DISCERNING THE EFFICACY OF TOPICAL 2% ACETIC ACID IN CHRONIC SUPPURATIVE OTITIS MEDIA USING OTOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS SCORE: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM)- mucosal type is “dened as a chronic inammation of the middle ear and mastoid cavity, which presents with recurrent ear discharges or otorrhoea through a tympanic perforation.” Acetic acid demonstrates antimicrobial, antipersister and antibiolm potential. The objective of our study is to nd out the efcacy of medical treatment using acetic acid for patients of CSOM. This prospec RESULTS: tive study comprised of 100 patients suffering from CSOM who presented to the Department of ENT, HSK Hospital, Bagalkot from July 2021 to December 2022. The patients with chronic otitis media mucosal type with active discharge were enrolled in our study as per the inclusion and exclusion criteria. They underwent complete evaluation including otomicroscopy and pure tone audiometry to determine the nature of disease and its severity. Otological symptom score was calculated in all patients at the time of presentation. They were treated conservatively with topical 2% Acetic acid ear drops. Scores were assessed based on clinical ndings at day 7, day 14, day 21 and day 30 follow-up visit. Patients were segregated into those with clinical cure (<3), clinical improvement (3-5) and treatment failure (>5) as per their score. Achieving “treatment success” at the end of the study was considered as an effective parameter to measure effectiveness of topical acetic acid ear drops. 'Treatment success” i.e. either clinical cure or clinical improvement was seen in 95% patients after using acetic acid, whereas “treatment failure” was seen in 5% patients at the end of 1 month. In CONCLUSION: the present study using topical preparation of 2% acetic acid, the resolution of CSOM was shown with success rate in 95% patients. This shows that acetic acid was effective in reducing the symptoms of CSOM.