Search

Objective: To investigate the impact of with tympanostomy tubes (TT) on infrared tympanic membrane thermometer (ITMT) results and to provide a systematic review of ITMT results in non-naïve tympanic membranes., Study Design: Original prospective blinded case series and systematic literature review., Settings: A single tertiary university-affiliated medical center., Methods: ITMT measurements of patients with unilateral TT and contralateral naïve control ear were randomly conducted by a single investigator blinded to the TT side before and after cerumen was removed from the external auditory canals. A systematic literature search of "MEDLINE" via "PubMed," "Embase," and "Google Scholar" on comparable published cases was performed., Results: The mean paired differences (95% confidence interval [CI]) between ventilated and non-ventilated ears before and after cerumen removal were 0.08 ºC/0.14 ºF (-0.04 to 0.19 ºC/- 0.07º-0.34º) and 0.62 ºC/1.12 ºF (0.04-0.25 ºC/0.07-0.45 ºF), respectively (P < 0.001 and P = 0.01, respectively)., Conclusion: These findings support the validity and accuracy of ITMT in the setting of ventilated ears., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objectives/hypothesis: The aim of the study was to investigate the healing rates, the restoration of hearing, and the time for complete healing of paper patching versus watchful waiting for traumatic tympanic membrane perforations (TTMPs)., Study Design: Systematic review with meta analysis., Methods: Publications were selected by a search on "PubMed," "Embase," and "Web of Science." A meta-analysis of risk ratios for paper patching (intervention arm) and watchful waiting (control arm) was performed., Results: Five studies describing 393 TTMPs were included in the quantitative meta-analysis. TTMP healing rates ranged between 84.2% and 95.2% in the intervention arm and between 76.7% and 84.8% in the control arm. The pooled risk ratio of healed TTMPs was significantly higher in the intervention arm than in the control arm (risk ratio: 1.12, 95% confidence interval: 1.04-1.21)., Conclusions: TTMPs have high healing potential with and without intervention. The healing rate of paper patching was superior to that of watchful waiting alone., Level of Evidence: NA Laryngoscope, 131:2091-2097, 2021., (© 2021 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc..)

Introduction: Retraction pockets and marginal perforations of the pars tensa of the tympanic membrane (TM) are most commonly found at superior posterior quadrant (SPQ). The patulous Eustachian tube tends to manifest in the same quadrant. Variation in the structure of the TM may explain these observations. Material and Methods: A line defined by the manubrium was used to divide the pars tensa into anterior and posterior portions. A transverse line centered on the umbo divides the pars tensa into superior and inferior parts, resulting in four quadrants. Surface areas of each of the TM quadrants were measured in a sample of 23 human adult formalin‐fixed temporal bones. The TMs were completely excised, faced medially, and placed against graph paper to maintain scale measurements, photoed, and measured. TM thickness was measured on a different set of 20 human temporal bones (TB) preparations with normal external and middle ears. Four random loci were chosen from each pars tensa's TM quadrant. The thickness was measured using high‐magnification power microscopy. Results: The SPQ was the largest and thinnest of the four quadrants. It occupies 31% of the pars tensa area. It is 69 μm as compared to approximately 85 μm in the other quadrants. The radial lines between the umbo and the annulus are in descending order from superior posterior toward the anterior‐superior radials. Conclusion: The SPQ has the largest vibratory area and is the thinnest of the four TM quadrants. Variation in the thickness of the middle, fibrous layer accounts for the variation in the thickness of the TM. These findings may explain the tendency of pathologies related to Eustachian tube dysfunction to preferentially manifest in or originate from the SPQ. Level of evidence: 5 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the published time to extrusion of tympanostomy tubes inserted in the various quadrants of the tympanic membrane. Methods: Publications were selected by a search with 'PubMed', 'Embase' and 'Web of Science'. A meta‐analysis of time to extrusion as a function of tympanic membrane quadrant intubation was performed. Design, Setting, Participant‐Not relevant Main Outcome Measured: Extrusion rate of tympanostomy tubes inserted in the various quadrants of the tympanic membrane. Results: Eleven studies describing 2232 tympanostomy tubes were enrolled into the quantitative meta‐analysis. The extrusion rate was evaluated at 3‐month intervals up to 24 months post‐intubation, and it did not differ significantly at any of the time points tested for the superior and inferior anterior quadrants. The cumulative extrusion rates were as follows: 11 and 9%, 32 and 23%, 59 and 36%, 80 and 67%, 87 and 70%, 88 and 82%, and 96 and 89% in the superior and anterior quadrants, respectively, at 3, 6, 9, 15, 18, 21 and 24 months post‐intubation, respectively. Conclusion: Time to extrusion of tympanostomy tubes are similar for all 3 tympanic membrane quadrants. The anterior superior quadrant intubation has no superiority in terms of intubation time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]