The effects of tympanoplasty on improvements of hearing and tinnitus for chronic otitis media patients with tinnitus

Abstract

Objective:The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation of hearing and tinnitus improvement levels in chronic otitis media (COM) patients after tympanoplasty.Method:Thirty-five cases with COM, accompanied with tinnitus on the affected side or undefined sides, were enrolled and accepted for tympanoplasty between May 2015 and Dec 2016. Audiologic evaluation by pure tone audiometry and assessment of Tinnitus Handicap Inventory scores were conducted in pre-operation and 3 months post-operation. The mean air conduction (AC), boneconduction (BC), air-bone gap (ABG) at 500, 1 000, 2 000 and 4 000 Hz was calculated. THI scores were recorded and analyzed.Result:All the patients healed well and the felthearing was improved and tinnitus symptoms alleviated. There was a significant difference between post-operative THI score (15.0±5.6) and pre-operative score (21.2±7.4), t= 7.8, P< 0.01. Significant differenceswerealso found in comparison of pre-operative AC (41.6±9.9)dBHL and post-operative AC(32.5±10.0)dBHL, t= 5.9, P< 0.01, pre-operative ABG (27.0±7.4)dBHL and post-operative ABG (18.3±7.7)dBHL,t= 6.5, P< 0.01. However, the value of BC in the pre-operation (14.5±5.9)dBHL was almost the same as that in post-operation(13.9±6.0)dBHL, t= 1.2, P> 0.05. Hearing improve levels aboutAC and ABG were positively correlated with the remission degree of tinnitus post-operatively (t= 0.9, P< 0.01).Conclusion:Patients accompanied with tinnitus experienced a remarkableremission in tinnitus and recoveryin hearing levelfollowed bytympanoplasty.Tympanoplasty was a positive treatment for relievingtinnitus in COM patients.