The effect of anti-adhesive packing agents in the middle ear of guinea pig

Abstract

The presence of adhesions after middle ear surgery is not uncommon. Fibrosis can cause conductive hearing loss and it contributes to retraction of the tympanic membrane in the post-surgery patient. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anti-adhesive effect of Seprafilm and MeroGel in the abraded mucosa of a guinea pig's middle ear. Fifteen pathogen-free adult male albino guinea pigs weighing 250-300g each were used. Under an aseptic condition, the middle ear mucosa was abraded using a pick through a myringotomy incision. Seprafilm, MeroGel and Gelfoam, respectively, were then packed into guinea pigs' middle ear cavities. Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) were assessed preoperatively and 3 weeks after operation. The ABR results at postoperative week 3 showed no statistically significant difference for the myringotomy and postpacking, except for the MeroGel packing. However, there was no significant threshold on the 6 weeks' postoperative ABR. The Gelfoam group demonstrated extensive fibrosis and adhesion within the bulla cavity. The Seprafilm and MeroGel groups showed no adhesion in the middle ear cleft after abrasion of the mucosa. From these results, we suggest the use of Seprafilm and MeroGel to improve the results of otosurgery.