DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC CONSIDERATIONS IN CHRONIC OTITIS MEDIA COMPLICATIONS

Selçuk Üniversitesi Meram Tıp Fakültesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz ve Baş Boyun Cerrahisi Anabilim Dalı, Konya, Türkiye Objectives: Otitis media complications have decreased with the common use of antibiotics. Nowadays, Chronic otitis media (COM) constitute majority of the otitis media complications. This study has been carried out in order to determine the diagnostic and treatment features of the illness and course of illness in the complications due to COM. Patients and Methods: The recording of 32 cases, who had been diagnosed as complicated COM and had been treated, were studied retrospectively. The ages, sexes, complications, predisposing factors, symptoms at admission, otoscopic, radiologic, audiologic and operation findings, treatment modalities and postoperative complications of the cases were recorded elaborately. Results: Seven of the cases (21.9%) had intracranial and 25 of the cases (78.1%) had extracranial complications. We found out that meningitis (12.5%) was the most common complication in intracranial complications, Mastoiditis and mastoid abcess (%28.2) was the most common complication in extracranial complications. Thirty (93.7%) of the cases recovered completely, 1(3.1%) of the cases had meningitis which recovered with medical treatment during postoperative period. One(3.1%) of the cases with brain abcess was lost posoperatively. Conclusion: The use of antibiotics unconsciously may delay early diagnosis and surgical interventions as they hide the symptoms and findings of COM complications. A careful history and examination and the use of scanning methods effectively will reduce morbidity and mortality of complications due to COM. The results will be affected positively when an experienced team in otoneurology and skull base surgery in surgical interventions except for the standart mastoidectomy. Keywords : chronic otitis media, complication, cholesteatoma, intracranial, extraranial, menengitis, mastoid abcess, brain abcess