Background and Objective: To design and fabricate a suction port adapter to use various sizes of suction cannulas with a wireless otoendoscope enabling ear cleaning under endoscopic guidance demonstrated using an ear examination simulator. Methods: Design: Instrument Innovation. Setting: Tertiary Private Training Hospital. Patient: Ear Examination Simulator. Results: The fabricated suction port adapters were able to hold the wireless otoendoscope and suction cannulas together, allowing simultaneous inspection of the ear canal and suctioning of ear canal debris using the Ear Examination Simulator. Conclusion Our prototype 3D-printed suction port adapters for a wireless otoendoscope may improve ear cleaning by enhancing the accuracy of suctioning debris and decreasing duration since they hold the suction cannulas in place under endoscopic guidance. They may aid ENT physicians in easier visualization and simultaneous ear cleaning of patients and improve ear cleaning techniques and times, especially among less experienced physicians, but actual clinical trials are needed to confirm this.
Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Cerumen ; Otoscopy

Objective: To determine the prevalence of hearing loss and otologic diseases among Filipinos living in the Southern Tagalog Region IV-A: CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Philippines.

Methods:

               Design: Retrospective Review of Community Survey Data

               Setting: Communities in Region IV-A provinces, Philippines

               Participants: 3267 residents of the five provinces aged 0 months and above

 Results: About 71.29% and 74.60% had at least mild hearing loss, in right and left ears, respectively. For disabling hearing impairment, overall prevalence was 26.33%, distributed into 11.87% among 4 to 18-year-olds; 8.97% for 19 to 64-year-olds; and 3.17% for 65-year-olds and above. Absence of prevalent and hearing loss-associated diseases: serous otitis media [OR 0.362, 95% CI 0.167 to 0.782, p = .010], CSOM [OR 0.407, 95% CI 0.236 to 0.703, p = .001] COM [OR 0.229, 95% CI 0.106 to 0.494, p < .001] can decrease the risk for hearing loss development in the region. Prevention of noise-induced hearing loss or delay in the manifestation of presbycusis can reduce the risk of having hearing loss by as much as 75% [OR 0.253, 95% CI (0.180 to 0.355), p < .001]. All pure tone audiometry measurements were obtained with surrounding median ambient noise of 55dB (IQR 46 to 60dB).

Conclusion: The prevalence of hearing loss among surveyed residents of the Southern Tagalog Region IV-A provinces was high compared to the previous nationwide study but low compared to other low- and middle-income countries. The top otologic conditions of this population (ear occlusion with ear wax, chronic suppurative otitis media, chronic otitis media, presbycusis, noise-induced hearing loss) were associated with hearing loss and their absence decreased the risks for hearing impairment.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Aged (a Person 65 Through 79 Years Of Age) ; Middle Aged (a Person 45-64 Years Of Age) ; Prevalence ; Hearing Loss ; Pediatrics ; Adult ; Presbycusis ; Otoscopy ; Otolaryngology

OBJECTIVES: This study determined the initial otoacoustic (OAE) hearing screening results of newborns with collapsed ear canals and vernix caseosa in the ear canal and compared these to ears that were patent.
METHODS: Two hundred term newborns (400 ears) with normal APGAR scores, birth weight, maternal and gestational history, who were born between August 2013 to October 2013 and who had OAE hearing screening test done by trained midwives were included in this study. All of them underwent otoscopy after the OAE hearing screening test was done to determine patency of the ear canal and presence of vernix caseosa. The examining physician was blinded to the OAE results. Comparison between the OAE results and the otoscopic findings were done.
RESULTS: Four hundred ears were included in the study. Two hundred and fifty one ears (62.8%) had vernix caseosa and 42 ears (10.5%) had collapsed ear canal. The overall initial OAE hearing screening test pass rate of the newborns tested was 69.5%. The initial OAE hearing screening test pass rate of newborns those with ear canal vernix caseosa or collapsed ear canal, were 72.1% and 47.6%, respectively. Patent ears were found in 107 (26.7%) with a pass rate of 71.9%.
CONCLUSION:The pass rates of ears with vernix caseosa and collapsed ear canal were 72.1% and 47.6%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the OAE hearing screening test pass rates of ears with patent canal and ears that were collapsed and/ or had vernix caseosa. However, there was a statistically significant difference in pass rates between patent ear canals and collapsed ear canal

Otoscopy ; Infant, Newborn ; Vernix Caseosa

PURPOSE: To report a case of recurrent external ophthalmomyiasis caused by Lucilia sericata Meigen in a healthy patient. CASE SUMMARY: A 72-year-old male, who was diagnosed 7 months earlier with ophthalmomyiasis and obtained permanent relief by surgical treatment, presented with severe tearing, redness, foreign body sensation, pain in both eyes and aural discomfort in the left ear. On presentation, visual acuity in both eyes was hand movement. On slit lamp examination, total corneal epithelial defect with stromal infiltrations was observed. However, there were no motile organisms in his eyes due to previous removal of maggots at a local clinic. On physical examination, eschar change was observed at the inferomedial area of the left lower eyelid. On otorhinolaryngological examination, several motile organisms with tympanic membrane perforation were observed in the left external acoustic meatus. The patient was treated with topical antibiotic eye drops hourly with systemic antibiotics, and 6 larvae were removed from the external acoustic meatus using otoscopy. Microscopic findings of the removed larvae revealed L. sericata in their third stage of development. After 1 month, corneal epithelial defect and stromal infiltration improved. However, visual acuity in both eyes was 0.1 due to remaining stromal opacities. CONCLUSIONS: In a healthy patient without any predisposing factors, recurrent ophthalmomyiasis accompanied with aural myiasis can develop under poor hygiene conditions.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Causality ; Ear ; Ear Canal ; Eyelids ; Foreign Bodies ; Hand ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Larva ; Male ; Myiasis ; Ophthalmic Solutions ; Otoscopy ; Physical Examination ; Sensation ; Tears ; Tympanic Membrane Perforation ; Visual Acuity

OBJECTIVES: Surgical management of children with chronic otitis media with effusion (OME) includes tympanostomy tube insertion or adenoidectomy, alone or with myringotomy and tube insertion. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of transoral microdebrider endoscopic-assisted adenoidectomy (TOMEA) and traditional adenoidectomy in the management of children with mild hearing loss due to OME and chronic adenoiditis. METHODS: This prospective, double-blind and controlled study involved 120 consecutive patients aged 4-12 years, who were randomised 1:1 to undergo TOMEA or traditional adenoidectomy under general anesthesia. All the patients underwent a complete otolaryngological examination, including nasopharyngeal fibre endoscopy (NFE), pneumatic otoscopy, otomicroscopy, tympanometry and supraliminar tonal audiometry, upon enrolment, and three and nine months postoperatively. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in age or gender distribution between the TOMEA group (mean age, 4.9±1.1 years; 53.3% males) and the traditional adenoidectomy group (mean age, 5.3±0.9 years; 56.7% males). Both procedures led to a significant improvement in choanal patency (P<0.01) and all of the otological and audiological parameters (P<0.01) 3 and 9 months postoperatively, although postoperative NFE showed that the mean percentage of residual choanal obstruction was significantly less in the TOMEA group (P=0.02). There was no significant between-group difference in the percentage of children with tympanic membrane changes, but the postoperative prevalence of children with a type B tympanogram was significantly lower in the TOMEA group after 3 (15.0% vs. 31.7%, P=0.05) and 9 months (18.3% vs. 38.3%, P=0.02), as was the percentage of children with mild conductive hearing loss (3.3% vs. 23.3%, P<0.01; and 8.3% vs. 28.3%, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Although both TOMEA and traditional adenoidectomy are effective in treating children with mild hearing loss due to adenoidal hypertrophy and OME, the former achieves the greater reduction in residual adenoidal hypertrophy and better audiological outcomes.
Acoustic Impedance Tests ; Adenoidectomy* ; Adenoids ; Anesthesia, General ; Audiometry ; Child* ; Endoscopy ; Hearing Loss* ; Hearing Loss, Conductive ; Hearing* ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Middle Ear Ventilation ; Otitis Media with Effusion* ; Otitis Media* ; Otitis* ; Otoscopy ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies ; Tympanic Membrane

OBJECTIVE: To compare the incidence of acute otitis media among children aged 2 to 6 months old in Sampaloc, Manila who were previously given 3 doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Non-Typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) protein D, diphtheria or tetanus toxoid conjugates) and those who did not receive the vaccine over a period of one year.
METHODS:
Design: Cohort Study
Setting: Primary Health Center in Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines
Participants: Medical records of well children aged 2 to 6 months were reviewed for inclusion. Participants were categorized into vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Both groups underwent baseline history and physical examination including otoscopy and any signs and symptoms of active ear infection were noted. Subjects were followed up for a period of one year on a monthly basis for signs or symptoms of acute otitis media.
RESULTS: A total of 176 subjects participated in the study. The overall incidence of AOM among participants was 5.11% (9 out of 176). An AOM incidence of 3.75% (3 out of 80) and 6.25% (6 out of 96) was found among the exposed and unexposed groups, respectively. Fisher's exact test (one-tailed) p value= .34, relative risk (RR) .6 (95% Cl 0.155, 2.323).
CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed no difference in the development of AOM in the two groups. However, based on the relative risk, Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is still beneficial in preventing AOM in children.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Infant ; Diphtheria ; Otoscopy ; Inflammation

OBJECTIVES: Vascular tinnitus is the most common form of pulsatile tinnitus, particularly when the tinnitus corresponds with the pulse of patients. In this study, we reviewed the 10-year clinical data on vascular tinnitus of our tinnitus clinic to investigate the frequency of the underlying etiologies, to introduce a diagnostic protocol, and to evaluate the treatment outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively collected the data of 57 patients who were diagnosed as vascular tinnitus between April 2001 and December 2011. Careful history taking, otoscopy, thorough physical examinations, audiometry, laboratory tests, as well as radiologic examinations were performed according to our diagnostic protocol to find the origin of pulsatile tinnitus. Treatment options were individualized based on the specific etiology, and the outcomes were assessed using patient's subjective reports at the follow-up interviews. RESULTS: High jugular bulb was the most common cause (47.4%) of vascular tinnitus, and venous hum was the next (17.5%). Dural arteriovenous fistula, intracranial aneurysm, atherosclerotic carotid artery disease, and hypertension were less common causes. Vascular tinnitus was alleviated in most patients after the appropriate treatment: surgical intervention, tinnitus retraining therapy, reassurance, and medications. CONCLUSION: Vascular tinnitus can be successfully diagnosed by the regular use of the suggested protocol. Many patients with vascular tinnitus have treatable underlying etiologies. Treatment of those etiologies or at least counseling about the tinnitus itself can benefit the patients with troublesome vascular tinnitus.
Arteriovenous Fistula ; Audiometry ; Carotid Artery Diseases ; Central Nervous System Vascular Malformations ; Counseling ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; Otoscopy ; Physical Examination ; Retrospective Studies ; Tinnitus*

OBJECTIVE: The  study  aims  to  compare  the  maximum  sound  output  capabilities  of  different earphone types/music style combinations. The study also intends to assess the preferred listening levels (PLL) of test subjects using different earphone types with background noise accession. The study also seeks to determine the presence or absence of a threshold shift on headphone/music style combination PLLs that exceed the recommended noise limit.
METHODS:
Design: Experimental Study
Setting: Tertiary Government Hospital
Subjects: Thirty (30) hearing healthy volunteers were sampled from hospital staff aged 18-40 years with no known history of ear pathology and/or use of any known ototoxic drugs, with normal otoscopy, audiograms of less than 20dB from 125Hz to 8000Hz and no exposure to loud noise from any source within the previous three days.The sound pressure levels (SPL) delivered by three (3) types of earphones (earbud type, in-ear  type,  supra-aural  type)  were  measured  at  maximum  volume  setting  of  a  personal  media player  (iPod,  Apple  Inc.),  while  playing  different  music  genres. The  test subjects  were  asked  to listen at their preferred listening levels (PLL) using the different types of earphones at increasing background noise accession.
RESULTS: The  earbud  type  averaged  the  greatest  SPL  among  the  earphone  types  and  pop music averaged the greatest SPL among the music styles. Comparison of the maximum output capabilities revealed that there was a significant difference among different brands of earphones of the same type. However, no significant difference were found among songs of similar music style and across different music styles in all earphones except the in-ear type. PLL average was at  90.4dB  in  a  silent  environment  with  increasing  intensity  as  background  noise accentuated. Supra-aural earphones registered the least increase in PLL in a loud environment due to its higher background noise-attenuating capabilities.
CONCLUSION: Having a significant difference among earphone types with regard their maximum output  capabilities,  it  is  recommended  to  check  the  specifications  of  the  earphone  type  one intends  to  use.  In  using  personal  media  players  (PMP),  the  volume  should  be  set  at  the  lowest comfortable  level. While  choice  of  music  style  remains  the  discretion  of  the  listener,  the  choice of  music  style  should  be considered  for  long  periods  of  listening.  Because  the  PLL  of  test subjects  were  alarmingly  high,  the  authors  recommend  intervention in  their  listening  habits.  Background  noise  attenuating  capabilities of earphones  play  a  factor  in  reducing  excessive  sound  energy  from reaching  the  ear  reducing  the  PLL  and  decreasing  the  risk  for  noise-induced hearing loss.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Adolescent ; Mp3-player ; Hearing Loss, Noise-induced ; Noise ; Music ; Malus ; Otoscopy ; Healthy Volunteers ; Hearing Tests ; Hearing ; Auditory Perception ; Sound

Isolated bilateral deafness is a rare but possible symptom of vertebrobasilar ischemia, primarily due to occlusion of the anterior inferior cerebellar arteries or their branch, the internal auditory artery. We reported on uncommon case of sudden bilateral sensorineural hearing loss without typical neurological symptoms resulting from vertebrobasilar ischemia. We performed the available examinations, including otoscopy, laboratory tests, and pure tone audiogram, however we were not able to identify the cause of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Brain magnetic resonance image showed the cerebellar infarction of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery territory. Brain magnetic resonance angiography showed bilateral vertebral and basilar artery occlusion. We suggest vertebrobasilar ischemia as a cause of sudden isolated deafness.
Arteries ; Audiometry ; Basilar Artery ; Brain ; Cerebral Infarction ; Deafness ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; Infarction ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnetics ; Magnets ; Otoscopy ; Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency

Isolated bilateral deafness is a rare but possible symptom of vertebrobasilar ischemia, primarily due to occlusion of the anterior inferior cerebellar arteries or their branch, the internal auditory artery. We reported on uncommon case of sudden bilateral sensorineural hearing loss without typical neurological symptoms resulting from vertebrobasilar ischemia. We performed the available examinations, including otoscopy, laboratory tests, and pure tone audiogram, however we were not able to identify the cause of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Brain magnetic resonance image showed the cerebellar infarction of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery territory. Brain magnetic resonance angiography showed bilateral vertebral and basilar artery occlusion. We suggest vertebrobasilar ischemia as a cause of sudden isolated deafness.
Arteries ; Audiometry ; Basilar Artery ; Brain ; Cerebral Infarction ; Deafness ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; Infarction ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnetics ; Magnets ; Otoscopy ; Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency