Does myringosclerosis affect the success of butterfly myringoplasty?

OBJECTIVES: Butterfly inlay myringoplasty is a simple and practical surgical technique used in the repair of tympanic membrane perforation offering good outcomes in terms of hearing. The present study evaluates the effects of myringosclerosis on the success of surgery by reviewing demographic data, perforation size and hearing outcomes of patients undergoing endoscopic inlay butterfly myringoplasty due to chronic otitis media. METHODS: The study included 75 patients who underwent endoscopic inlay butterfly myringoplasty with the diagnosis of chronic suppurative otitis media in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Firat University Faculty of Medicine between March 2018 and July 2021. The patients were divided into three groups as the following. Group I: Patients without a myringosclerotic focus in the neighborhood of tympanic membrane perforation, Group II: Patients with a less than 50% myringosclerotic focus in the neighborhood of tympanic membrane, and Group III: Patients with a more than 50% myringosclerotic focus in the neighborhood of tympanic membrane. RESULTS: The comparison of all preoperative and postoperative parameters and the reduction in air-bone gap between the groups did not show statistically significant difference (p>0.05). The comparison of air-bone gaps between preoperative and postoperative measurements showed a statistically significant difference in all groups (p<0.05). The grafting success rate was 100% in Group I, 96.4% in Group II, and 95.6% in Group III. The mean operation time was 28.57±2.54 min in Group I, 32.14±2.44 min in Group II, and 30.69±3.43 in Group III; there was a statistically significant difference only between Group I and Group II (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The graft success rate and hearing gain in patients with myringosclerosis were similar to those in patients without myringosclerosis. Therefore, butterfly inlay myringoplasty is applicable to patients with chronic otitis media regardless of the presence or absence of myringosclerosis.

Laser, radiofrequency or tympanostomy knife? Comparison of surgical methods in tympanostomy treatment of young children and predictive value of tympanometry.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate tympanostomy tube (TT) treatment in young children, with special interest in bloodless surgical methods (laser and radiofrequency), myringosclerosis formation and tympanometric testing. METHODS: This prospective study includes 76 children whose 121 ears with middle ear effusion were treated with tympanostomy tubes. Myringotomy was performed with CO2 laser in 37, radiofrequency in 40 and myringotomy knife in 44 ears. The ears were evaluated with otomicroscopy and tympanometry preoperatively and postoperatively every 3-4 months until spontaneous tube extrusion. RESULTS: All tubes extruded spontaneously (mean 12.8 months, range 3-36 months), with no persistent perforations or cholesteatomas. CO2 laser and radiofrequency inserted tympanostomy tubes extruded faster (mean 11 months) compared to incisional myringotomy (mean 15 months, p = 0.002). Myringosclerosis was noted in 25 (21%) ears after treatment. There was a tendency to less myringosclerosis with bloodless techniques, but the difference was not significant. Flat tympanograms on the day of procedure predicted continuation of ventilation problems also after TT treatment (p = 0.003). Ears with preoperative type B tympanogram had significantly more myringosclerosis 21/75 (28%) compared with type A and C tympanograms 4/41 (10%) (p = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: While all myringotomy methods were effective and safe, the traditional incisional myringotomy with a tympanostomy knife is still a good, feasible and cost-effective myringotomy method. No surgical removal of tympanostomy tubes is needed before 3 years of uncomplicated tympanostomy treatment. Tympanometry turned out to be a useful tool in prediction of post TT treatment ventilation problems of the middle ear.

CoCl2 -simulated hypoxia potentiates the osteogenic differentiation of fibroblasts derived from tympanosclerosis by upregulating the expression of BMP-2.

Tympanosclerosis (TS) is a result of long-standing middle ear inflammation characterized by fibroblasts ossification. Fibrosis is the last revertible stage in the progress of middle ear inflammation to TS. It was hypothesized that chronic hypoxia could be modulating fibrosis, which in turn additionally further aggravated hypoxia via decreasing oxygen diffusion. However, the effects of hypoxia on osteoinductive activity of fibroblasts have not been explored. Herein, we purposed to explore the role of hypoxia in osteogenic differentiation of fibroblasts derived from TS. The expression of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), and Vimentin in the human surgical specimens of tympansclerosis was investigated by immunofluorescent staining. Furthermore, cultured fibroblasts were stratified into the following study groups: control, 25, 50, and 100 µM cobaltous chloride (CoCl2 ) group. BMP-2, as well as HIF-1α levels of expression were detected via western blotting and immunofluorescence analysis. We found that the expression of BMP-2 and HIF-1α was significantly upregulated in TS tissues and these fibroblasts, which was vimentin positive surrounding sclerotic plaques, were also expressing HIF-1α positive. The results also demonstrated that CoCl2 treatment increased nuclear HIF-1α protein level in the fibroblast. Furthermore, treatment with CoCl2 significantly increased BMP-2 expression and remarkably elevated alkaline phosphatse activity and the mineralized nodules area. These data illustrate that hypoxia may play an osteogenic role in TS fibroblasts via the elevated expression of a possible osteogenic factor, BMP-2.

Myringosclerosis as a predictor of the requirement for a permanent pacemaker in patients with drug-related atrioventricular block.

AIMS: Drug-related atrioventricular block (DR-AVB) may develop in patients with underlying latent degenerative conduction disorders, especially with antiarrhythmics and antihypertensives. Although, according to the current guidelines, reversal is achieved with cessation of the inducing agent, this is not the case for nearly half of the patients. The pathophysiological processes of DR-AVB and myringosclerosis include systemic inflammation and degeneration. This study investigated the role of myringosclerosis in predicting irreversible high-grade DR-AVB despite drug cessation. METHODS: This observational, non-randomized, prospective study involved 152 patients with high-grade DR-AVB, 72 of whom had reversible DR-AVB and 80 had irreversible DR-AVB and required permanent pacemakers. The patients' demographic, clinical, echocardiographic, and laboratory characteristics were recorded. Otoscopic tympanic membrane examinations for myringosclerosis were performed. RESULTS: There were no major differences in demographic, echocardiographic or laboratory characteristics between the two groups or previous medications. The median monitoring time with a temporary pacemaker was significantly longer in the irreversible than in the reversible group (5 [4-7] days vs. 2 [1-5] days; P<0.001). The incidence of myringosclerosis was significantly higher in the irreversible than in the reversible group (61.3% vs. 22.2%; P=0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that myringosclerosis was an independent predictor of irreversible DR-AVB (odds ratio: 1.703, 95% confidence interval: 1.194-3.058; P=0.01). CONCLUSION: Myringosclerosis is a readily available, inexpensive, and non-invasive assessment and is a marker of inflammation and degeneration that can predict irreversible DR-AVB.

Hearing outcome after tympanoplasty type III.

PURPOSE: We assessed overall hearing outcome after tympanoplasty type III in chronically infected ears with cholesteatoma (CH) and without cholesteatoma: otitis media chronica mesotympanalis, tympanosclerosis, and adhesive process (COM_T_AP). METHODS: 303 surgeries were evaluated: 229 CH-group and 74 COM_T_AP-group. Air-bone gaps (PTA-ABG) with pure-tone averages (PTA-4) at four frequencies (0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz) were compared preoperatively, early postoperatively (< 40 days) and late postoperatively (40-400 days). Hearing outcome was compared in various types of middle-ear reconstruction and in smokers and non-smokers. Correlations between hearing outcome and predictive staging indices were evaluated: Middle Ear Risk-Index (MER-I) and Ossiculoplasty Outcome Parameter Staging-Index (OOPS-I). RESULTS: Mean PTA-ABG in the CH-group increased from 20.9 ± 11.3 dB to 22.3 ± 10.4 dB early postoperatively and decreased significantly to 19.2 ± 10.1 dB late postoperatively. Mean PTA-ABG in the COM_T_AP-group decreased significantly from 27.3 ± 10.9 dB to 20.6 ± 10.9 dB early postoperatively and decreased to 20.0 ± 12.2 dB late postoperatively. No significant difference was seen between PTA-ABG-closures of partial or total ossicular replacement prosthesis (PORP/TORP) and cartilage ossiculoplasty in the CH-group. Patients receiving TORP showed a significantly higher preoperative PTA-ABG. All reconstruction types exhibited postoperative PTA-ABG around 20 dB. In the COM_T_AP-group, smokers had a significantly higher mean PTA-ABG early postoperatively; this equalized with that of non-smokers late postoperatively. PTA-ABG-closures and MER-I or OOPS-I were not significantly correlated. CONCLUSION: Tympanoplasty type III maintains hearing in patients with cholesteatoma and significantly improves hearing in chronically inflamed ears without cholesteatoma. All investigated ossicular replacement prostheses are equally beneficial. Healing postoperatively takes longer in smokers, but they eventually catch up with non-smokers.

Development and Validation of a Clinical Score for Predicting the Risk of Tympanosclerosis Before Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a clinical score to predict the risk of tympanosclerosis before surgery. METHODS: A sample of 404 patients who underwent middle ear microsurgery for otitis media was enrolled. These patients were randomly divided into 2 cohorts: the training cohort (n = 243, 60%) and the validation cohort (n = 161, 40%). The preoperative predictors of tympanosclerosis were determined by multivariate logistic regression analysis and implemented using a clinical score tool. The predictive accuracy and discriminative ability of the clinical score were determined by the area under the curve (AUC) and the calibration curve. RESULTS: The multivariate analysis in the training cohort (n = 243, 60%) identified independent factors for tympanosclerosis as the female sex (odds ratio [OR]: 3.83; 95% CI: 1.66-9.37), the frequency-specific air-bone gap at 250 Hz ≥ 45 dB HL (OR: 3.68; 95% CI: 1.68-8.57), aditus ad antrum blockage (OR: 3.29; 95% CI: 1.38-8.43), type I eardrum calcification (OR: 25.37; 95% CI: 8.41-88.91) or type II eardrum calcification (OR: 18.86; 95% CI: 6.89-58.77), and a history of otitis media ≥ 10 years (OR: 4.10; 95% CI: 1.58-11.83), which were all included in the clinical score tool. The AUC of the clinical score for predicting tympanosclerosis was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.85-0.93) in the training cohort and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.84-0.95) in the validation cohort. The calibration curve also showed good agreement between the predicted and observed probability. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical score achieved an optimal prediction of tympanosclerosis before surgery. The presence of calcification pearls on the promontorium tympani is a strong predictor of tympanosclerosis with stapes fixation.

Endoscopic transcanal management of tympanosclerosis.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study are to describe our experiences in endoscopic transcanal management of tympanosclerosis, to explain our surgical approaches to reconstruct the sound conduction system and to analyze the hearing results obtained with our surgical approaches. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study, using medical records of 28 cases that underwent endoscopic transcanal tympanoplasty surgery due to tympanosclerosis from January 2016 to January 2020. SETTINGS: Private otology clinic PATIENTS: Twenty-eight ears of 26 patients were enrolled into study. Patients were grouped according to Wielinga-Kerr classification and only type II, III and IV patients were included in the study. INTERVENTIONS: Exclusively transcanal endoscopic surgery was performed in all cases. Primary goal was to mobilize the affected ossicles by removing the offending TS and reconstruct the ossicular chain. Malleostapediopexy was preferred when attic by-pass procedures were needed. Glass ionemer bone cement was used to reconstruct the ossicular defects. OUTCOME MEASURES: Preoperative and postoperative pure tone average of air conduction and bone conduction and air-bone gap results were evaluated. Operation was considered successful if postoperative ABG < 20 dB was achieved. Complications and graft take rate were also evaluated. RESULTS: Single-staged surgery was performed in 23 of 28 cases (82.1%). Graft take rate was 93%. The mean preoperative ABG significantly decreased from 33.9 ± 5.19 to 12.55 ± 5.52 dB postoperatively for 23 cases who had single-staged surgeries (p < 0.001, Wilcoxon signed rank test) at the end of the mean follow-up period of 23 months. For this group, the mean preoperative AC-PTA significantly improved from 48.64 ± 9.30 to 22.93 ± 7.45 dB (p < 0.001, Wilcoxon signed rank test) postoperatively with a mean PTA improvement of 25.71 ± 6.02 dB. Success criterion was achieved in 22 of 23 cases (95.7%). There was no sensorineural hearing loss, facial nerve paralysis and postoperative vertigo after the surgical procedures. All patients had been discharged within the first 24 h. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment of tympanosclerosis is still a controversial issue. Endoscopic surgery seems a safe technique for the management of tympanosclerosis. Single-stage surgery is possible in most of the cases with a satisfactory hearing result. We speculate that addition of endoscopic view may increase the single-stage surgery ratio.

The Possible Role of Sclerostin in the Pathogenesis of Tympanosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate sclerostin (SOST) expression in a rat model of experimental tympanosclerosis (TS) and its possible role in the formation of TS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-four SD rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: experimental group (n = 17) and normal group (n = 17). The left tympanic cavities in the experimental group were inoculated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The changes of tympanic membranes were examined and recorded under otoendoscope. Haematoxylin-eosin staining was adopted to detect the morphological changes in the tympanic membrane and middle ear mucosa. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis were used to observe the expression of SOST, Wnt3a, ß-catenin, and P-ERK1/2. RESULTS: In the experimental group, sclerotic lesions were observed in 54.5% ears in the end of 6 weeks. Morphological changes such as mucosa incrassation, inflammatory cells infiltration, fibrous tissue proliferation, and interstitial tissue incrassation prominently appeared in the tympanic membrane and middle ear mucosa. SOST protein was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm of epithelial cells and gland cells, the expression of which increased significantly in the calcified experimental ears. In addition, expression levels of Wnt3a, ß-catenin, and P-ERK1/2 increased significantly in the calcified group too. CONCLUSION: The upregulated expression level of SOST may be involved in the formation of TS, first, through the pro-phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in the inflammatory stage, and then through the enhancement of Wnt3a in the osteogenic stage.

Tympanosclerosis and atherosclerosis plaques: a comparative analytical study on some new microbiological and immunohistochemical aspects.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare chemical contents, expression of BMP-8a, and the presence of Mycoplasma and ExoS-ExoU exotoxins producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa in tympanosclerosis (TS) and atherosclerosis (AS) plaques. METHODS: Thirty-six cases with TS and AS plaques (18 each) were selected and examined for chemical, immunohistochemical, and microbial analysis. SPSS ver. 21 and t test analysis were used for comparing the findings, and the level of significance was considered as p < 0.05. RESULTS: TS plaques showed lower carbon, higher calcium, and phosphorous contents compared to AS plaques (p value < 0.05). Chlorine was detected in AS plaques (1.8 w%) which could probably be due to the presence of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in atherosclerotic artery. Contrary to spherical shape of the surface of TS plaques, AS plaques were needle shaped. BMP-8a expression in TS plaques (59.5%) was significantly higher (p value < 0.0001) than AS plaques (20%). Of the 18 TS specimens, 12, 14, and 3 were positive for ExoS, ExoU Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Mycoplasma genes, respectively, while of the 18 AS specimens, 2, 2, and 3 were positive for ExoS, ExoU Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Mycoplasma genes, respectively. CONCLUSION: TS plaques are different from AS plaques in terms of elemental components, surface morphology, and BMP-8a expression. Therefore, different calcification process and pathogenesis may be responsible for these two diseases. The results of our study showed that both TS and AS plaques have genetic footprint of Mycoplasma, but the level of calcium concentration-dependent exotoxins genes was found only in TS plaques.

The Effect of Nasal Septal Deviation on the Postoperative Hearing Results of Patients With Tympanosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: The main aim is to discuss the effect of nasal septal deviation on the postoperative hearing results of patients with tympanosclerosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed the hearing results of patients with tympanosclerosis who were operated on in a tertiary center. Pure tone audiometric results were compared according to the existence of nasal septal deviation. RESULTS: This study included 48 patients with unilateral tympanosclerosis disease. Moderate or severe septal deviation had no significant effect on postoperative hearing results. CONCLUSION: The nasal septal deviation as the only pathologic factor in patients with tympanosclerosis did not have a deteriorating effect after surgery.

Is ossicular chain fixation predictable for tympanosclerosis on preoperative temporal bone computed tomography?

PURPOSE: To report the predictability of ossicular chain (OC) fixation on preoperative temporal bone computed tomography (TBCT) in chronic otitis media (COM) with tympanosclerosis (TS). METHODS: Fifty-six patients who had surgery for COM in our ear, nose and throat clinic between 2015 and 2017 were included in this retrospective case-control study. The patients were equally divided into two groups as those with TS and without TS. The complaint of preoperative otorrhea, values of incudostapedial joint (ISJ) angulation on preoperative TBCT scans, postoperative long-term hearing results, and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference between the ISJ angulations of the operated and healthy sides in the COM group with TS (102.27 ± 7.92 and 91.90 ± 5.59 degrees, respectively, p < 0.001). However, no statistically significant difference was observed between the ISJ angulation of the operated and healthy sides in the COM group without TS (95.04 ± 4.86 and 94.35 ± 4.57 degrees, respectively, p > 0.05). In addition, when the ISJ angulations of the operated sides of the two groups were compared, it was statistically significantly higher for the TS group compared to the non-TS group (102.27 ± 7.92 and 95.04 ± 4.86 degrees, respectively, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Increased ISJ angulation may indicate OC fixation. COM cases with TS can be predicted by the measurement of ISJ angulation on preoperative TBCT.

[Short-term effect of endoscopic one-stage tympanoplasty on tympanosclerosis].

Objective:To explore the feasibility of transcanal endoscopic ear surgery for tympanosclerosis as well as the surgical method and short-term effect. Method:Forty-one patients with type Ⅱ-Ⅳ tympanosclerosis who underwent transcanal endoscopic ear surgery were retrospectively analysed. All the tympanosclerotic lesions were removed with endoscope, then tympanoplasty was performed according to the ossicular involvement. Postoperative examination and audiometry were performed at 1, 3 and 6 months after the operation. Pre-and post-operative（6 months as the final result） pure tone air-bone gap were compared between different types of tympanosclerosis to evaluate the short-term effect, the difference of hearing improvement between different type of tympanoplasties was also compared. SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis. Result:Forty-three ears recovered without complications, except one with marginal performation, the graft take rate was 97.7%. The preoperative and 6 months postoperative air-bone gap was （36.73±11.68） dB and （20.55±10.27） dB respectively, with significant difference（t=20.476, P<0.05）. There were no significant differences in hearing improvement among the three types, though the hearing improvement of Type Ⅲ typanosclerosis was worse than that of type Ⅱ and Ⅳ. There was no significant difference in the hearing improvement between type Ⅱ and Ⅲ tympanoplasty（P>0.05）. Conclusion:Transcanal endoscopic surgery is safe and effective for tympanosclerosis with satisfying short-term effect, though long-term result still needs further investigation.

[The long term effect of malleostapedotomy in ossicular chain reconstruction].

Objective:To analysis the long-term outcomes of ossicular chain reconstruction using the malleostapedotomy（MT）. Method:A total of 11 patients（12 ears） underwent MT and their hearing levels were measured prior to surgery, 1 week and more than 1 year after surgery. The indications of MT were discussed and its safety and efficacy were evaluated in terms of the intra-operative findings, post-operative hearing and complications. Result:Among 11 patients（12 ears）, there were 1 patient（1 ear） with tympanosclerosis, 3 patients（4 ears） with ossicular chain deformity, 5 patients（5 ears） with otosclerosis and 2 patients（2 ears） with localized cholesteatoma of the middle ear. No cases of bone conduction hearing loss（more than 10 dB） were observed within 2 weeks after surgery while four patients suffered from short-term vertigo with an average remission duration of 3 days. And no recurrence was found in the two patients with cholesteatoma. After a follow-up of 1-6 years, we found a remarkable improvement of air conduction without bone conduction loss in all patients and there was a significant difference between preoperative and post-operative air-bone gap（P<0.05）. Conclusion:With a strict selection according to the indications, MT showes safe and effective long-term outcomes and is proved to be applicable in ossicular chain reconstruction in the cases of fixation of the stapes footplate accompanied with malleus/incus mobility disorder by various causes.

[An observation of long term effect of one-stage hearing reconstruction on tympanosclerosis].

Objective:To observe the long-term hearing stability of patients with tympanosclerosis after one-stage hearing reconstruction. Method:Forty-one patients with tympanosclerosis were included in the study. Their puretone thresholds before operation and those at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 to 5 years after operation were retrospectively analyzed. Differences between pre-and postoperative air-bone gaps（ABG） for speech frequencies（0.5, 1, 2, 4 kHz） as well as those of averaged ABG were calculated. Result:Preoperative averaged ABG of 44 ears was （36.0±10.4） dB. Averaged ABG at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 to 5 years after operation were （24.1±8.8） dB, （24.5±9.8） dB, （22.4±11.3） dB and （22.5±4.1） dB respectively. Averaged ABG at different time after operation were all significantly less than preoperative results but didn't differ between each other. Postoperative ABG for different frequencies varied between 9.3 and 33.7 dB. They were significantly less than preoperative results, but didn't differ between the four frequencies. At different time after operation, averaged ABG of type Ⅰ were always significantly less than those of type Ⅱ, while the latter were always significantly less than those of type Ⅳ. Differences between preoperative ABG and ABG at different postoperative time were not significantly different. Neither were differences between pre-and postoperative ABG for different frequencies. Conclusion:Hearing reconstruction has the same effect on hearing improvement of patients with tympanosclerosis at different frequencies. Type Ⅰ patients has the best hearing results while type Ⅳ patients has the worst. There is no significant difference between the long-term（1 year and more than 2 years after operation） and the short-term（3 months and 6 months after operation） hearing level. Hearing level of patients with tympanosclerosis remain stable in a long time after operation.

[The effect of one-stage tympanoplasty for stapes fixation with tympanosclerosis].

Objective:To evaluate hearing outcome and complications of one-stage tympanoplasty in patients with stapes fixation due to tympanosclerosis. Method:59 patients（sixty-one ears） underwent one-stage tympanoplasty for stapes fixation due to tympanosclerosis were retrospectively analyzed. Stapes fixation due to tympanosclerosis were proved during the surgery in these patients diagnosed with chronic otitis media. For all the patients, tympanosclerotic plaques around stapes were removed for stapes mobilization. Then the ossicular chain was rebuilt by autogenous incus or PORP. The pre-and post-operative audiometric results（500 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz and 4 kHz） were evaluated for each patient. Improvement of pure-tone average more than 10 dB postoperatively were accepted as success criteria. Result:Complications included temporary facial paralysis（1/61）, temporary vertigo（2/61）, mild elevation in bone conduction thresholds（2/61） and delayed healing of tympanic membrane（1/61）. Postoperative（1 and 3 months） bone conduction thresholds improved at frequencies of 1 and 2 kHz（P<0.01）. Postoperative（1 and 2 years） air conduction thresholds improved at all frequencies（P<0.01 or P<0.05）. A gain ≥10 dB in pure-tone average was found in 44（72.13%） patients at 1 year after surgery. The air conduction levels were significantly improved in both autogenous incus and PORP groups（P<0.01）. There was no difference about success rate between these two groups（P>0.05）. Conclusion:For patients with stapes fixation due to tympanosclerosis, one-stage tympanoplasty can improve hearing threshold though ossicular chain reconstruction and stapes release. The major complications such as facial paralysis and sensorineural hearing loss should be avoided by delicate surgical operation.

Double-Layered (Cartilage Island + Extra Perichondrium) Graft for Type 1 Tympanoplasty.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the graft success rates and hearing results of single-layered (composite island) grafting (SLG) vs double-layered (composite plus second layer of perichondrium) grafting (DLG) for over-under type 1 tympanoplasty techniques. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTINGS: Tertiary center otorhinolaryngology clinic. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Medical charts of the patients who underwent type 1 tympanoplasty via the microscopic technique by a single surgeon between 2015 and 2019 were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 48 patients were included. The DLG (n = 26) group had higher graft take rates as compared to the SLG group (n = 22) for all patients (P = .038) and for moderate- to high-risk patients according to Middle Ear Risk Index (MERI) scores (P = .029) but not for patients with mild disease (P = .429) or myringosclerotic patients (P = .242). The DLG group exhibited higher air-bone gap closure (C-ABG) values as compared to the SLG group for all patients (P = .018). However, there was no noticeable difference in C-ABG values within the patients with successful grafting (P = .217). Only graft success status had a significant effect on C-ABG values when the multivariate linear regression was performed. (P = .016). Higher MERI scores and presence of myringosclerosis were related to the unsuccessful grafting (P < .01). CONCLUSION: DLG tympanoplasty is encouraged, especially for patients with higher MERI scores, to increase the graft success rates. Better hearing outcomes of DLG tympanoplasty were related to the higher graft success status of this technique; DLG had no additional hearing effect for patients with successful grafting. Higher MERI scores and presence of myringosclerosis were related to graft failure.

Use of Mesna in the treatment of ossicular chain fixation related to tympanosclerosis; prospective, clinical study.

OBJECTIVE: Mesna is a thiol compound effective in the connective tissue, which is used for its chemical dissector, mucolytic, mucosal damage preventive and antioxidant effects. The aim of this study was to investigate Mesna's effects in easy dissection in type 4 tympanosclerosis cases and in the prevention of formation of new sclerotic plaques. METHODS: 11 patients were included in the study. All patients were in the Wielinga Kerr type 4 class of tympanosclerosis. All patients were administered a 100% concentration of Mesna in the middle ear during tympanosclerosis surgery. All patients underwent audiological evaluation before and 20 months after the operation. Air-conduction thresholds, bone-conduction thresholds and air-bone difference were statistically compared. RESULTS: The patients were followed-up for a mean 20.48 ± 2.37 months. The mean preoperative air-conduction threshold of the patients was 58.09 ± 9.73 dB and the mean postoperative air-conduction threshold was 34.63 ± 15.46 dB and there was a significant difference. The mean preoperative bone-conduction threshold of the patients was 16.27 ± 5.47 dB and the mean postoperative bone-conduction threshold was 14.72 ± 6.11 dB and there was a significant difference. The mean preoperative air-bone gap of the patients was 41.81 ± 10.51, and the mean postoperative air-bone gap was 19.90 ± 12.48, and the difference was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Mesna prevented hearing loss related to type 4 tympanosclerosis and prevented the formation of new sclerotic structures in our follow-up period. We believe that this effect is due to the chemical dissector and antioxidant effects of Mesna.

Analysis of Risk Factors for Myringosclerosis Formation after Ventilation Tube Insertion.

BACKGROUND: This study examined possible risk factors for myringosclerosis formation after ventilation tube insertion (VTI). METHODS: A retrospective study was performed in a single tertiary referral center. A total of 582 patients who underwent VTI were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of myringosclerosis: MS+ and MS-. Characteristics of patients were collected through medical chart review; these included age, gender, nature and duration of effusion, type of ventilation tube (VT), duration and frequency of VTI, incidence of post-VTI infection, incidence of intraoperative bleeding, and presence of postoperative perforation. Incidences of risk factors for myringosclerosis and the severity of myringosclerosis in association with possible risk factors were analyzed. RESULTS: Myringosclerosis developed in 168 of 582 patients (28.9%) after VTI. Patients in the MS+ group had an older mean age than those in the MS- group. The rates of myringosclerosis were higher in patients with older age, serous otitis media, type 2 VT, post-VTI perforation, and frequent VTI. However, there were no differences in occurrence of myringosclerosis based on gender, duration of effusion, duration of VT placement, incidence of post-VTI infection, or incidence of intraoperative bleeding. The severity of myringosclerosis was associated with the duration of effusion and frequency of VTI. CONCLUSION: Older age, serous effusion, type 2 VT, presence of post-VTI perforation, and frequent VTI may be risk factors for myringosclerosis after VTI; the severity of myringosclerosis may vary based on the duration of effusion and frequency of VTI.

Computer-aided diagnosis of external and middle ear conditions: A machine learning approach.

In medicine, a misdiagnosis or the absence of specialists can affect the patient's health, leading to unnecessary tests and increasing the costs of healthcare. In particular, the lack of specialists in otolaryngology in third world countries forces patients to seek medical attention from general practitioners, whom might not have enough training and experience for making correct diagnosis in this field. To tackle this problem, we propose and test a computer-aided system based on machine learning models and image processing techniques for otoscopic examination, as a support for a more accurate diagnosis of ear conditions at primary care before specialist referral; in particular, for myringosclerosis, earwax plug, and chronic otitis media. To characterize the tympanic membrane and ear canal for each condition, we implemented three different feature extraction methods: color coherence vector, discrete cosine transform, and filter bank. We also considered three machine learning algorithms: support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) and decision trees to develop the ear condition predictor model. To conduct the research, our database included 160 images as testing set and 720 images as training and validation sets of 180 patients. We repeatedly trained the learning models using the training dataset and evaluated them using the validation dataset to thus obtain the best feature extraction method and learning model that produce the highest validation accuracy. The results showed that the SVM and k-NN presented the best performance followed by decision trees model. Finally, we performed a classification stage -i.e., diagnosis- using testing data, where the SVM model achieved an average classification accuracy of 93.9%, average sensitivity of 87.8%, average specificity of 95.9%, and average positive predictive value of 87.7%. The results show that this system might be used for general practitioners as a reference to make better decisions in the ear pathologies diagnosis.

Myringosclerosis in hemodialysis patients with hyperparathyroidism.

Myringosclerosis is the final stage of the middle ear lamina propria inflammation or trauma; it starts with collagen production in excess amounts in the lamina propria of the middle ear mucosa. Then, hyalinization and calcification occur. Later on, metaplasia of bone or cartilage can occur. A similar sequence occurs with hyperparathyroidism in chronic kidney disease. This study is aimed to detect the prevalence of myringosclerosis in patients of our hemodialysis (HD) unit and find out any association between hyperparathyroidism and myringosclerosis in chronic HD patients. A total number of 86 patients were selected according to the inclusion criteria. They were divided into two groups: Group 1 (58 patients myringosclerosis free patients on regular HD), Group 2 (28 patients myringosclerosis-positive patients on regular HD). No statically significant difference was found in serum parathyroid hormone levels between the two studied groups. Serum creatinine was significantly higher in Group 2, serum ferritin was significantly lower in Group 2, and mean corpuscular volume of red blood cells was highly significantly lower in Group 2. Myringosclerosis affects 32% of our HD patients and we could not detect any strong correlation between myringosclerosis and hyperparathyroidism.