Evaluation of Carhart’s Notch in Patients with Serous Otitis Media

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the changes in bone-conduction and air-bone gap in patients with serous otitis media and to evaluate the presence of Carhart’s notch. Material and Methods: Patients with unilateral serous otitis media were included in the study. Audiometric evaluation comprised air-conduction and bone-conduction hearing thresholds, and air-bone gap values. The preoperative and postoperative pure tone audiometry results of 45 patients were compared in terms of the air-bone gap and bone-conduction thresholds. Results: Carhart’s notch was present in 17 (37.8%) patients preoperatively. For pure tone audiometry, there was a statistically significant decrease in air-bone gap at all frequencies postoperatively. The postoperative decrease in the bone-conduction thresholds was statistically significant only at 2 kHz. In the postoperative period, a 4.7 dB improvement was observed in the bone-conduction threshold at 2 kHz for patients with Carhart’s notch. Conclusion: Carhart’s notch may be present in patients with serous otitis media. It is not specific to otosclerosis.