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Objective The objective of this study was to compare graft outcome, operation time and surgical complications of the double and single perichondrium–cartilage underlay techniques for repairing subtotal tympanic membrane (TM) perforations. Materials and methods Patients with unilateral subtotal perforations undergoing myringoplasty were prospectively randomized to undergo DPCN or SPCN. The operation time, graft success rate, audiometric outcomes, and complications were compared between these groups. Results In total, 53 patients with unilateral subtotal perforations were included (DPCN group, 27; SPCN group, 26).All patients completed 6 months of follow-up. The mean operation time was 41.2 ± 1.8 min in the DPCN group and 37.2 ± 5.4 min in the SPCN group, the difference was not significant ( p =  0.613).The graft success rates were 96.3% (26/27) in the DPCN group and 73.1% (19/26) in the SPCN group, the difference was significant ( p =  0.048). During the period of follow-up, residual perforation was found at postoperative in one (3.7%) in the DPCN group, while cartilage graft slipped (graft lateralization) in 2 (7.7%) and residual perforation in 5 (19.2%) were found in the SPCN group, the difference of residual perforation was not significant among two group ( p =  0.177).In addition, no significant between-group differences were observed pre- ( p =  0.741) or post- ( p =  0.687) operative ABG values or mean ABG gain ( p =  0.659) (Table 2 ).The functional success rates (postoperative ABG ≤ 20 dB) were 85.2% (23/27) in the DPCN group and 73.1% (19/26) in the SPCN group ( p =  0.454). Conclusion Although similar functional result and operation time can be obtained with double perichondrium–cartilage underlay technique compared to the single perichondrium–cartilage underlay technique for endoscopic closure of subtotal perforations, double unerlay technique offers better anatomical result with minimum complications.

To evaluate the healing and hearing outcomes related to the everted or inverted edge area on slap- and fist-induced large tympanic membrane perforations. A total of 120 patients with slap- or fist-induced tympanic membrane perforations, with inverted or everted edges, affecting 50-75 per cent of the entire tympanic membrane, were randomly divided into 2 groups: an edge approximation group and a spontaneous healing group. The edge approximation group was divided into subgroups A and B based on the reversed edge area (reversed edge was more or less than 50 per cent of the total perforation, respectively). Healing outcomes and hearing improvements at six months were compared. The data of 118 patients were analysed. The closure rate of perforations in subgroup A, subgroup B, and the spontaneous healing group was 90.9 per cent, 92.1 per cent and 84.5 per cent, respectively; the difference between the three groups was not significant (p = 0.393). The area of reversed edges for slap- or fist-induced tympanic membrane perforations did not seem to affect healing and hearing outcomes, regardless of edge approximation and everted or inverted edges.

More studies are needed to investigate the side effects of steroids in tympanoplasty, owing to the paucity of such studies in the literature. This randomized, controlled clinical trial included 59 patients with chronic otitis media who underwent tympanoplasty and were randomized after surgery to a systemic steroid or no steroid treatment. Patients were randomized into two groups. Perforation size, graft outcome, and complications such as tinnitus and hearing loss were compared between the two groups. Postsurgical steroid injection had no effect on graft outcome ( p = 0.927) or tinnitus ( p = 0.478). Tympanic membrane perforation ( p = 0.92), plaque size ( p = 0.94), bleeding amount ( p = 0.38), and mucosal status ( p = 0.96) during surgery had no effect on graft outcome after the tympanoplasty. In conclusion, administration of steroids after tympanoplasty failed to improve outcome and may put the patient at risk of side effects.

Objectives: The study compares the medium-term outcomes of myringoplasty procedures using fascia and cartilage grafts. Methods: Patients with chronic otitis media with perforations larger than 50% of the size of the tympanic membrane were included in a randomized, controlled, prospective clinical trial. The perforations were repaired with either temporalis fascia (20 ears) or cartilage (18 ears) grafts selected randomly. A search of the literature was performed to look for other randomized studies comparing fascia and cartilage. Results: The graft take rates of fascia and cartilage grafts at 24 months were 84.2% and 80%, respectively. The postoperative air-bone gaps and hearing gains at 24 months were 16.97 dB and 13.63 dB, respectively, in the fascia group and 20.63 dB and 12.60 dB, respectively, in the cartilage group. There was no significant difference in the graft take rates or postoperative hearing between the two groups. The literature search identified one other randomized study comparing fascia and cartilage grafts in the repair of large perforations. The pooled data from the two studies did not show a difference in the graft take rates or hearing gains between cartilage and fascia. Conclusions: There was no statistical difference in the outcomes of fascia and cartilage grafts in the repair of large perforations.

Few studies have compared bilateral same-day with staged tympanoplasty using cartilage graft materials. A prospective randomised observational study was performed of 38 chronic suppurative otitis media patients (76 ears) who were assigned to undergo bilateral sequential same-day tympanoplasty (18 patients, 36 ears) or bilateral sequential tympanoplasty performed 3 months apart (20 patients, 40 ears). Disease duration, intra-operative findings, combined duration of surgery, post-operative graft appearance at 6 weeks, post-operative complications, re-do rate and relative cost of surgery were recorded. Tympanic membrane perforations were predominantly subtotal (p = 0.36, odds ratio = 0.75). Most grafts were harvested from the conchal cartilage and fewer from the tragus (p = 0.59, odds ratio = 1.016). Types of complication, post-operative hearing gain and revision rates were similar in both patient groups. Surgical outcomes are not significantly different for same-day and bilateral cartilage tympanoplasty, but same-day surgery has the added benefit of a lower cost.

Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is a leading global cause of potentially preventable hearing loss in children and adults, associated with socioeconomic deprivation. There is an absence of consensus on the definition of CSOM, which complicates efforts for prevention, treatment, and monitoring. CSOM occurs when perforation of the tympanic membrane is associated with severe or persistent inflammation in the middle ear, leading to hearing loss and recurrent or persistent ear discharge (otorrhoea). Cholesteatoma, caused by the inward growth of the squamous epithelium of the tympanic membrane into the middle ear, can also occur. The optimal treatment of discharge in CSOM is topical antibiotics. In resource-limited settings where topical antibiotics might not be available, topical antiseptics are an alternative. For persistent disease, surgery to repair the tympanic membrane or remove cholesteatoma might offer long-term resolution of otorrhoea and potential improvement to hearing. Recent developments in self-fitted air-conduction and bone-conduction hearing aids offer promise as new options for rehabilitation.

Objective Cleft palate increases the risk of chronic middle ear disease and hearing loss. The goal of this report was to determine which of two palate surgeries and which timing of palate surgery were associated with better otologic and audiologic outcomes in children with unilateral cleft lip and palate at 5 to 6 years of age. Design Subjects were randomly assigned to the von Langenbeck with intravelar veloplasty or Furlow palate repair, to palate surgery at 9 to 12 months or 15 to 18 months of age, and to the Spina or Millard lip repair. Setting Centralized, tertiary care craniofacial treatment center. Patients A total of 673 infants with unilateral cleft lip and palate. Interventions Palate and lip were repaired using established techniques. Serial otoscopic and audiometric evaluations were performed. Main Outcome Measures Hearing and otoscopic findings at 5 to 6 years old. Results There were 370 children available for analysis. Hearing and need for tympanostomy tube placement did not differ by palatoplasty, age at palatoplasty, cheiloplasty, or surgeon. Risk of developing cholesteatoma or perforation was higher with Millard cheiloplasty (odds ratio = 5.1, 95% confidence interval = 1.44 to 18.11, p = .012). Type and age at palatoplasty were not significantly associated with either the rate of developing these sequelae or the rate of achieving bilaterally normal hearing and ear examinations. Conclusions Type of palatoplasty did not influence otologic and audiologic outcomes in 5- to 6-year-olds with unilateral cleft lip and palate. The potential influence of lip repair on otologic outcomes warrants further investigation.

Background Aboriginal children in remote Australia have high rates of complicated middle ear disease associated with Streptococcus pneumoniae and other pathogens. We assessed the effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccination for prevention of otitis media in this setting. Methods We compared two birth cohorts, one enrolled before (1996–2001), and the second enrolled after introduction of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate and booster 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine (2001–2004). Source populations were the same for both cohorts. Detailed examinations including tympanometry, video-recorded pneumatic otoscopy and collection of discharge from tympanic membrane perforations, were performed as soon as possible after birth and then at regular intervals until 24 months of life. Analyses (survival, point prevalence and incidence) were adjusted for confounding factors and repeated measures with sensitivity analyses of differential follow-up. Results Ninety-seven vaccinees and 51 comparison participants were enrolled. By age 6 months, 96% (81/84) of vaccinees and 100% (41/41) of comparison subjects experienced otitis media with effusion (OME), and by 12 months 89% and 88% experienced acute otitis media (AOM), 34% and 35% experienced tympanic membrane perforation (TMP) and 14% and 23% experienced chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM). Age at the first episode of OME, AOM, TMP and CSOM was not significantly different between the two groups. Adjusted incidence of AOM (incidence rate ratio: 0.88 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.69–1.13]) and TMP (incidence rate ratio: 0.63 [0.36–1.11]) was not significantly reduced in vaccinees. Vaccinees experienced less recurrent TMP, 9% (8/95) versus 22% (11/51), (odds ratio: 0.33 [0.11–1.00]). Conclusion Results of this study should be interpreted with caution due to potential bias and confounding. It appears that introduction of pneumococcal vaccination among Aboriginal infants was not associated with significant changes in prevalence or age of onset of different OM outcomes or the incidence of AOM or TMP. Vaccinees appeared to experience reduced recurrence of TMP. Ongoing high rates of complicated OM necessitate additional strategies to prevent ear disease in this population.

Background The prevalence of otitis media in Greenlandic children is one of the highest in the world. International studies have shown that otitis-prone children may benefit from tubulation of the tympanic membrane. However, it is unknown whether these results can be applied to Greenlandic children and trials on the effects of ventilation tubes in high-risk populations have, to our knowledge, never been conducted. Methods The trial is an investigator-initiated, multicentre, randomized, blinded superiority trial of bilateral ventilation tube insertion versus treatment as usual (no tube) in Greenlandic children aged 9–36 months with chronic otitis media with effusion or recurrent acute otitis media. With randomization stratified by otitis media subtype and trial site, a type 1 error of 5% and a power of 80%, a total of 230 participants are needed to detect a decrease of two visits to a health clinic during 2 years, which is considered the minimal clinical relevant difference. The primary outcome measure will be assessed blindly by investigating medical records. Secondary outcome measures are number of episodes of acute otitis media, quality of life, number of episodes of antibiotics administration and proportion of children with tympanic membrane perforations. Discussion This trial will provide evidence-based knowledge of the effects of ventilation tubes in children with middle ear infections from the high-risk Greenlandic population. Furthermore, this trial will improve the understanding of conducting randomized clinical trials in remote areas, where management of logistical aspects is particularly challenging. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02490332 . Registered on 14 February 2016.

After pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) implementation, the number of acute otitis media (AOM) episodes has decreased, but AOM still remains among the most common diagnoses in childhood. From 2% to 17% of cases of AOM feature spontaneous perforation of the tympanic membrane (SPTM). The aim of this study was to describe the bacteriological causes of SPTM 5 to 8 years years after PCV13 implementation, in 2010. From 2015 to 2018, children with SPTM were prospectively enrolled by 41 pediatricians. Middle ear fluid was obtained by sampling spontaneous discharge. Among the 470 children with SPTM (median age 20.8 months), no otopathogen was isolated for 251 (53.4% [95% CI 48.8%;58.0%]): 47.1% of infants and toddlers, 68.3% older children (p<0.001). Among children with isolated bacterial otopathogens (n = 219), non-typable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) was the most frequent otopathogen isolated (n = 106, 48.4% [95% CI 41.6%;55.2%]), followed by Streptoccocus pyogenes (group A streptococcus [GAS]) (n = 76, 34.7% [95% CI 28.4%;41.4%]) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp) (n = 61, 27.9% [95% Ci 22.0%;34.3%]). NTHi was frequently isolated in infants and toddlers (53.1%), whereas the main otopathogen in older children was GAS (52.3%). In cases of co-infection with at least two otopathogens (16.9%, n = 37/219), NTHi was frequently involved (78.4%, n = 29/37). When Sp was isolated, PCV13 serotypes accounted for 32.1% of cases, with serotype 3 the main serotype (16.1%). Among Sp strains, 29.5% were penicillin-intermediate and among NTHi strains, 16.0% were β-lactamase-producers. More than 5 years after PCV13 implementation, the leading bacterial species recovered from AOM with SPTM was NTHi for infants and toddlers and GAS for older children. In both age groups, Sp was the third most frequent pathogen and vaccine serotypes still played an important role. No resistant Sp strains were isolated, and the frequency of β-lactamase-producing NTHi did not exceed 16%.