Hearing in children with otitis media with effusion--clinical retrospective study [Oštećenje sluha kod djece sa sekretornim otitisom]

Hearing loss accompanied with middle ear effusion was analyzed according to audiometric frequencies for different age group. Results for left and right ears were compared in/and between study and control group. Pure tone audiometry for bone and air conduction and tympanometry was performed in study group of ninety-eight children with conductive hearing loss and otitis media with effusion. Control group included fifty-seven children with hearing loss, enlarged adenoids, dysfunction of Eustachian tube and no present middle ear effusion served. Means of hearing loss thresholds for 250 Hz-4 kHz were established and compared between groups of right vs. left ears of tested vs. control ears according to age subgroups: 1-3 yr, 4-6 yr, 7-9 yr, 10-12 yr, 13-15 yr. At age 1-3 yr otitis media with effusion children showed no ear side difference in hearing loss. Age groups of 4-6 and 7-9 yr otitis media with effusion children showed left ears with higher threshold of hearing loss across all of the tested frequencies than right ears in study and control ears. Right ears showed smaller hearing loss in study and control group and no age group predicted for hearing impairment. Higher hearing loss threshold for 4 kHz in adolescence in otitis media with effusion ears is early sign of sequels after repetitive episodes of middle ear effusion. Control groups showed no ear side or age group dependent difference of hearing loss threshold. Age group of 4-6 and 7-9 y have faster craniofacial structural change in soft tissue than bone base so ear side differences suggest being developmentally determined

Incidence, seasonality and comorbidity in vestibular neuritis

Aims of the present study were: (1) to assess the incidence of vestibular neuritis (VN) in the adult population in two cities in Croatia, (2) to identify distribution of new VN cases in the different months and seasons by years, and (3) to identify comorbidities associated with VN. This is a prospective, population-based study conducted in the cities of Zagreb and Velika Gorica, Croatia in the 2011-2012 period. All diagnoses were confirmed either with caloric test or vestibular evoked myogenic potentials within 7 days of symptom onset. Following clinical parameters were collected from all patients: age, gender, side of the lesion, month and season of symptoms onset and comorbidities. We identified 79 new cases of VN (34 in 2011, 45 in 2012). The male to female ratio was 1.1:1. The mean age at the onset of the disease was 52.3 (range 20-86) years. The average annual incidence was 11.7 per 100,000 (95 % CI 7.8-15.6) in the 2011 period and 15.5 per 100,000 (95 % CI 11.0-20.0) in the 2012 period. For both years there was no statistically significant uneven distribution in the different months or seasons by years. The most frequent comorbidities present in VN patients were hypertension (30.4 %), diabetes mellitus (8.9 %), hyperlipidemia (7.5 %) and hypothyreosis (6.3 %). Our study has shown higher incidence of VN than previously reported. We have found no evidence of seasonality of VN and significant proportion of VN patients older than 50 years who had vascular risk factors present

The Developmental Characteristics of Mastoid Pneumatisation in Cleft Palate Children: The Genetic Influence

Physiologic and developmental role of mastoid pneumatisation in children with otitis media with effusion (OME) is still controversial. Formeasuringmastoid pneumatisation and examine developmental characteristics, we used children with orofacial malformation of high risk for long term negative pressure in the middle ear and are expected to have lower rate of size and growth of pneumatisation. Mastoid were measured on Schuller’s mastoid X-ray pictures planimetrically in study group of 146 children with bilateral (BCLP), unilateral (UCLP) and isolated (ICP) cleft palate, and control group of non-cleft 52 children, both groups with confirmed otitis media with effusion and no previous otological surgery. The lowest pneumatisation found in BCLP, BCLP and UCLP showed no growth of mastoid with age and lower mastoid size than OME controls. ICP is the only cleft type with growth of mastoid with aging.OME patients has the highest size of mastoid and growth rate with aging

Characteristics of the Hearing Loss in Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate-Influence on Communication

Etiology of otitis media with effusion (OME) is still unclear and often described as multi-factorial. It is very usual finding in cleft palate population. We tested relationship between the hearing level, audiometric frequencies, aging and ear side in unilateral cleft lip and palate 101 children (UCLP) and subgroups of left (UCLP)(L) and right cleft side (UCLP)(R). Group of left ears is prone to higher frequency and more severe hearing disturbances than groups of right ears, with less chance of normalizing hearing level with aging. Characteristics of hearing loss level and its improvement, in UCLP children depend of cleft type, ear side and age group