Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Chronic Otitis Media

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Infections of the Ears, Nose, Throat, and Sinuses

  • 1680 Accesses

Abstract

Chronic otitis media is a complex diagnosis, encompassing several more specific diseases such as cholesteatoma, tympanic membrane perforation, chronic suppurative otitis media, tympanostomy tube otorrhea, and chronic otitis media with effusion. Given the range of conditions that are classified as chronic otitis media, it is important to define each of these diagnoses individually as they have differing etiologies. Although the included conditions have many differences, there are also several etiologic factors that unite them including Eustachian tube dysfunction and biofilms. Through understanding of the differences and similarities, one can more easily understand when and why different treatments must be employed. This chapter reviews the epidemiology, etiologies, diagnosis, and treatment of various types of chronic otitis media.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Lo AC, Nemec SF. Opacification of the middle ear and mastoid: imaging findings and clues to differential diagnosis. Clin Radiol. 2015;70(5):e1–13.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Acuin J. Chronic suppurative otitis media: burden of illness and management options. Geneva: Child and Adolescent Health and Development Prevention of Blindness and Deafness. World Health Organization; 2004. http://www.who.int/pbd/publications/Chronicsuppurativeotitis_media.pdf.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Rosenfeld RM, Shin JJ, Schwartz SR, Coggins R, Gagnon L, Hackell JM, et al. Clinical practice guideline: otitis media with effusion executive summary (update). Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016;154(2):201–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Ngo CC, Massa HM, Thornton RB, Cripps AW. Predominant bacteria detected from the middle ear fluid of children experiencing otitis media: a systematic review. PLoS One. 2016;11(3):e0150949.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Post JC. Direct evidence of bacterial biofilms in otitis media. 2001. Laryngoscope. 2015;125(9):2003–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Snyder KN, Compliment JM, Buchinsky FJ, Hall-Stoodley L, Stoodley P, Post JC. Biofilms: a new enemy. Nurse Pract. 2009;34(9):35–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Gül A, Akdag M, Kinis V, Yilmaz B, Sengül E, Teke M, et al. Radiologic and surgical findings in chronic suppurative otitis media. J Craniofac Surg. 2014;25(6):2027–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Dinç AE, Damar M, Ugur MB, Öz II, Eliçora SS, Biskin S, et al. Do the angle and length of the Eustachian tube influence the development of chronic otitis media? Laryngoscope. 2015;125(9):2187–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Gu X, Keyoumu Y, Long L, Zhang H. Detection of bacterial biofilms in different types of chronic otitis media. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2013;271(11):2877–83.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Kuo CL. Etiopathogenesis of acquired cholesteatoma: prominent theories and recent advances in biomolecular research. Laryngoscope. 2015;125(1):234–40.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Lefebvre MA, Quach C, Daniel SJ. Chronic suppurative otitis media due to nontuberculous mycobacteria: a case of successful treatment with topical boric acid. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2015;79(7):1158–60.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Hsin CH, Tseng HC, Lin HP, Chen TH. Post-irradiation otitis media, rhinosinusitis, and their interrelationship in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated with IMRT. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2015;273(2):471–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Kanazawa H, Yoshida N, Iino Y. New insights into eosinophilic otitis media. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2015;15(12):76.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Formanek M, Zelenik K, Kominek P, Matousek P. Diagnosis of extraesophageal reflux in children with chronic otitis media with effusion using Peptest. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2015;79(5):677–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. O’Reilly RC, Soundar S, Tonb D, Bolling L, Yoo E, Nadal T, et al. The role of gastric pepsin in the inflammatory cascade of pediatric otitis media. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2015;141(4):350–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Jotic A, Jesic S, Zivkovic M, Tomanovic N, Kuveljic J, Stankovic A. Polymorphisms in toll-like receptors 2 and 4 genes and their expression in chronic suppurative otitis media. Auris Nasus Larynx. 2015;42(6):431–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Si Y, Zhang ZG, Chen SJ, Zheng YQ, Chen YB, Liu Y, et al. Attenuated TLRs in middle ear mucosa contributes to susceptibility of chronic suppurative otitis media. Hum Immunol. 2014;75(8):771–6.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Chang CW, Cheng PW, Young YH. Inner ear deficits after chronic otitis media. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2013;271(8):2165–70.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Mas-Estelles F, Mateos-Fernandez M, Carrascosa-Bisquert B, Facal de Castro F, Puchades-Roman I, Morera-Perez C. Contemporary non-echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging of middle ear cholesteatomas. Radiographics. 2012;32(4):1197–213.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Vercruysse JP, De Foer B, Pouillon M, Somers T, Casselman J, Offeciers E. The value of diffusion-weighted MR imaging in the diagnosis of primary acquired and residual cholesteatoma: a surgical verified study of 100 patients. Eur Radiol. 2006;16(7):1461–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Sun J, Sun J. Intracranial complications of chronic otitis media. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2013;271(11):2923–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Kerschner JE, Hong W, Khampang P, Johnston N. Differential response of gel-forming mucins to pathogenic middle ear bacteria. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2014;78(8):1368–73.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Khosravi Y, Ling LC, Loke MF, Shailendra S, Prepageran N, Vadivelu J. Determination of the biofilm formation capacity of bacterial pathogens associated with otorhinolaryngologic diseases in the Malaysian population. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2014;271(5):1227–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Puig C, Domenech A, Garmendia J, Langereis D, Mayer P, Calatayud L, et al. Increased biofilm formation by nontypeable Haemophilus influenza isolates from patients with invasive disease or otitis media versus strains recovered from cases of respiratory infections. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2014;80(22):7088–95.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Wessman M, Bjarnsholt T, Eickhardt-Sorensen SR, Johansen HK, Homoe P. Mucosal biofilm detection in chronic otitis media: a study of middle ear biopsies from Greenlandic patients. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2014;272(5):1079–85.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Yehudai N, Most T, Luntz M. Risk factors for sensorineural hearing loss in pediatric chronic otitis media. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2015;79(1):26–30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Dundar R, Kulduk E, Soy FK, Aslan M, Yukkarldiran A, Guler OK, et al. Surgical success of boomerang-shaped chondroperichondrial graft in pediatric chronic otitis media cases. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2015;79(6):808–11.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Brackman DE, Shelton C, Arriaga MS. Otologic surgery. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016. ISBN: 978-0-323-29977-0.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Alain H, Esmat NH, Ohad H, Yona V, Nageris BI. Butterfly myringoplasty for total, subtotal, and annular perforations. Laryngoscope. 2016;126:2565–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.25904.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Guo M, Huang Y, Wang J. Report of myringoplasty with interlay method in 53 ears perforation of tympani. J Clin Otorhinolaryngol. 1999;13(4):147–9.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Anzola JF, João Flávio Nogueira JF. Endoscopic techniques in tympanoplasty. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2016;49:1253–64.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Ghadersohi A, Carter JM, Hoff SR. Endoscopic transcanal approach to the middle ear for management of pediatric cholesteatoma. Laryngoscope. 2017;127:2653. https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.26654.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Cohen MS, Landegger LD, Kozin ED, Lee DJ. Pediatric endoscopic ear surgery in clinical practice: lessons learned and early outcomes. Laryngoscope. 2016;126:732–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.25410.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Deniz M, Uslu C, Koldas C, Deniz B. Which technique is better for cholesteatoma surgery? B-ENT. 2015;11(2):109–15.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Yen YC, Lin C, Weng SF, Lin YS. Higher risk of developing sudden sensorineural hearing loss in patients with chronic otitis media. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2015;141(5):429–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Yoshida H, Miyamoto I, Takahashi H. Relationship between CT findings and sensorineural hearing loss in chronic otitis media. Auris Nasus Larynx. 2014;41(3):259–63.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatric Otolaryngology, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Wilmington, DE, USA

    Jenna W. Briddell

  2. Pediatric Otolaryngology, Boston Medical Center, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    Jessica R. Levi

  3. Pediatric Neurotology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Robert C. O’Reilly

Authors
  1. Jenna W. Briddell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jessica R. Levi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Robert C. O’Reilly
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jenna W. Briddell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Marlene L. Durand

  2. Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Daniel G. Deschler

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Briddell, J.W., Levi, J.R., O’Reilly, R.C. (2018). Chronic Otitis Media. In: Durand, M., Deschler, D. (eds) Infections of the Ears, Nose, Throat, and Sinuses. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74835-1_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74835-1_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-74834-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-74835-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation