Use of prophylactic otic drops after tympanostomy tube insertion.

In a 1-year prospective study, 60 patients with chronic serous otitis media underwent bilateral tympanocentesis with tube insertion. The right ear was treated with dexapolyspectran (a solution consisting of polymyxin B sulfate, neomycin sulfate, sulfonamide, and hydrocortisone) intraoperatively and for 72 hours afterward, and the left ear served as the control. All patients were followed up at weekly intervals for the first month. Five (8.3%) out of 60 experimental ears had purulent otorrhea within the first 14 days after surgery, compared with eight (13.3%) out of 60 control ears. Statistical analysis showed no difference between the two groups.