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Inflammatory cast of the tympanic membrane after acute otitis media

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2013

J Byun ,
DS Massi ,
A Sehgal  and
M Saadia-Redleaf
J Byun
Affiliation:
College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
DS Massi
Affiliation:
Department of Pathology, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
A Sehgal
Affiliation:
Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, Chicago, Illinois, USA
M Saadia-Redleaf*
Affiliation:
Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, Chicago, Illinois, USA
*
Address for correspondence: Dr Saadia-Redleaf, University of Illinois department of pathology, 1853 W Polk St (MC 785), Chicago, IL 60612, USA Fax: +1 312 996 4910 E-mail: mredleaf@uic.edu
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Abstract

Objective:

To describe a relatively unknown clinical entity – inflammatory cast of the tympanic membrane after acute otitis media – and its simple out-patient treatment.

Study design:

Retrospective review of case series.

Setting:

Subspecialty practice at a tertiary hospital.

Patients:

Seven patients diagnosed previously with acute otitis media with perforation or otitis externa, and with persistent ear discomfort.

Methods:

Retrospective chart review.

Results:

The patients presented with weeks to months of persistent hearing loss after acute otitis media with perforation or acute otitis externa. Visits to their primary care physicians had been uninformative. After comparison of the affected and unaffected tympanic membranes, a thin, hard cast was identified and removed from the affected tympanic membrane. Improvement in hearing was documented in the three patients who underwent audiometric testing; the remainder had subjective improvement without audiometric evaluation.

Conclusion:

Otolaryngologists should be aware of the possibility of an inflammatory cast of the tympanic membrane following acute otitis media with perforation or otitis externa, and should carefully compare the unaffected and affected ears in such cases. Treatment – removal of the rigid cast – is both simple and effective.

Keywords

Otitis MediaHearing Loss, ConductivePathologyExternal Auditory CanalKeratins
Type
Clinical Records
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 127 , Issue 3 , March 2013 , pp. 314 - 317
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2013

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References

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