CLINICAL PRESENTATION AND OUTCOME OF IMPALEMENT CRANIOCEREBRAL INJURIES – A CASE SERIES
*Yusuf AS, 1Mahmud MR, Alfin JD, Adeleke NA
Department of Surgery, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin/ University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria. Email: yasalman01@yahoo.com
1Department of Surgery, National Hospital Abuja
*Correspondence
Grant support: None
Conflict of interest: None
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ABSTRACT
Background: Hearing distortions from trauma to the ear could occur by direct perforation of the tympanic membrane. Aim: To characterize hearing thresholds in patients with traumatic tympanic membrane perforation and changes in hearing occurring in the course of treatment. /p>
Study design: Prospective analytical study/p>
Setting: Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Nigeria. /p>
Methodology: We prospectively entered in a proforma the demographics of 60 patients with traumatic tympanic membrane perforation at the teaching hospital in Sagamu, Nigeria over a period of five years as well as their hearing assessment with pure tone audiometry at initial contact and six weeks post-injury. The type of hearing loss, pure tone average and air-bone gaps were recorded. Hearing changes between initial and second audiometric assessments were analyzed and compared. /p>
Results: The data obtained from 60 patients with 73 traumatized ears were analyzed. In all, 64 (87.7%) of the ears had hearing loss while 33(45.2%) had conductive hearing loss. Injured ears had significantly worse hearing and higher air-bone gaps ABGs compared with non-traumatized ears. There was notable improvement in hearing thresholds and closure of air-bone gaps in the course of treatment, which was significantly more at the low frequencies compared with the high frequencies. /p>
Conclusion: Patients with traumatic tympanic membrane perforation majorly had conductive hearing loss in the injured ears with audiometric confirmed air-bone gaps and increased hearing thresholds which were not frequency dependent. There was appreciable improvement in hearing parameters over time, significantly more at the low frequencies.
Key words: Trauma, Tympanic membrane perforation, Hearing changes.
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