Diagnostic Protocol for Detecting Otosclerosis on High-Resolution Temporal Bone CT.

OBJECTIVES: To present a systematic checklist to improve diagnosing otosclerosis (OS) on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the temporal bones and review this protocol's efficacy in diagnosing OS on HRCT. METHODS: A retrospective case series was performed at a University Referral Hospital in urban Chicago, Illinois. High-resolution computed tomographies of the temporal bone were reviewed including 17 ears in the test group with surgically confirmed OS and 21 ears in the control group surgically confirmed to not have OS. Preoperative HRCTs were evaluated by a single neuroradiologist using a systematic protocol created to assist in diagnosing OS. This looked for radiolucency at the fissula ante fenestram and pericochlear region, and new bone formation around the oval and round windows. RESULTS: The radiologist accurately diagnosed OS in all 17 test group ears and ruled out OS in all 21 control group ears using the protocol. All 17 test ears were read to have lucency at the fissula ante fenestram, 9 (53.0%) to have new bone formation, and 8 (47.1%) to have cochlear lucency. The radiologist was more confident in diagnosing OS when cochlear lucency was present with the fissula ante fenestram lucency. CONCLUSIONS: This HRCT checklist is a highly accurate tool for evaluating the presence of OS when images are reviewed in the systematic fashion described. Imaging prior to surgery aids in counseling patients, preparing surgically, and excluding other pathologies.

The Otalgia Point: A Novel Clinical Gesture in Otolaryngology.

INTRODUCTION: In cases of otalgia without any accompanying findings, some patients locate their otalgia below the attachment of the lobule, at the apex of the jugulodigastric region. PURPOSE: To present a series of these patients for whom nasal steroids or myringotomy usually ameliorated their pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two patients with normal physical examinations, tympanograms, and age-appropriate audiograms spontaneously indicated otalgia at "the otalgia point." Inspection of the oropharynx and nasal airway, palpation of the neck and temporal mandibular joints, and nasopharyngoscopy/laryngoscopy ruled out referred causes of otalgia. Patients were offered either nasal steroid spray or trial myringotomy followed by tympanostomy tube. RESULTS: Otalgia improved in all 10 (100%) patients who selected nasal steroids. Otalgia resolved in 17 of 20 (85%) myringotomy participants. Three patients declined intervention. In all, symptoms improved in 27/29 treated patients (93%). CONCLUSION: This description of "the otalgia point" introduces a new otolaryngologic gesture in physical examination that can aid in the therapeutic management of some patients with otalgia and normal examinations. This is an uncontrolled case series that serves as a pilot study for further exploration of this gesture.

Streamlined bilateral otologic surgery: how I do it.

Bilateral simultaneous otologic surgery is being performed more commonly among otologists. The benefits of performing bilateral simultaneous cochlear implants in the pediatric population, in particular, have become increasingly recognized as the safety and efficacy of this operation have been recognized in the literature. Here we present a streamlined method of performing bilateral simultaneous otologic surgery that emphasizes midline placement of facial nerve electrodes and a method of sterile preparation and draping that affords direct exposure to both ears at one time, without the need to turn the head or adjust the drapes multiple times throughout the operation. Our approach facilitates frequent and efficient alternation between ears throughout the operation, optimizing efficiency of motion and instrumentation for the surgeon, and reducing overall operative and general anesthesia time for the patient.

Fungal otitis externa as a cause of tympanic membrane perforation: a case series.

We describe a series of 11 patients--8 men and 3 women, aged 18 to 70 years (mean: 46.0)--who had fungal otitis externa that had been complicated by a tympanic membrane perforation. These patients had been referred to us for evaluation of chronic, mostly treatment-refractory otitis externa, which had manifested as otorrhea, otalgia, and/or pruritus. Seven of the 11 patients had no history of ear problems prior to their current condition. Five patients had been referred to us by a primary care physician and 4 by an otolaryngologist; the other 2 patients were self-referred. All patients were treated with a thorough debridement of the ear and one of two antifungal medication regimens. Eight of the 11 patients experienced a complete resolution of signs and symptoms, including closure of the tympanic membrane perforation. The other 3 patients underwent either a tympanoplasty (n = 2) or a fat-graft myringotomy (n = 1) because the perforation did not close within a reasonable amount of time. This series demonstrates that the nonspecific signs and symptoms of fungal otitis externa can make diagnosis difficult for both primary care physicians and general otolaryngologists. This study also demonstrates that most cases of tympanic membrane perforation secondary to fungal otitis externa will resolve with cleaning of the ear and proper medical treatment. Therefore, most patients with this condition will not require surgery.

Cochlear implantation in unilateral sudden deafness improves tinnitus and speech comprehension: meta-analysis and systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: In recent years, otologists have begun to place cochlear implants into nonfunctioning ears after sudden unilateral hearing loss. Patients in these trials demonstrate differing degrees of hearing loss in the unimplanted ear. Few studies have examined the role of implantation in patients with normal hearing in the unimplanted ear. To understand if this practice benefits these patients in terms of tinnitus, sound localization, and speech understanding, the available world literature is reviewed. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched for publications from database inception to June 1, 2013, without restriction of language. STUDY SELECTION: A search of multiple medical databases was performed to identify articles reporting cases series of cochlear implantation for unilateral hearing loss. Subjects were included for analysis only if the course of hearing loss was acute and rapidly progressive, if the loss was severe to profound, and if the contralateral ear had normal hearing. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Nine appropriate articles were identified, in which 36 patients met our inclusion criteria. Three meta-analyses were performed: of tinnitus (22 patients); of the lowest signal-to-noise ratio, which still allowed 50% sentence understanding (16 patients); and of sentence understanding at a fixed signal-to-noise ratio (12 patients). These found that measures of tinnitus reduction and decreased signal-to-noise ratios to still allow 50% speech discrimination were statistically significantly reduced. Systematic review of subjective changes of tinnitus in 27 patients, speech understanding in 16 patients, and sound localization in 16 patients found 96%, 100%, and 87% were improved, respectively. CONCLUSION: Cochlear implantation in unilateral sudden hearing loss with a normal functioning contralateral ear might prove to be an effective therapy. Tinnitus is reduced as is the signal-to-noise ratio, which still allows 50% speech discrimination. All patients felt that they localized sound better, and most felt that they understood speech better. Further studies should be conducted to compare the success of hearing rehabilitation of cochlear rehabilitation and traditional modalities such as contralateral routing of signal and bone-anchored hearing aids.

Air space reduction tympanomastoidectomy repairs difficult perforations more reliably than tympanoplasty.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Air space reduction tympanomastoidectomy improves outcomes over tympanoplasty in repairing tympanic membrane perforations in the presence of unfavorable risk factors. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of 67 subjects' 87 operations. METHODS: Interventions were tympanoplasty versus air space reduction tympanomastoidectomy. Risk factors were contracted mastoid air cells, previous failed operations, descent from the indigenous peoples of the Americas, and middle/ear mastoid volumes l<3 CC. Favorable outcomes were closure of the perforation, no decline in hearing, and creation of a self-cleaning mastoid bowl. RESULTS: Five out of 46 air space reduction tympanomastoidectomies failed to close their perforations (11%). Pure-tone threshold (PTA) worsened in 13/46 ears (28%). Four of 46 required mastoid bowl cleaning (9%). In contrast, 21 of 41 tympanoplasties failed to close (51%). PTA worsened in 9/34 ears (26%). All four tympanoplasty failures treated with an air space reduction tympanomastoidectomy closed. Three of the seven tympanoplasty failures treated with a second tympanoplasty did not close. Statistical analysis found two risk factors more prevalent among the air space reduction tympanomastoidectomies: contracted mastoids (P = .019) and middle ear volumes <3 CC (P = .0001). Increased closure of perforations occurring after the air space reduction tympanomastoidectomy was also statistically significant (P = .0002). Descendants of indigenous peoples of the Americas trended toward better PTAs after their air space reduction tympanomastoidectomies than their tympanoplasties and showed statistically significant increases in closure of perforation (P = .0046). CONCLUSIONS: Air space reduction tympanomastoidectomy is an effective and safe method for closing tympanic membrane perforations.

Bilateral middle cranial fossa encephaloceles presenting as conductive hearing loss.

We report a case involving a patient with bilateral middle cranial fossa encephaloceles extending into the middle ear and causing conductive hearing loss. An obese, 47-year-old woman with a history of a seizure disorder presented with a slow-onset subjective hearing loss. Examination revealed opaque tympanic membranes, and audiometry showed a mixed hearing loss bilaterally. Myringotomy demonstrated soft tissue behind each tympanic membrane. Biopsy, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and mastoidectomy confirmed the diagnosis of bilateral middle cranial fossa encephaloceles. Bilateral encephaloceles are uncommon, and the resulting bilateral conductive hearing loss secondary to mechanical obstruction of ossicular vibration is even more rare. This patient's obesity and seizures perhaps contributed to her disease process.

Occult middle ear and mastoid fluid in acute otitis externa.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Presence of fluid in the middle ear (ME) or mastoid air cells in acute otitis externa (OE) has not been reported. We hypothesize that in patients with OE there is often otitis media (occult middle ear and mastoid fluid) and secondary fluid in the mastoid air cell system, which is not seen during a clinical examination because of edema in the external canal skin. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 209 patients who presented to our ear, nose, and throat (ENT) clinic with acute OE that was resolved with oral and/or topical antibiotics. RESULTS: Twenty-seven of the 209 patients presented with unilateral or bilateral acute OE (29 ears) and received a computed tomography (CT) scan of their temporal bones, which was ordered by the Emergency Department or ENT services. Twenty-three of 29 ears (79%) showed fluid in the ME, mastoid, or both. Nine of the 10 patients (82%), who obtained their CT scan within 1 week of symptom onset, were found to have fluid. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support our hypothesis and serve to inform the medical community (both ENT and primary care) that fluid is often present in the ME or mastoid in patients with acute OE whose symptoms will resolve with oral and/or topical antibiotics.

Pseudo-sudden deafness.

OBJECTIVES: We describe the symptom complex and management of a clinical entity we refer to as "pseudo-sudden deafness," which is an episode of acute otitis media that leads to sensorineural hearing loss with reduced speech discrimination. METHODS: We included 8 adult patients with audiometrically confirmed, asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss with decreased speech discrimination that presented after an episode of acute otitis media. Magnetic resonance imaging ruled out retrocochlear disease. Both physical examination and myringotomy helped confirm the diagnosis of serous otitis media (SOM). Myringotomy, tympanostomy tubes, oral antibiotics, and otic antibiotic-steroid drops were used to treat the SOM. Oral steroids were used to treat the sensorineural component. RESULTS: Pretreatment and posttreatment audiograms showed an improvement in speech discrimination score, pure tone thresholds, or both after treatment for underlying SOM and sensorineural hearing loss in 6 of the 8 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who present with an acute onset of unilateral sensorineural hearing loss with decreased speech discrimination may be mistakenly thought to have idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss when, in fact, they may have an SOM-induced phenomenon that is potentially reversible. The distinguishing feature is a preexisting otitis media, which must be treated first, before the administration of steroids.

Long-term effects of hearing aids on word recognition scores.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively examine how monaurally fitted hearing aids affected word recognition scores in patients with bilateral symmetric sensorineural hearing loss. METHODS: Sixty-six patients from 2 separate institutions were included in this study. In addition to having bilateral symmetric sensorineural hearing loss due to presbycusis, each patient had to have worn a single hearing aid for at least 5 months and have valid pre-aid and post-aid audiograms. Word recognition scores were analyzed with a table of confidence levels generated by Thornton and Raffin that determined the probability of differences between word recognition scores. RESULTS: Hearing aids did not improve or preserve word recognition scores to the degree that has been previously reported in the literature. The unaided (control) ear demonstrated a decrease in word recognition scores over time, as was expected from previous studies. The aided ears demonstrated a similar decline in word recognition scores when compared to the unaided ears. When the conventional confidence level of 0.05 was used, the aided ears showed no advantage over the unaided (control) ears. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are not consistent with the acclimatization first reported by Silman et al in 1993. Such a discrepancy in the results calls for further studies to evaluate just how effective unilateral hearing aids are in patients with bilateral symmetric sensorineural hearing loss.

Primary lymphoma of the temporal bone presenting as XIIth cranial nerve weakness.

Primary lymphoma of the temporal bone is an extremely rare finding in clinical practice. Although it is treated as a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the absence of systemic signs and symptoms makes detection dependent on the tumor's local mass effect. In this article, we report a case of temporal bone lymphoma that caused XIIth nerve palsy. We also discuss the clinical manifestations of temporal bone lymphoma and the importance of imaging the head and neck when any idiopathic cranial nerve palsy develops.

Amyloidosis of the external auditory canal.

We present a case of bilateral otitis externa that did not respond to local treatment. Cutaneous biopsies revealed bilateral amyloid depositions secondary to multiple myeloma. Persistent, identical bilateral canal lesions may be the only manifestation of treatable systemic disease and should be biopsied, even though their bilaterality argues against malignancy.

Multiple paragangliomata of the lungs and temporal bone.

We report the case of a 71-year-old woman with multiple benign lung paragangliomata and a benign glomus jugulare paraganglioma in one temporal bone that mimicked a malignancy. The patient's lung lesions did not regress with chemotherapy. Subsequent histologic markers suggested several very slowly dividing tumors. We review the patient's medical course and pathology from both sites. A finding of multiple lung paragangliomata should raise the suspicion of a multicentric rather than malignant tumor. Before any chemotherapeutic regimen is initiated, a thorough physical examination of the head and neck should be performed, and biopsy material should be tested for markers of cell division.