RESUMO
Different operations on the middle ear were performed in 86 patients with otitis media purulenta chronica (OMPC). Mean bone hearing thresholds in the high-pitched area (10,000-16,000 Hz) were determined and suprathreshold tests were made in 86 patients on day 10 and 6 months after surgery. Minimal changes seen only in early postoperative period occurred in canal wall up operations with tympanoplasty of type I-II. Canal wall down type of surgery had a negative effect on the function of the cochlear receptor system in the early postoperative period. All "open" types of ear surgery, even with tympanoplasty, provoked hearing deterioration with maximum elevation of the hearing thresholds in the high-pitched area (10,000-16,000 Hz). Middle ear surgery without forming a new tympanic cavity results in progressive deterioration of the peripheral part of the hearing receptor system.
