow-up observations and postoperative CT scan showed that tympanic membranes and middle ear cavity recovered well.CONCLUSION There are various degrees of tympanic fibrous adhesion and atelectatic tympanum in middle ear adhesion,especially in mesotympanum, hypotympanum and interossicular spaces.The middle ear adhesion can be treated with operation.The key points for a successful operation include preserving normal tympanum mucosa,opening eustachian tubes, making a bigger middle ear cavity,and performing tympanoplasty with perichondrium-cartilage plates.