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Predictive factors for the appearance of myringosclerosis after myringotomy with ventilation tube placement: randomized study

  • Otology
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Abstract

Myringotomy with the insertion of ventilation tubes is the most frequent surgical procedure performed in children, and the appearance of myringosclerosis is one of its most frequent long-term complications. The objective of this study is to identify clinical factors and technique variations that may have a relation with the appearance of myringosclerosis, after tube insertion. Patients submitted to myringotomy with transtympanic short-term tube insertion were studied in a longitudinal prospective and analytical cohort study with the prospective randomized open, blinded endpoint (PROBE) methodology, to study the influence of the location of myringotomy (anterior–inferior quadrant or posterior–inferior), directions of the incision (radial or non-radial) and aspiration or not of the middle ear. Our study included 156 patients (297 ears). Myringosclerosis was observed in 35.7 % of the operated ears. It appeared more often in patients with greater number of otitis (p = .001) and with greater number of otorrhea episodes (p = .029) and in patients in whom the tympanogram after the tube extraction was type A (according to Jerger´s classification) (p = 0.016). We identified myringosclerosis in less patients, if the tube was in the tympanic membrane for less than 12 months (p = .009). Myringosclerosis was present more extensively if the tympanic incision was located in the anterior–inferior quadrant, with tympanic involvement superior to 25 % (p = .015). The results observed prove that, underlying the appearance of myringosclerosis, there exists an early inflammatory or infectious process and a final cicatricial process. It was also found that when myringotomy is made in the anterior–inferior quadrant, myringosclerosis appears in a higher percentage of the tympanic membrane; therefore, it is not recommended to do the incision in this quadrant, because it may lead to a reduction of the tympanic membrane vibration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ENT Department, Hospital de Vila Franca de Xira, Lisbon, Portugal

    Carla Branco & Daniel Monteiro

  2. ENT Department, Hospital CUF Infante Santo, Lisbon, Portugal

    João Paço

Authors
  1. Carla Branco
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  2. Daniel Monteiro
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  3. João Paço
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Correspondence to Carla Branco.

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Branco, C., Monteiro, D. & Paço, J. Predictive factors for the appearance of myringosclerosis after myringotomy with ventilation tube placement: randomized study. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 274, 79–84 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-016-4194-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-016-4194-z

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