Actinomycosis is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by the species of Actinomyces. Although it has become a rare disease in the present antibiotics era, it still needs long term antibiotic treatment and often mis- or delayed- diagnosed due to no typical sign and symptoms. Most often, it occurs in the cervicofacial region. Middle ear is not a common site for Actinomycosis, and the inner ear involvement is extremely rare. Here, we report a case of middle ear Actinomycosis involving facial nerve and lateral semicircular canal.
Actinomyces ; Actinomycosis* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Ear, Inner ; Ear, Middle* ; Facial Nerve* ; Granulomatous Disease, Chronic ; Rare Diseases ; Semicircular Canals* ; Temporal Bone

Intracranial abscess is a serious, life-threatening condition with a dire prognosis. Although the advent of the antibiotic era has drastically reduced the incidence of the disease, predisposing factors such as untreated ear infections, poor personal hygiene, significant trauma with violation of the sterile cranial environment as well as existing co-morbidities such as an immunocompromised state make intracranial abscess a horrifying reality. Ear infections, in particular, are notorious for being the origin of roughly 50% of cerebellar abscesses.1 Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is one of the leading causes of brain abscess. Shaw and Russell2 reviewed 47 cases of cerebellar abscess and showed that 93% were caused by CSOM; the most common mechanism of entry into the brain parenchyma being direct extension. Chronic infection in the middle ear space could erode through the tegmen tympani and into the temporal lobe or through the tegmen mastoidei into the cerebellum. Neurological symptoms may be delayed as the abscess ‘grows’ in areas around the cerebellum that are regarded as ‘silent’, until vital areas such as those responsible for coordination and balance are violated. We describe a case of cerebellar abscess secondary to CSOM and discuss the possibility of performing ear surgery with simultaneous drainage of a contiguous abscess through a transmastoid approach in cases of chronic suppurative otitis media with intracranial complications.
Human ; Male ; Young Adult ; EAR DISEASES ; OTITIS ; Otitis Media, Suppurative ; OTITIS MEDIA-COMPLICATIONS, suppuration, SURGERY ; CHRONIC EAR DISEASE ; pain ; Headache

OBJECTIVETo study the therapeutic effect of ventilation tube insertion in the middle ear and the external auditory canal on chronic secretory otitis media in children.

METHODSA retrospective study on 30 patients (40 ears) with chronic secretory otitis media and who underwent the operation of middle ear exploration and ventilation tube insertion in the middle ear and the external auditory canal was performed. Poor tympanic membrane, even with adhesion, was seen in 23 ears. Ten patients had evidence of bilateral secretory otitis media. From this group one ear was first injected with drugs (dexamethasone, mucosolvin, etc) and then tube insertion into the auditory tube was performed; the other ear only received drug injections into the auditory tube. The remaining 20 patients who had evidence of unilateral secretory otitis media only received drug injections into the auditory tube.

RESULTSThe tubes inserting into the auditory tube all dropped out 5-8 days after operation. None of the ventilation tubes into the middle ear dropped out and the patients' tympanum recovered after the ventilation tubes were removed (6-8 months after operation). The total cure rate was 87.5% (35/40) and the improvement rate was 12.5% (5/40). The operation of inserting tubes into the auditorytube did not improve the therapeutic effects. In the 0.5-2 years postoperative follow-up, middle ear effusions recurred in one ear, and three ears were transferred from type C to type A.

CONCLUSIONSThe surgery of ventilation tube insertion in the middle ear and the external auditory canal for chronic secretory otitis media can prevent the tympanic membrane from damage and dropping out of the ventilation tube and reduce recurrence in children. It is a preferred selection for the patients with poor tympanic membrane or adhesive tympanic membrane. It is no use to insert the tube into the auditory tube for the improvement of therapeutic effects.

Adolescent ; Child ; Chronic Disease ; Ear Canal ; surgery ; Ear, Middle ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Ear Ventilation ; methods ; Otitis Media with Effusion ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture, Ear ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Chronic Disease ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Urticaria ; therapy ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: Analyse the effect of the treatment of infection in posterior tympani cavity in 168 cases with chronic otitis media. METHOD: Infection was eliminated in posterior tympani cavity of all 168 cases after surgical procedures of otitis media, and 102 tympanoplasty with autoplastic bone were operated in all cases. 22 tympanoplasty were operated without mastoidectomy, 53 with transmastoid approach, 27 with mastoidectomy and tympanoplasty. RESULT: All cases were followed up for more than one year. 160 cases were cured, the effective rate was 95% and no recurrence appeared except for 8 cases. The average threshold of hearing improvement of 87 cases > 15 dB, the effective rate was 85%. CONCLUSION To eliminate infection, the exploratory surgery of posterior tympani cavity should be done during surgical procedures of otitis media, for improving the effect of the treatment of otitis media.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Chronic Disease ; Ear, Middle ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Otitis Media ; surgery ; Tympanoplasty ; methods ; Young Adult

We present a case of subarachnoid hemorrhage induced by chronic suppurative otitis media and discuss the possible mechanism here. Chronic suppurative otitis media is a common suppurative inflammation of middle ear, which can cause sorts of extracranial and intracranial complications in the situation of lower resistance or higher virulence. However, the condition of subarachnoid haemorrhage caused by chronic suppurative otitis media is quite rare. According to this case and previously published articles, we consider that meningitis may be the main reason of subarachnoid hemorrhage induced by chronic suppurative otitis media.
Chronic Disease ; Ear, Middle ; Female ; Humans ; Meningitis ; complications ; Middle Aged ; Otitis Media, Suppurative ; complications ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ; complications

Tympanosclerosis is the middle ear tissue hyalinization and calcification caused by chronic middle ear inflammation, which mainly results in conductive deafness with unobvious clinical symptom. Etiology is unclear. The treatment is given priority to surgical treatment at present, while long-term effect reported mostly poor. This article analyzed etiology and treatment of the tympanic cavity sclerosis.
Calcinosis ; Chronic Disease ; Ear, Middle ; Hearing Loss, Conductive ; etiology ; Humans ; Myringosclerosis ; complications ; etiology ; therapy ; Otitis Media ; Sclerosis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of any outside acoustic stimulus with high prevalence. Multiple risk factors for tinnitus have been identified. So far, most of studies have concentrated on prevalence and associated chronic disease of tinnitus in adults. In the present study, we focused on tinnitus in adolescents which has not been adequately evaluated. The main goal of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated risk factors of tinnitus in adolescents. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: This study was a retrospectively designed analysis of data from the 5th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2011-2012. We used tinnitus related interview data, the results of physical and audiological evaluation by ENT specialists, the results of daily intake of vitamin using a 24-hour dietary recall method, and blood samples in 1370 subjects. RESULTS: The prevalence of tinnitus was 22.2% in the age range of 12 and 19 years old. Logistic regression is a statistical method used to assess the association between tinnitus and independent variables. The following factors were independently and positively associated with tinnitus; sex (adjusted OR=1.531, CI=1.097-2.137), excessive earphone use (adjusted OR=1.422, CI=1.026-1.970), Non-occupational noise (adjusted OR=4.096, CI=1.702-9.859), explosive noise (adjusted OR=4.100, CI=1.703-9.872), niacin intake (adjusted OR=0.966, CI=0.940-0.993), vitamin (vit.). D serum concentration (adjusted OR=0.959, CI=0.925-0.994). CONCLUSION: This study showed an association between tinnitus prevalence in adolescents and gender, noise exposure, and vit. D supplement. Tinnitic patients are recommended to reduce excessive noise and use hearing protection devices such as earplugs or earmuffs; they are also recommended to obtain a supply vit. D from adequate sun exposure and outside activities.
Acoustics ; Adolescent* ; Adult ; Chronic Disease ; Ear Protective Devices ; Hearing ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Niacin ; Noise ; Nutrition Surveys ; Prevalence* ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Solar System ; Specialization ; Tinnitus* ; Vitamins

OBJECTIVETo discuss the etiological factors of facial nerve paralysis due to chronic inflammation of middle ear.

METHODSThis retrospective research included 41 patients operated for facial nerve paralysis due to chronic inflammation of middle ear. Careful exploration was made in facial canal in order to identify pathological tissue involvement. Pathological examination was performed in all operative specimens.

RESULTSFour intact fallopian canals were observed. There was a defect on the fallopian canal in 37 patients (90%) and it was most commonly located on the tympanic segment of the canal (89%). Pathological report was cholesteatoma, granulation and tuberculosis, which was found in 24 cases (59%) 14 cases (34%) and 3 cases (7%), respectively.

CONCLUSIONSFacial nerve paralysis due to chronic inflammation of middle ear was frequently relevant with cholesteatoma,the tympanic segment of the fallopian canal was most location to be involved in. Its major factor was the infection spreading along the nerve tissue, but not atrophy due to compression. The defect on the fallopian canal was not necessary for infection diffusion.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear ; complications ; Chronic Disease ; Facial Paralysis ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Otitis Media ; complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between the bacterial biofilm formation and bacterial culture in chronic otitis media. METHOD: As a prospective reserch, we used scanning electron microscopy to examinate patients samples which collected from 32 cases of patients with chronic suppurative otitis media and middle ear cholesteatoma in the operations, and performed the middle ear secretions bacterial culture. According to the different types of chronic otitis media group, we analysised the relationship between chronic otitis media bacterial biofilm formation and the bacterial culture results. RESULT: Chronic suppurative otitis media (activity) and middle ear cholesteatoma bacterial biofilm formation rate were 87.5%, 81.3%, chi-square (P > 0.05). Compared bacterial biofilm results with the results of bacterial cultured in chronic otitis media, sensitivity was 70.37%, specificity was 60.00%, the misdiagnosis rate was 40.00%, the missed diagnosis was 29.63%, positive predictive value was 90. 46%, negative predictive value was 27.27%, accuracy was 68.75%. Youden index was 30. 37%, and Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.232 (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION Chronic suppurative otitis media (activity) and middle ear cholesteatoma bacteria had a higher biofilm formation rate. The routine bacterial culture results can't reflecte bacterial biofilm formation in chronic otitis media. We need to explore more reliable experimental methods to accurately reveal the infection status of chronic otitis media.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Bacteria ; growth & development ; Biofilms ; Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear ; microbiology ; Chronic Disease ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Otitis Media, Suppurative ; microbiology ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Young Adult