Surgery for Chronic Otitis Media Causes Greater Taste Disturbance Than Surgery for Otosclerosis.

OBJECTIVES

Patients with otosclerosis more often complain about postoperative taste disturbance than patients with chronic otitis media, which seems paradoxical. We aim to investigate if and potentially why this seems to be the case, since the chorda tympani nerve (CTN) is thought to be severely traumatized less frequently during surgery in the former than in the latter.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Hospital of Vastmanland, Vasteras, Sweden.

PATIENTS

Sixty-five adults undergoing primary middle ear surgery were included. Thirty-seven were operated on for chronic suppurative otitis media with or without cholesteatoma (CSOM) and 28 for otosclerosis.

INTERVENTIONS

Middle ear surgery due to otosclerosis or CSOM. Subjective and objective taste measurements and quality of life (QoL) questionnaire.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Taste was assessed using electrogustometry (EGM) and the filter paper disc (FPD) method before and up to 1 year after surgery. Questionnaires on taste disturbance, including a visual analogue scale (VAS), and QoL were completed before and up to 1 year after surgery.

RESULTS

Subjective taste disturbance anytime during the 1-year follow-up were reported by 62 and 46%, respectively. The difference in EGM 1 week after surgery compared with preoperative EGM was significantly greater among CSOM patients than otosclerosis. One year postoperatively, the difference is non-significant.

CONCLUSION

Surgery for CSOM causes greater initial and more long-lasting taste disturbances as compared with surgery for otosclerosis. One-year postoperative taste normalizes for both CSOM and otosclerosis patients according to VAS and EGM measurements. No real change in QoL was seen 1-year postoperatively.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level 2 evidence is prospective observational research with an experimental design.