EFFECT OF TRANSTYMPANICALLY APPLIED GASTRIC CONTENT ON DISTORTION PRODUCT OTOACOUSTIC EMISSIONS IN RABBITS
1İzmir Katip Çelebi Üniversitesi Atatürk Eğitim Araştırma Hastanesi, KBB, İzmir, Türkiye2Bayındır Devlet Hastanesi, KBB, İzmir, Türkiye
3Celal Bayar Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Histoloji ve Embriyoloji, Manisa, Türkiye
4Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi, Deney Hayvanları Bilim Dalı, İzmir, Türkiye Purpose: Gastro-oesophageal reflux is a common problem in children and even in adults. Many otolaryngological problems were linked to reflux induced inflammation. Reflux has been implicated as a culprit in otitis media with effusion mostly in children.
Materials and Methods: Sixteen rabbits were used. Animals were divided into two groups. One group received its own gastric content and the other group received saline transtympanically for twenty days. Hearing levels were evaluated with distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) on day 0 and day 27. Animals were sacrificed on day 27 and histological analyses of middle ear were performed.
Results: Epithelial thickness of the middle ear mucosa, capillary vasodilatation and inflammatory cell count were all significantly increased in the gastric-content group compared with the control group ([(p = 0.002, χ2 = 12.667) (p = 0.004, χ2 = 11.200), p < 0.001 respectively). The comparison of pre and post procedure difference of ( signal to noise ratio) SNR levels between gastric content and control groups revealed statistically significant difference in 0.5 and 1 kHz frequencies (p = 0.017, p = 0.017 respectively).
Conclusion: Transtympanicaly applied gastric content is found to induce middle ear inflammation and decrease in cochlear reserve in 0.5 and 1 kHz frequencies.
Keywords : Laryngopharyngeal Reflux, otoacoustic emissions, gastric juice, hearing loss