Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T09:37:38.355Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Non-Explosive blast injury of the ear

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

Gilead Berger ,
Yehuda Finkelstein  and
Moshe Harell
Gilead Berger*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Meir General Hospital, Kfar Saba, Israel
Yehuda Finkelstein
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Wolfson Hospital, Holon, Israel.
Moshe Harell
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Wolfson Hospital, Holon, Israel.
*
Gilead Berger, M.D., Department of Otolaryngology, Meir General Hospital, 44281 Kfar Saba, Israel.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Non-explosive blast injury of the ear refers to the otological trauma caused by a blow to the ear that seals the external auditory meatus. It results in a sudden increase of air pressure within the ear canal that strikes the tympanic membrane. The present study portrays the various aspects of middle and inner ear damage in 91 patients resulting from an assault we entitled a ’non-explosive blast injury' to the ear. Sixty cases were caused by a slap or a fist, 13 patients suffered sport accidents, mostly in ball games, and 18 patients were injured during swimming and water sports activities. The common symptoms were hearing loss, earache, tinnitus, vertigo and otorrhoea. All 91 patients presented with acute perforations of their eardrums. The mean conductive hearing loss was 11.2 dB. A high tone sensorineural hearing loss was detected in only 20 per cent of the patients. A spontaneous closure of the perforation with a conservative management approach was observed in 94.8 per cent of the patientsHealing of the perforation was always associated with closure of the air-bone gap, while the results of the sensorineural hearing loss recovery were less favourable.

Keywords

Blast injuriesEarHearing lossconductiveHearing losssensorineural
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 108 , Issue 5 , May 1994 , pp. 395 - 398
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bruins, W. R., Cawood, R. H. (1991) Blast injuries of the ear as a result of the Peterborough lorry explosion: 22 March 1989. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 105:890–895.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hough, J. V. D. (1980) Otologic trauma. In Otolaryngology. Vol. II, The Ear. Ch. 27, 2nd Edition. (Paparella, M. M., Shumrick, D. A., eds.), W. B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, pp 1656–1679.Google Scholar
Kerr, A. G. (1980) Trauma and the temporal bone. The effects of blast on the ear. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 94: 107–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kerr, A. G., Byrne, J. E. T. (1975 a) Concussive effects of bomb blasts on the ear. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 89: 131–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kerr, A. G., Byrne, J. E. T. (1975 b) Blast injuries of the ear. British Medical Journal 1: 559–561.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kerr, A. G., Smyth, G. D. L. (1987). Ear trauma. In Scott-Brown's Otolaryngology vol. 2, Otology, Ch. 7, 5th Edition. (Kerr, A., Booth, J. B., eds.), Butterworths, London, p 172.Google Scholar
Kristensen, S. (1992) Spontaneous healing of traumatic tympanic membrane perforations in man: a century of experience. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 106: 1037–1050.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kronenberg, J., Ben-Shoshan, J., Modan, M., Leventon, J. (1988) Blast injury and cholesteatoma. American Journal of Otology 9: 127–130.Google ScholarPubMed
Lindeman, P., Edstrom, S., Granstrom, G., Jacobsson, S., Von Sydow, C., Westin, T., Aberg, B. (1987) Acute traumatic tympanic membrane perforations. Cover or observe? Archives Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery 113: 1285–1287.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pahor, A. L. (1981) The ENT problems following the Birmingham bombings. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 95: 399–406.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roth, Y., Kronenberg, J., Lotem, S., Leventon, G. (1989) Blast injury of the ear. Harefuah 117: 297–301.Google ScholarPubMed
Teter, D. L., Newell, R. C., Aspinall, K. B. (1970) Audiometric configurations associated with blast trauma. Laryngoscope 80: 1122–1132.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ziv, M., Philipson, N. C., Leventon, G., Man, A. (1973) Blast injury of the ear: treatment and evaluation. Military Medicine 138: 811–813.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed