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BACKGROUND: Necrotising otitis externa is a progressive infection of the external auditory canal which extends to affect the temporal bone and adjacent structures. Progression of the disease process can result in serious sequelae, including cranial nerve palsies and death. There is currently no formal published treatment guideline.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to integrate current evidence and data from our own retrospective case series in order to develop a guideline to optimise necrotising otitis externa patient management.
METHODS: A retrospective review of necrotising otitis externa cases within NHS Lothian, Scotland, between 2013 and 2018, was performed, along with a PubMed review.
RESULTS: Prevalent presenting signs, symptoms and patient demographic data were established. Furthermore, features of cases associated with adverse outcomes were defined. A key feature of the guideline is defining at-risk patients with initial intensive treatment. Investigations and outcomes are assessed and treatment adjusted appropriately.
CONCLUSIONS: This multi-departmental approach has facilitated the development of a succinct, systematic guideline for the management of necrotising otitis externa. Initial patient outcomes appear promising.

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Real-ear-to-coupler difference (RECD) measurements are used for the purposes of estimating degree and configuration of hearing loss (in dB SPL ear canal) and predicting hearing aid output from coupler-based measures. Accurate measurements of hearing threshold, derivation of hearing aid fitting targets, and predictions of hearing aid output in the ear canal assume consistent matching of RECD coupling procedure (i.e., foam tip or earmold) with that used during assessment and in verification of the hearing aid fitting. When there is a mismatch between these coupling procedures, errors are introduced.
The goal of this study was to quantify the systematic difference in measured RECD values obtained when using a foam tip versus an earmold with various tube lengths. Assuming that systematic errors exist, the second goal was to investigate the use of a foam tip to earmold correction for the purposes of improving fitting accuracy when mismatched RECD coupling conditions occur (e.g., foam tip at assessment, earmold at verification).
Eighteen adults and 17 children (age range: 3-127 mo) participated in this study.
Data were obtained using simulated ears of various volumes and earmold tubing lengths and from patients using their own earmolds. Derived RECD values based on simulated ear measurements were compared with RECD values obtained for adult and pediatric ears for foam tip and earmold coupling.
Results indicate that differences between foam tip and earmold RECDs are consistent across test ears for adults and children which support the development of a correction between foam tip and earmold couplings for RECDs that can be applied across individuals.
The foam tip to earmold correction values developed in this study can be used to provide improved estimations of earmold RECDs. This may support better accuracy in acoustic transforms related to transforming thresholds and/or hearing aid coupler responses to ear canal sound pressure level for the purposes of fitting behind-the-ear hearing aids.

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OBJECTIVE: This guideline provides evidence-based recommendations on managing cerumen impaction, defined as an accumulation of cerumen that causes symptoms, prevents assessment of the ear, or both. We recognize that the term \"impaction\" suggests that the ear canal is completely obstructed with cerumen and that our definition of cerumen impaction does not require a complete obstruction. However, cerumen impaction is the preferred term since it is consistently used in clinical practice and in the published literature to describe symptomatic cerumen or cerumen that prevents assessment of the ear. This guideline is intended for all clinicians who are likely to diagnose and manage patients with cerumen impaction.
OBJECTIVE: The primary purpose of this guideline is to improve diagnostic accuracy for cerumen impaction, promote appropriate intervention in patients with cerumen impaction, highlight the need for evaluation and intervention in special populations, promote appropriate therapeutic options with outcomes assessment, and improve counseling and education for prevention of cerumen impaction. In creating this guideline the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation selected a panel representing the fields of audiology, family medicine, geriatrics, internal medicine, nursing, otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, and pediatrics.
RESULTS: The panel made a strong recommendation that 1) clinicians should treat cerumen impaction that causes symptoms expressed by the patient or prevents clinical examination when warranted. The panel made recommendations that 1) clinicians should diagnose cerumen impaction when an accumulation of cerumen is associated with symptoms, or prevents needed assessment of the ear (the external auditory canal or tympanic membrane), or both; 2) clinicians should assess the patient with cerumen impaction by history and/or physical examination for factors that modify management, such as one or more of the following: nonintact tympanic membrane, ear canal stenosis, exostoses, diabetes mellitus, immunocompromised state, or anticoagulant therapy; 3) the clinician should examine patients with hearing aids for the presence of cerumen impaction during a healthcare encounter (examination more frequently than every three months, however, is not deemed necessary); 4) clinicians should treat the patient with cerumen impaction with an appropriate intervention, which may include one or more of the following: cerumenolytic agents, irrigation, or manual removal other than irrigation; and 5) clinicians should assess patients at the conclusion of in-office treatment of cerumen impaction and document the resolution of impaction. If the impaction is not resolved, the clinician should prescribe additional treatment. If full or partial symptoms persist despite resolution of impaction, alternative diagnoses should be considered. The panel offered as an option that 1) clinicians may observe patients with nonimpacted cerumen that is asymptomatic and does not prevent the clinician from adequately assessing the patient when an evaluation is needed; 2) clinicians may distinguish and promptly evaluate the need for intervention in the patient who may not be able to express symptoms but presents with cerumen obstructing the ear canal; 3) the clinician may treat the patient with cerumen impaction with cerumenolytic agents, irrigation, or manual removal other than irrigation; and 4) clinicians may educate/counsel patients with cerumen impaction/excessive cerumen regarding control measures.
CONCLUSIONS: This clinical practice guideline is not intended as a sole source of guidance in managing cerumen impaction. Rather, it is designed to assist clinicians by providing an evidence-based framework for decision-making strategies. It is not intended to replace clinical judgment or establish a protocol for all individuals with this condition, and may not provide the only appropriate approach to diagnosing and managing this problem.

Removal of cerumen and debris from adult external auditory canals using an otologic microscope is a skilled procedure. This specialized skill involves magnified visualization of the external auditory canal (EAC) and tympanic membrane (TM) or middle ear using an otologic microscope, as well as the use of suction tips and other instruments. This paper provides procedural guidelines for adult otologic microdebridement for the Otorhinolaryngology (ORL) specialist based on a literature review and the experiences of the author.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the study were to evaluate tympanometry with regard to age and classification system using two probe-tone frequencies and to provide clinical guidelines.
METHODS: Six subject groups were included in the evaluation: (1) neonatal intensive care unit babies, (2) children younger than 3 months, (3) children 3 to 6 months old, (4) children 6 to 9 months old, (5) children 9 to 32 months old, and (6) adults. Hearing of all subjects was screened by means of auditory brainstem responses, transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions, or behavioral audiometry. Tympanograms, recorded with probe-tone frequencies of 226 and 1,000 Hz, were classified according to shape and middle ear pressure. Additionally, 1,000-Hz tympanograms were classified based on the Vanhuyse model of tympanometric shapes. Furthermore, tympanometric parameters equivalent ear canal volume, admittance value at +200 daPa, middle ear admittance, tympanometric peak pressure, and tympanometric width were calculated for each tympanogram.
RESULTS: For clinical purposes, the visual admittance classification system was more suitable than the Vanhuyse model. Furthermore, in children younger than the age of 3 months, 1,000-Hz tympanometry was easier to interpret and more reliable than 226-Hz tympanometry. From the age of 9 months, 226-Hz tympanometry was more appropriate. In children between 3 and 9 months, the reliability of tympanometry was independent of probe-tone frequency. A two-stage evaluation with a 1,000- to 226-Hz tympanometry sequence was preferred because this reduced the total number of tests.
CONCLUSIONS: The current study provides normative data and age-related guidelines for the use of tympanometry in clinical practice. These results have led to a successful implementation of 1,000-Hz tympanometry in neonatal hearing assessment.

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