Rhinology & Otology

Biography

Biography: Mohammad Hossein Khosravi

Abstract

Tinnitus is the perception of a sound in the absence of an apparent acoustic stimulus. After otorrhea and hearing loss, tinnitus is the most common symptom in the patient with chronic otitis media (COM). We aimed to evaluate the improvement of tinnitus in COM patients after tympanoplasty and tympanomastoidectomy surgeries. This prospective study was conducted on 50 COM patients suffering from tinnitus who were referred to Otolaryngology clinic of Baqiyatallah Hospital and underwent tympanoplasty or tympanomastoidectomy surgery. After confirmation of COM, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questionnaires were filled before and two months after surgery by patients and considered subjects were compared with each other. Also an audiometry test was taken from each patient before and two months after surgery and results as well as Air-Bone gap were measured and evaluated prior and after surgery. Eventually 26 male and 24 female patients with a mean age of 38.62±11.88 years underwent analysis. Air conduction at all frequencies was significantly improved after surgery (P<0.001). Severity of tinnitus was significantly decreased after surgery based on both TIH (P<0.001) and VAS (P<0.001) evaluations. Tinnitus severity reduction was significantly associated with the improvement of hearing loss and decrement of Air-Bone gap (P<0.001). Tinnitus symptoms such as loudness, annoyance, impact on life and perception of tinnitus significantly reduced after surgery. Also tympanomastoidectomy was more effective on improvement of tinnitus in comparison with tympanoplasty (P=0.019). So, both tympanomastoidectomy and tympanoplasty surgeries are effective on improvement of tinnitus in patients with COM; however tympanomastoidectomy seems to be more effective.