| Abstrakt: |
Background: Mortality due to complications of chronic otitis media in recent times has reduced significantly after the advent of antibiotics and better diagnostic techniques. Despite a reduction in the incidence of complications following chronic otitis media, mortality still lingers among the population of developing nations owing to poor socio-economic conditions, negligence and less awareness about the disease. Aim: to study the prevalence, clinical presentation, age and sex distribution, and organism commonly involved in intracranial complications of chronic otitis media in a tertiary care centre, in Assam. Methods and Materials: it is a retrospective study including patients of chronic otitis media with intracranial complications presenting to the out patient department, and all admitted cases of intracranial complications in the department of Otorhinolaryngology, Assam Medical College and Hospital, from august 2017 to august 2023. After thorough confirmation by high resolution computed tomography, Magnetic resonance imaging and microbiological assessment, a total of 50 cases were included in the study. Results: male patients with intracranial complications were more in number with 60% as against female patients with 40%, with a male to female ratio of 1.5:1. 48% of the patients were in the age group of 21-40 years. Intracranial abscess form the most common complication with maximum number of Temporal lobe abscess cases with 32% followed by Cerebellar abscess patients with 20% of total complication rate. Meningitis cases were 24%, and Lateral Sinus Thrombophlebitis were 8%. Most common clinical presentation among the patients were Headache with 84% followed by Fever with 70 %. Ear discharge was seen in 50% of patients. 12(24%) of the patients underwent Modified Radical Mastoidectomy with Tympanoplasty, 38(76%) of the patients went through Radical Mastoidectomy and in 4(8%) out of them Facial nerve Decompression was done. In 21(42%) of the patients with intracranial abscess, drainage was undertaken by the Neurosurgery Department. Rest 13(26%) of intracranial abscess patients were treated conservatively by intravenous antibiotics. Conclusion: There was a male preponderance of patients over females with maximum patients belonging to the middle age group. Temporal lobe abscess was the most common intracranial complication followed by cerebellar abscess. Headache was the most common presentation followed by fever among the patients presenting with intracranial complications. Gram negative Pseudomonas and Gram positive Staphylococcus aureus were the most common organism isolated. With advent of antiobiotics and better diagnostic tactics and prompt surgical intervention, mortality and morbidity due to intracranial complications is a thing of the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
